New Keys, Kids, and Kitchens

(3/6-3/19) Food Service

New Keys, Kids, and Kitchens

I have made it to Marion County Public Schools and joined the food service team here to complete my food service rotation. My preceptor is the MCPS Nutrition Director who oversees every single kitchen and kitchen staff member in the county.

I began days 1 & 2 in the kitchens at a couple schools observing and helping where needed. It was a privilege to help feed the kids. As a former server, I have worked in a kitchen in the past, but it was insightful to see how school kitchens must operate and follow certain guidelines differently.

Fortunately, I am able to use AHEC, the housing assistance program for medical students through UK. They placed me in a home with an older couple who are very family oriented; their grandchildren come over to visit pretty often. They live in Springfield; about a 20-minute drive from the central office of MCPS. I was hesitant at first to be living with strangers, but I am super grateful that they opened their home to me.

Day to Day

There are two different day to days in school food service. Some days I head to a school kitchen and some days I head to the office with my preceptor.

If I am arriving to the facility while still dark, you know I am reporting to a school kitchen. I report to the kitchen at about 6am and work with all of the other kitchen staff to prepare breakfast and lunch, and then finish the day with cleaning. Through this group participation and teamwork, I have completed CRDN 2.3. Fortunately, kitchen days usually end around 2:30pm so I leave and get to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening. I particularly love these days when the weather is nice!

As far as office days go, the schedule is 8am to 4:30pm and the work we do varies day to day. The majority of time spent with my preceptor has been hopping from school to school to manage kitchen staff, calculating the cost of food lost in the power outages from previous storms, budgeting, and sitting in on meetings with the leaders of the district.

My Expectations of School Food Service

My expectations before starting in this position were broad and biased. As a former server, I remember working in a kitchen and being super busy and pulling the weight of my team. Because of that, I thought I would not enjoy working in the kitchen. However, the days that I have been in the kitchen have been very enjoyable. The kitchen staff all have a forecast & production sheet for a certain food item that they must prepare. It was organized and every individual seemed to contribute their fair share. My very first day, the high school was short on staff, so I jumped right in and helped where needed. As far as rules and regulations go, I expected to learn the components that make up a school meal. I have not only learned these regulations but witnessed staff apply them.

Another major surprise to me was the number of students who eat breakfast and lunch. I remember being in grade school and majority of students packed their lunch and did not even arrive to school early enough to eat breakfast. Of course, I am from Lexington, so I was in a city where less students experienced poverty and food insecurity. In Marion County, the percentages of students eating breakfast and lunch are in the 80’s and 90’s. It is awesome to see students eating school meals and getting a nutritious meal or two each weekday.

Within the Nutrition Director’s office, I expected lots of planning, budgeting and ordering. I have observed both planning and budgeting, and I expect to witness the ordering process soon. I did not expect to sit in on leadership meetings and board meetings which include the superintendent and other authority figures within the district, but they have been very informative in regard to how the district communicates and works as a team.

School Nutrition

Talk about strict rules and regulations, school food service as them. The USDA along with the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), have set stringent guidelines that school nutrition directors must follow when making menus and serving food.

To put it simply, school lunch must provide a fruit, vegetable, grain, protein, and milk. Kids must choose 3-5 of these components and 1 of those has to be a ½ cup of fruit or vegetables (USDA, 2022). School breakfastmust provide a fruit and/or vegetable, a grain and/or protein, and milk. Students much choose 3 of these food items and 1 of these has to be a ½ cup of fruit or vegetables (USDA, 2022). There are many other guidelines that dive deeper into things like calories per meal, sodium and saturated fat content, and number of items from each food group that must be served within a week. The USDA and these programs are constantly revising and making changes to these guidelines to provide the most up to date nutritious meals for the younger generation.

Written by Brianna Starr, UK Dietetic Intern

References

United States Department of Agriculture (2022). National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture.

United States Department of Agriculture (2022). School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture.