Kodiak Island Borough School District

Listening to Students, Removing Barriers, and Increasing Meal Participation at KIBSD

Jerilyn Urban

Last year, we knew we had a problem. Breakfast participation District wide was low, with only 7% of students taking advantage of school breakfast. At the same time, many students were stopping by school nurses' offices later in the morning because they were hungry.

We knew we had to do something differently.

We began by looking at the barriers that might be keeping students from eating breakfast at school. One significant factor was a change in the bus schedule. Students were arriving approximately 10 minutes before the start of class, compared with 20 minutes the previous year. For many students, that simply wasn't enough time to wait in line, eat breakfast, and get to class on time.

But rather than assuming we knew all the answers, we asked our students.

Five students from each school joined our Student Food Council to tell us what they liked, what they didn't like, and what they wanted from their school meal program. We began offering taste tests for potential new menu items and, most importantly, we listened to their feedback. As students began seeing their suggestions turn into actual changes, they became more invested in the program.

One of our first successes was bringing back strawberry milk—and we made sure students knew their Food Council representatives had helped make it happen.

Students also helped us better understand the breakfast problem. They told us the lines were a deterrent. With only a few minutes before class, they would rather spend that time talking with friends than standing in a breakfast line. Others told us they simply weren't hungry when they first arrived at school—but about an hour later, they were.

So, we changed the way we serve breakfast.

We created a grab-and-go breakfast that students can pick up quickly and take with them. Each morning, students can choose from several options, such as mini waffles, shelf-stable yogurt, a bagel with cheese, apple strudel, or cereal. Each breakfast is paired with fresh fruit and milk.

At Kodiak Middle School, breakfast is now available near the student entrance. Students can grab what they want as they arrive and then head to class or the cafeteria. The goal is simple: make eating breakfast easy and remove as many barriers as possible.

At the same time, we reviewed our schools' eligibility for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). We were able to add three of our five town schools to CEP, while three of our village schools continued their participation in the program. At CEP schools, every student can receive one breakfast and one lunch each school day at no charge.

Training, communication, and administrative support have also been critical. Our superintendent provided an opportunity for Child Nutrition to meet with all district administrators, explain our goals, and discuss the important role school leaders can play in increasing student participation.

Now, just one week into the school year, we are already seeing exciting results.

At Kodiak Middle School alone, breakfast participation has increased from 11 students per day to 127 students per day. Last year, just 2.76% of the school's enrollment participated in breakfast. Today, that number has climbed to 31.28%.

Other schools are seeing strong results as well, and participation continues to improve. At schools where administrators are actively engaged in supporting the program, participation numbers have improved by approximately 1000%.

We still have work to do. Our goal is to have 60% of students participate in breakfast and 50% participate in lunch. Those are ambitious goals, but our early results demonstrate what can happen when we stop asking, “Why aren't students eating?” and start asking, “What is getting in their way?”

Sometimes the solution is a different menu item. Sometimes it's moving breakfast closer to the front door. Sometimes it's eliminating a line.

And sometimes it's as simple as asking students what they need—and then listening to what they tell us.

When we listen to students, remove barriers, and work together, we don't just increase meal counts. We make it easier for students to come to class ready to learn.

Southwest Region School District

Bringing Local Foods to Our Students Through Freeze‑Drying: A Rural Alaska Story

Jania Stephen

As a small rural Alaska district made up of eight K–12 schools across Togiak, New Stuyahok, Manokotak, Twin Hills, Clarks Point, Aleknagik, Ekwok, and Koliganek, we’re used to working with limited time, limited staff, and long supply chains. Last year, when the Local Foods for Schools grant was offered, our district received the funding later than expected—toward the very end of the school year. With only a short window to act, we purchased over 2,300 pounds of locally grown potatoes and carrots from DiTomaso’s and shipped them out to our district office.

But once those vegetables arrived, a new challenge became clear: summer break was almost upon us. How do you keep over 2,300 pounds of fresh produce from spoiling over months without students or staff around?

For us, the answer was to freeze‑dry everything.

Freeze‑drying turned out to be the perfect solution for our rural context. It offers an extremely long shelf life and preserves 90–97% of the food’s nutritional value. Vitamins C, B1, B9, B12, and B6 remain intact, and the lightweight results cut down on shipping costs. Even better, freeze‑drying let us season the vegetables ourselves, helping us stay compliant with National School Lunch Program sodium guidelines. And honestly? Our students love how different and interesting freeze‑dried foods are.

Of course, freeze‑drying in a small operation isn’t simple. It requires specialized equipment, proper facilities, staff willing to put in a lot of hands‑on work, and—most of all—time. For us, this was a two‑person project that took months.

To freeze‑dry fresh produce, every batch had to be washed, cut, chopped, or shredded first. Then we spread the vegetables across trays and froze them for 24 hours in a commercial freezer. After that, the freeze dryer prepared itself before we loaded the trays for a 36‑hour run. Each cycle could handle about 50 pounds of produce. Starting in May and working through August, we kept multiple sets of trays rotating—some freezing, some freeze‑drying, some being packaged.

Once batches were complete, we sealed them in Mylar bags, labeled them, and shelved them. Preparing the produce took additional steps: carrots had to be washed, sliced, and seasoned for carrot chips, while potatoes had to be peeled and blanched to prevent discoloration. Their high starch content meant extra maintenance, including more frequent oil changes for the freeze dryer. We used a brand‑new meat grinder to process the rest of the carrots and potatoes into forms like “mashed carrots.”

In total, we sliced roughly 300 pounds of carrots just for carrot chips.

As school started up again, we began traveling to our sites and introduced students to their new freeze‑dried options—starting with carrot chips. At first, students were unsure, but curiosity won. Nearly every student we’ve offered them to has tried them, and they’ve quickly become a favorite, especially among teenage boys. Many ask for seconds. They’re unlike anything the students have had before, yet familiar enough in texture to remind them of potato chips.

For smaller school sites with limited staff, they’re incredibly helpful. If a cook calls out and a principal or teacher has to step in to prepare lunch, freeze‑dried vegetables make it easy to meet required red/orange vegetable servings without complicated prep.

Even now, freeze‑drying continues—though at a slower pace since the school year has begun and it’s become a solo project. We’ve started working with corn, and the approach remains sustainable, cost‑saving, and waste‑reducing. Students also enjoy the novelty, which is a bonus.

Looking forward, we hope to try freeze‑drying a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, and possibly salmon or other meats. It’s time‑intensive and labor‑intensive, but it’s worth every hour. Better nutrition for our students will always be worth the effort.

Claims - Submit claim data online through the CNP Web Database.

• August Claim Month - Submit to DEED by September 30, 2026. Late submissions will be accepted until October 30, 2026.
• September Claim Month - Submit to DEED by October 30, 2026. Late submissions will be accepted until November 29, 2026.

The final claim will not be accepted if it is not in the Pending Approval status within 60 days of the last day of the claim month. Upward amended claims may be submitted throughout the 60-day period but no later than 60 days.  Be aware, claims in Error status cannot be paid and if help is needed from Child Nutrition the sponsor must contact Child Nutrition well in advance of the 60-Day Deadline.

Verification Begins October 1!

It is that time of year again! For all pricing schools, it is a requirement per 7 CFR 245.6a to verify a sample of free and reduced-price applications. CEP schools are not required to do verification, though they must complete the FNS-742 (verification report) before February 1, 2027.

• All activities should be concluded by November 15 (you MUST request an extension from eed.cnp.schoolmeals@alaska.gov if you exceed this date)
• Standard sample size is the lesser of:
  • three (3) percent of all applications approved as of October 1, 2026 or
  • 3,000 error prone applications approved as of October 1, 2026.
  • If the number of error-prone applications exceeds the required sample size, the LEA shall select them for verification at random.
• In addition to the required verification sample, LEA must verify any questionable applications, such as a zero-income household or when there is reasonable evidence to believe the income reported on the application was incorrect for the household. These are not considered part of the required sample size.

Defining Evidence for Programs to Ensure Nutrition for Development (DEPEND) Grant

DEPEND application: https://redcapedc.rti.org/depend/surveys/?s=WF8CXA94M4PHWEK4

Promoting Real Food in Child Nutrition Programs

USDA’s Team Nutrition is pleased to announce the release of nutrition education and training resources designed to help Child Nutrition Program operators to promote the clear, common-sense message of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030: Eat real food.

These resources focus on eating whole, nutrient-dense foods. These foods include​ protein foods, dairy, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains​. Additionally, it highlights the importance of limiting the intake of highly processed foods, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates.

Resources for Schools

• Real Food Guide to School Lunch for Families
• Real Food Guide to School Breakfast for Families
• Stronger With School Meals Activity Booklet

Resources for Child Care Organizations

• Serving Vegetables in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Training Worksheet, Recorded Webinar, and Training Slides (.pptx)
• Nibbles for Health: Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children
• Healthy Meals with the Real Food Pyramid (.pdf)
• Developing a Taste for Less Sodium (.pdf)
• Limiting Added Sugars for Healthier Habits (.pdf)
• Prioritize Protein Foods (.pdf)

Are you real food-savvy? Test your knowledge with the Eat Real Food Web Quiz!

Food Recalls

USDA sends out frequent communications about food recalls. If you are interested in receiving these communications, please click here to manage your subscription.

Federal Updates 

💡USDA’s Food Nutrition and Administration released a study examining how school districts are using scratch cooking and identifying factors that affect implementation. The report also highlights opportunities for state agencies and child nutrition partners to support these efforts. 

Key details:
• Participating SFAs cited the same implementation barriers SNA members continue to raise: staffing shortages, training needs, procurement requirements, aging equipment, and limited budgets, reinforcing the need for increased federal reimbursements and operational support.
• The study underscores that program revenue, including federal reimbursements and a la carte sales, covered an average of only 81% of SFA expenses, requiring districts to rely on other funding sources to close the gap.
• The report also points to the importance of sustained investments in local foods, USDA Foods, technical assistance, peer learning and clear communication supports that can help schools change menus and food preparation practices, but only if districts have the resources and flexibility to implement them.

Want more?

Stay up to date with the latest bills related to School Nutrition by subscribing to the "Tuesday Morning" newsletter by SNA! It is very informative and a good read.

Child Nutrition Recipe Box

Featured this month:

Bean and Cheese Pupusas

Team Nutrition

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