Getting Started

Instructions

If this is your first time seeking feedback that isn’t focused on compliance, or you are trying to bring a bit more structure to some ad hoc student engagement efforts, try the Where to Start worksheet to organize your thoughts.

What if you already have some experience engaging with students and families and are ready to try a more complex engagement campaign? You might want to use a tool like a system map or blueprint to plot out all the different aspects of your food and nutrition universe that might impact student experience.

Time Considerations: 60 minutes for Where to Start; for Seeing the Big Picture, 2-3 weeks to plan logistics, 90 minute meeting with colleagues, plan for follow-up determined in the meeting

Materials Needed: Pens, stickies, worksheets provided here

Participants: You and if possible, a partner with whom to reflect for Where to Start; if trying to do the more complex exercise, you’ll want to include an array of people involved in school food implementation

Where to Start

Use the Where to Start worksheet to help you think through the goals of engagement and how you will be doing it. Our advice is to start small, learn what works and what doesn’t, and go from there. If your first attempts to engage students, parents or others don’t work, that’s ok! You’ve learned valuable information about your community that can help you plan differently.

Seeing the Big Picture

Plotting a system map with colleagues at a high level can help you pinpoint the visible and invisible factors that drive participation rates and students’ sense of wellbeing. This exercise would work best at a team meeting or discussion with people representing all phases of food service in your district.

Once you have the blueprint of your food service system, work with your colleagues to identify one area to focus on first. Maybe you want to improve students’ experience while in line? Or staff’s ability to manage students’ FRP status sensitively? Try some of the tools provided in the other sections to put a few tests into action. Revisit this blueprint over the year to build upon successes and learn from tests that did not work.

Tools

Need help downloading and using the tools? Visit our how-to guide.