Get Schools Cooking
Get Schools Cooking (GSC) is an intensive 3-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides public k-12 schools with the operational knowledge to transition from a heat & serve to scratch cook operational model.
See how our signature program ties into our Theory of Change here.
Click here to to sign up for GSC news & alerts.
Get Schools Cooking
Get Schools Cooking (GSC) is an intensive 3-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides public k-12 schools with the operational knowledge to transition from a heat & serve to scratch cook operational model.
See how our signature program ties into our Theory of Change here.
Click here to to sign up for GSC news & alerts.
For many students across the country, school meals can be the most nutritious meal of the entire day, but too often these meals are highly processed. Schools don’t have the operational knowledge or experience required to provide fresh, healthy, and delicious food in a cook from scratch operation.
Get Schools Cooking offers school districts comprehensive support throughout their school food transition from a heat and serve or processed model to one rooted in scratch cooking using whole, fresh ingredients.
Get Schools Cooking is open to school districts across the country thanks to generous support from our partners, including Whole Kids Foundation and the Rachael Ray Foundation.
For many students across the country, school meals can be the most nutritious meal of the entire day, but too often these meals are highly processed. Schools don’t have the operational knowledge or experience required to provide fresh, healthy, and delicious food in a cook from scratch operation.
Get Schools Cooking offers school districts comprehensive support throughout their school food transition from a heat and serve or processed model to one rooted in scratch cooking using whole, fresh ingredients.
Get Schools Cooking is open to school districts across the country thanks to generous support from our partners, including Whole Kids Foundation and the Rachael Ray Foundation.
Workshop
Districts attend a two-day workshop at a Chef Ann Foundation partner district. Workshop sessions review the foundational strategies for successful school food reform, what being apart of the Get Schools Cooking program entails, and includes visits to kitchens and cafeterias to see scratch cooking operations first-hand.
School Food Institute Courses
Each district selected for the program receives two Gold Certificates to Chef Ann Foundation’s virtual School Food Institute. Each Gold Certificate represents 8 courses, selected from the 11 available courses, including School Food Procurement, Recipes & Menu Development and Salad Bars in Schools. Each course is self-paced and meets USDA professional standards learning objectives.
On-site Assessment
Chef Ann Foundation personnel who specialize in school food operations observe all aspects of the current practices in action and collect key operational data to provide recommended actions for improvement in day-to-day activities.
Assessment Report
An assessment report of recommendations is provided to the district as a guide for next steps, working with both district leadership and the school community. The Center for Good Food Purchasing will conduct a baseline procurement assessment, while the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition provide a baseline score of the healthfulness of the school meals served, otherwise known as the Healthy Meals Score.
Strategic Planning
School food experts provide key district leadership with a strategic plan to review the recommendations from the assessment report, and the necessary actions the district would need to take in order to achieve the desired changes necessary for a successful scratch cooking model.
Technical Assistance
The Chef Ann Foundation will provide districts both on-site and one-on-one virtual technical assistance support in areas identified in the assessment report. Areas include, but are not limited to: culinary skills, kitchen efficiency, budget development, staffing plan, recipe development, or marketing.
Connect and Reflect
Connect and Reflect provides peer-to-peer support sessions for districts to discuss current school food topics, share information, and keep up to date with what other districts are doing across Cohorts.
Support
Chef Ann Foundation personnel work closely with districts to track the progress in addressing recommendations outlined in the strategic plan by develop goals, timelines, and next steps for continued systems change.
Systems Assistance Grant
Districts are given the opportunity to apply for a one-time systems assistance grant that is designed to support the identified needs and goals of their program.
Evaluations
Following assessment, districts participate in qualitative interviews and submit up-to-date program data to measure their progress in the program. The Chef Ann Foundation partners with the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition to complete a comprehensive evaluation of change management. Additionally, the Chef Ann Foundation also partners with the Good Food Purchasing Program will generate a follow-up procurement assessment to gauge the connection between scratch cooking and value based procurement.
Previous Participants
Previous program participants have:
- Introduced new scratch-cooked recipes
- Installed salad bars
- Added new vendors to procure local products
- Eliminated highly processed chicken nuggets and patties
- Gained significant community support
- Introduced whole muscle chicken
- Implemented software systems to create program efficiencies
Previous Participants
Previous program participants have:
- Introduced new scratch-cooked recipes
- Installed salad bars
- Added new vendors to procure local products
- Eliminated highly processed chicken nuggets and patties
- Gained significant community support
- Introduced whole muscle chicken
- Implemented software systems to create program efficiencies
1st Cohort
- Bellingham Public Schools (Bellingham, WA)
- Buford City Schools (Buford, GA)
- Passaic Public Schools (Passaic, NJ)
- Watertown Public Schools (Watertown, MA)
2nd Cohort​
- Brewster Central School District (Brewster, NY)
- Fridley Public Schools (Fridley, MN)
- Norwood City School District (Norwood, OH)
- Ocean View School District (Oxnard, CA)
- Oxford School District (Oxford, MS)
- Staunton City Schools (Staunton, VA)
- Tempe Elementary School District (Tempe, AZ)
3rd Cohort
- Caroline County Public Schools (Denton, MD)
- Goleta Union School District (Goleta, CA)
- Marysville Joint Unified School District (Marysville, CA)
- Napa Valley Unified School District (Napa, CA)
4th Cohort
- Beaufort County Schools (Washington, NC)
- Franklin Special School District (Franklin, TN)
- Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 (Manhattan, KS)
- South Madison Community School Corporation (Pendleton, IN)
- Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools (Wisconsin Rapids, WI)
5th Cohort
- Brownsville Independent School District (Brownsville, TX)
- Dillingham School District (Dillingham, AK)
- Ellensburg School District (Ellensburg, WA)
- Hardin Public Schools (Hardin, MT)
- Howard-Suamico School District (Green Bay, WI)
- Lewiston Public Schools (Lewiston, ME)
- Windham Central Supervisory Union (Townshend, VT)
How to Apply
Eligibility
To apply, school districts must meet the following criteria:
- Be firmly committed to working towards a scratch-cooked and fresh whole foods approach to their meal programs.
- Demonstrate support for improvement from district leadership.
- Participate in the National School Lunch Program.
- Run a self-operated food service program.
How to Apply
Eligibility
To apply, school districts must meet the following criteria:
- Be firmly committed to working towards a scratch-cooked and fresh whole foods approach to their meal programs.
- Demonstrate support for improvement from district leadership.
- Participate in the National School Lunch Program.
- Run a self-operated food service program.
Program Flyer
Would you like to post information about the Get Schools Cooking grant program? Download the file now!
