With a department of about 180 people, it took three separate full-day sessions to provide the Palm Springs Unified School District nutrition services team with the tips, tools and information it needs for a successful 2015-16 school year.
Divided into three groups (central kitchen, elementary school staff and secondary school staff), team members gathered at the PSUSD Service Center to review policies, receive updates on changes and enhance customer service skills.
Since most of the department members are employed at a particular school site, one of the supervisors took them on the “dock to plate” journey so they could appreciate what happens to the food we serve our students from the time it gets delivered to the time the kids place it on their tray in the cafeteria. They also learned about food allergies, identifying and recognizing them, and accommodating children with special dietary needs. They also were reminded that it is law that children with food allergies are provided with modifications and substitutions as per the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Our school cafeteria staff members left their training sessions with the latest information on the “Smarter Lunchrooms Movement,” including ideas on how to market their serving lines to increase participation and the consumption of healthy meals. Some of the tips they left that training with included:
- Encourage kids to choose milk rather than juice by placing it in front of organized, clean coolers in an easy to reach place before the juice.
- Encourage kids to choose fruits and vegetables by placing them at eye level in prominent and/or slow-moving places on the serving line.
- Use appealing labels and cool names to describe foods (i.e.: “Fiesta Nachos”).
- Providing a choice of two fruits or vegetables rather than just one to increase participation.