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California Food for California Kids Events and Resources

As a member of the California Food for California Kids® Network, we invite you to participate in our current offerings for the 2021-2022 school year. Connect with peers and experts, engage in school food policy, attend skill-building sessions for school food resources, participate in special projects—and participate in one of the most robust school district networks in the country.

CA School Districts are Using Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Funds to Serve More Fresh and Local School Meals

May 4, 2023
California’s Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) program provides school districts with noncompetitive funds to upgrade deteriorating school kitchens, purchase equipment, and train staff. KIT funding is essential to the successful implementation of School Meals for All , increasing freshly-...
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California School Nutrition Directors Celebrate Historic Investments in School Meals

September 15, 2022
Top row from left: Erin Primer, Eric Span, Vince Caugin, Jessie Wesch, Diana Flores. Bottom row from left: Pilar Gray, Kristin Hilleman, Fred Espinosa, Karen Luna. As the new school year begins, school nutrition leaders share their thoughts with the Center for Ecoliteracy on California’s historic $...
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Meaningful Student Engagement Strategies

June 30, 2022
As school districts move to make more shifts towards plant-forward recipes, the Center for Ecoliteracy has put out Success with Plant-Forward Meals , a new publication with ideas and resources for engaging students. Among other strategies, student voice and choice invites student feedback, ideas,...
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California Food for California Kids® Members Featured in New York Times

October 1, 2021
Stephanie Bruce, director of nutrition services at Palm Springs Unified School District, and Erin Primer, director of food services for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, were featured in the New York Times article " What to Know About California’s Free School Lunch Program " on October...
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A Fresh Look at Community Eligibility

September 9, 2021
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows schools with a high percentage of low-income families to offer breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge while eliminating the traditional meal application process. Currently, the Seamless Summer Waiver allows all schools to serve free meals...
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School Meals for All

July 1, 2021
California has made history becoming the first state in the nation to transform school food by permanently providing free school meals to all K–12 public school students. California State Senator and Center for Ecoliteracy Board Member Nancy Skinner, who introduced this proposal, said, “Free School...
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Governor’s May Revise Budget Could Leave Out Half of California Schools

June 3, 2021
Governor Newsom’s May Revise of the 2021 California state budget took an important first step by providing funding to encourage schools to participate in federal universal school meal provisions. However, up to 50% of California’s public schools with 2.9 million students still may not qualify to...
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COVID-19 Increases School Meal Budget Deficits in California

January 28, 2021
The Center for Ecoliteracy and the School Nutrition Association surveyed more than 140 school districts across California in the fall of 2020. Findings from these surveys show that budget deficits for school nutrition programs are worsening. This is what we found: Net losses: 84% of California...
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Survey Report on School Food Budget Deficits During COVID-19: December Update

December 18, 2020
The Center for Ecoliteracy conducted a survey with California public school districts to learn about school food budget needs at the end of 2020 and their projections for the end of the 2020–21 school year. Responses include food service directors from 28 public school districts in California that...
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Survey Report on School Food Budget Deficits During COVID-19

August 21, 2020
After six months of serving essential meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic, California’s School Nutrition Directors report skyrocketing budget deficits.
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A Letter to the USDA from California Lawmakers

August 13, 2020
School food waivers must be extended to provide school meals to all students during the pandemic.
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Survey Report on COVID-19 Budget for School Food

May 11, 2020
School districts need flexible funding to stay open and continue providing essential meals to students.
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California Food for California Kids Statewide Conference 2019

August 9, 2019
Creating Healthy and Sustainable School Communities The Center for Ecoliteracy hosted more than 120 people from school districts and allied organizations across the state of California on June 27 and 28 at the Oakland Museum of California. The program explored ideas and innovations for every aspect...
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Picnic at the Capitol Kicks Off Summer Meals

June 17, 2019
On May 21, public school districts across the Sacramento region kicked off this year's Million Meals Summer initiative on the west steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Picnic at the Capitol was the biggest event in town, bustling with students excited to learn more about where their food comes from...
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Teaching About California's Abundance

May 24, 2019
Why were fifth graders in Southern California encouraged to stand on their desks? Because they were testing whether strawberries, carefully packaged in shoeboxes and other recycled materials, would survive the strawberry drop test . Meanwhile, other students performed the squish test , placing...
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Collective Action Day 2018: A Win for California

November 15, 2018
On October 25, districts across California celebrated Collective Action Day by serving students freshly-prepared school meals featuring California-grown food. Collective Action Day welcomed nineteen new school districts into the California Thursdays® Network, which now totals 89 school districts in...
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New resources for you, your students, and the school community

November 9, 2018
The Center for Ecoliteracy is pleased to release four new resources to help you prepare and promote California-grown fruits and vegetables. For school foodservice, there are step-by-step photos of culinary techniques with accompanying recipes and a guide for mastering food photography to market...
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Media Tools for Your Collective Action Day

October 24, 2018
Collective Action Day is this Thursday, October 25. The Center for Ecoliteracy has developed tools and resources to help you and your team promote your event and receive the recognition you deserve. From sample social media posts to media reminders, we’ve got you covered. Everything you need is...
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Collective Action Day Press Materials

October 18, 2018
Collective Action Day is Thursday, October 25. We've got a full kit of resources to help you promote your event and the California Thursdays program to local media and your community. The kit includes: Talking Points. Share these talking points with local elected officials, school administrators,...
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Five Tips for a Successful Collective Action Day

October 4, 2018
Collective Action Day is October 25, 2018. Here are five proven tips that will help make your day successful. 1. Host an event. Engage your community by hosting an event that celebrates the California Thursdays® program. Make it festive, and invite farmers, vendors, and food producers who can...
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The California Thursdays Network is Growing

September 20, 2018
On September 5, the Center for Ecoliteracy welcomed 19 new school districts into the California Thursdays Network at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. Attendees, representing both new and veteran districts, came from the length and breadth of our state. With the addition of our newest members,...
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2018 Collective Action Day Campaign Guide

September 20, 2018
Are you ready for your 2018 California Thursdays® Collective Action Day? On October 25, California Thursdays districts across the state will celebrate Collective Action Day. Participating districts will serve a California Thursdays meal, provide activities for students, connect with media, and...
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Freshly Prepared, Served with Care

February 6, 2017
More than half a million students were served a fresh and tasty lunch on California Thursdays "Collective Action Day 2017."
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Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Abundance with the California Thursdays Salsa Challenge

January 5, 2017
Our network offers up some fresh, healthy competition.
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Practicing Sustainability - While Saving Millions of Dollars

October 28, 2016
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District uses California's Proposition 39 funding both to teach and to model sustainable practices in Nutrition Services and throughout the campus.
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Farm Lab: Learning and School Lunch

October 28, 2016
Encinitas Unified School District's Farm Lab is both a certified organic farm and a living classroom.
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Celebrating Food and Culinary Connections

June 9, 2016
What’s your favorite day of the week? For many students in California — it’s Thursday.
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