ADVOCATING FOR YOUR SCHOOL NUTRITION TEAM

BY BECKY TERRY, 2022-2023 SNA-WI NEXT GENERATION COMMITTEE CHAIR

Advocacy can mean so many different things in school nutrition. I have been thinking lately on how to advocate in our district for our school nutrition staff. I want them to know they are a valued part of the district and to acknowledge the hard work they put in daily to feed children. So often we are pulled into the daily operations of our work, that this piece gets put to the bottom of the list. In actuality it should be at the top of the list. It is easy to recognize and understand how much goes into making delicious and nutritious meals inside the department, but how do we reach the other members of our school districts to recognize and promote our staff and department work? In talking with my team and other school nutrition directors, I have compiled the following ideas:

1. Ask your team what would make them feel appreciated. In the past we have gotten t-shirts, hats, little gifts that some staff really like, others not so much. When I asked the question, our team unanimously said, “a sincere thank you and come look at what we do. We just want to be seen.” Isn’t that the truth? We work really hard at what we do, at all levels, and it means a lot when another staff member says thank you and notices a specific thing that you did. One easy thing to do for this is to print off thank you cards and ask your leadership team to sign them for your staff.

2. Invite other leaders or co-workers to come interact with the department in some way. Everyone is extremely busy. Ask a principal, teacher or school nurse to come try a new recipe or bring them a serving to their office, I bet they will come. Small, positive interactions build community. continued on page 21

3. Ask school leaders to come serve breakfast or lunch for special events. Another great way to build community and get others involved. This past month we are EXTREMELY short staffed and I had to resort to an all district office email to see if anyone would be interested in helping serve lunch for an elementary school. I had 5 people say they would. It was amazing. On a very stressful day, I felt very supported.

4. One of my head cooks said there was a potluck at her school. Staff were asked to bring a dish to pass. So, she made a recipe and put her name and the recipe in the breakroom as she was serving lunch when the potluck was happening. She had multiple staff members stop by to tell her how delicious it was and built connections with different people.

5. Ask teachers or support staff if they would mind having students draw pictures or thank you cards for the school nutrition team. These little gems are awesome to hang in the kitchen.

6. Take pictures of the food you serve and send them to your leadership team so they know what students are eating in the cafeteria and how awesome the food is. Maybe they will start coming to get their own lunch.

7. Email and invite all school staff when there is a special salad, new recipe or dessert on the menu.

I am sure there are many more ideas out there that other districts do to build community between the school nutrition department and the rest of the school. All of these connections make our team feel like a valued part of the school or district. I would love to hear what other districts are doing to advocate for their team. Please email me at rterry@deforestschools.org.

In conclusion, hopefully our school nutrition staff feel appreciated and valued by their co-workers and leadership teams. Any way we can advocate for our staff and build relationships with people outside of our department is a winwin for everyone including the students we serve.

BECKY TERRY MENTOR & RESOURCE COMMITTEE CHAIR | BTERRY@DEFORESTSCHOOLS.ORG