School Food Transformation

Our primary grants and programs are proven ways to advance access to healthy food choices and build direct connections between kids and the roots of their food. Each salad bar or garden that a school adds is a building block towards reinventing school food.

School food transformation, however, is not about changing just one thing. It is changing everything — school districts’ entire food programs. By facilitating the right environments and partnerships for permanent systemic changes within school food, we are working to wholly transform the way students eat and think about food.

Our Approach

1. Collaboration. Whole Kids is built on a spirit of collaboration, and since day one, we have been joining forces with others who share our passion. We act as a catalyst by investing in partnerships and opportunities that set the stage for deep, lasting change. By working with innovative school food leaders across the U.S., we connect with the right experts and resources so that collectively, we can amplify each other’s efforts.
2. Scratch Cooking. Scratch cooking is real food made with real ingredients. When schools transition from processed (heat-and-serve) foods to cooking their own meals made with fresh ingredients, they can provide students with the nutrition needed for educational success, health and wellbeing. We’ve partnered with ScratchWorks, a collective of school food professionals and nonprofit organizations committed to supporting school districts scratch cook school meals.
3. Leadership Development. In order to sustain systemic change, healthy advocates are needed not only in the school cafeterias but in classrooms too. School staff with knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating can be stronger role models for students and better advocate for school wellness policies. Our online and in-person Healthy Teachers Program is a free two-hour nutrition and cooking class designed to transform teacher and staff wellbeing.
4. Plant-Based Meals. We champion meals where vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes are the primary ingredients because they help kids eat closer to nature and cultivate lifelong healthy eating habits. Motivated by the health and environmental benefits of plant-based meals, we are active participants in the global dialogue to increase the demand for and availability of more plants in school meals. Dig in.

Get Schools Cooking Grant

Whole Kids Foundation has joined forces with Chef Ann Foundation for the Get School Cooking Grant, which supports small- and medium-sized school districts in the U.S. working to transform their food service programs from processed foods to scratch-cooked meals. The comprehensive, multi-year program addresses five key areas of school food operations: food, finance, facilities, human resources and marketing and includes a grant to help districts facilitate these recommendations.

School Food Professionals: Get Support

Transitioning to scratch cooking? Check out Chef Ann Foundation’s The Lunch Box, the largest online resource for scratch cooking in schools and features step-by-step guides, management tools, recipes and menus, and other resources to help schools improve their meal programs.

Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship

We're honored to be a founding partner, along with the state of CA, of the first ever scratch-cooked school food focused Fellowship being launched by our friends at the Chef Ann Foundation. The Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship is the first of its kind and will support the next generation of diverse leaders in school food.

Parents: Take Action

Get educated, get organized and get started with this Parent Advocacy Toolkit featuring tools and resources designed to guide parents advocating for healthier school food in their communities.

Get Inspired

School Food 101

This year, National School Lunch Week is October 10-14. The annual event highlights the importance of a healthy school lunch and the impact balanced nutrition has on a student’s success both inside and outside of the classroom.

It’s also a great time to take a look at the history, current state and the future potential of school food.

How Napa Is Turning Around Cafeteria Food

As a 2018 Get Schools Cooking Grant Recipient, Napa Valley Unified School District is on a mission to shift from heat-and-serve processed foods to healthier, scratch-cooked student meals using real ingredients.

How Parents Can Help Transform School Food

As we welcome five new school districts to the Get Schools Cooking program, it’s the perfect time to check in with a changemaker with Napa Valley Unified School District, a 2018 program partner, and learn more about what it took for the district to begin serving more wholesome choices.

Get to Know ScratchWorks

ScratchWorks is a collective of school food professionals and non-profit organizations committed to providing children the healthiest meals possible by supporting school districts in cooking school meals from scratch using whole, fresh ingredients that provide students with the nutrition they need for their educational success, health, and wellbeing.

We reached out to Nancy and Mara to get the scoop on ScratchWorks and what’s they’re looking forward to.

Lessons from a Lunch Lady

With 24 years of experience, Patricia Leach, a food service worker, is just who you’d want at the forefront of San Francisco Unified School District’s school food transformation.

The Future of Society Is on Our Children's Plates

During this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, Whole Kids Foundation took part in The Copernicus Project, part art exhibit, part science experiment and part immersive interactive experience, which explored the current state of our food system and examined our roles and responsibilities in shaping its future.

Get to Know Chef Ann Foundation

The Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) is dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools by ensuring that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, cook from scratch meals. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn.

We reached out to Mara Fleishman, CEO at Chef Ann Foundation, to get the scoop on how they are helping kids learn to love fresh, nutritious, whole foods.

30 Chef-Created, Veggie-Focused School Lunch Recipes for All Schools

Thanks to CIA (Culinary Institute of America) Healthy Kids Collaborative, 30 plant-focused recipes are now available on thelunchbox.org, an online toolkit that provides free step-by-step guides, tools, recipes and other resources to help schools improve their meal programs and convert to scratch-cooking.

Get to Know Wellness in the Schools

Wellness in the Schools is a national nonprofit that teaches children healthy habits to learn, live and thrive. They partner with public schools, chefs and coaches to ensure access to nourishing food and active play. Their collaborative approach and programming aim to shift the culture of schools to prioritize well-being.

We reached out to Nancy Easton, Co-Founder and Executive Director at Wellness in the Schools, to get the scoop on how they are helping kids learn to love fresh, nutritious, whole foods.

Additional Resources for Change

Recipes for School Kitchens

Created for school kitchens, tested in cafeterias and kid approved, each recipe in The Lunch Box is analyzed for USDA meal components and can be easily adjusted to fit any portion quantity.

GROW WITH US

Stay up to date on our grant programs and how our favorite schools and organizations are doing!