Users can take the assessment at their own pace and will have immediate access to the generated report. The assessment can be taken annually and will allow users to compare progress to previous years. As SCALE evolves, users will also receive recommendations of peer/mentor districts based on scores and proximity.
Based on Chef Ann Foundation’s 5 Key Areas, plus a special focus on scratch cooking components, content areas focus on a variety of topics:
Food: menu cycles, procurement, reporting
Scratch Cooking: ingredients, processed elements
Finances: budgets, revenue/deficit, labor cost
Facilities: equipment, production, storage
Human Resources: personnel, professional development
Marketing: communication channels, lunchroom education activities
SCALE is free to all school districts thanks to generous gifts from our donors, including Whole Kids Foundation and Life Time Foundation.
Why SCALE?
American kids start their life-path in K-12 schools, where they learn the skills necessary to thrive and meet their potential. Prior to COVID-19, 31 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program daily, making the quality and nutrition of school meals a top priority.
That’s where scratch cooking in schools comes into play. Scratch cooking uses real food with real ingredients, and has the potential to create multiple benefits across the school food system. Many school districts want to improve their meal programs, but don’t have the bandwidth to assess their current operations or determine where to start. That is where SCALE comes into play.
