In October 2018, ICN piloted the School Nutrition S.T.A.R. program. During this pilot, managers were asked to create action plans to implement throughout the year in their home districts. Here is one success story from the Kansas pilot group in the fall of 2018:
Mary Ann Pitnick works at the Juvenile Service Center in Johnson County Kansas and has successfully implemented all three of her actions plans during the seven months since participating in the STAR Pilot.
Mary Ann says that her director has been very supportive in the integration of her action plans, along with their food service provider Aramark. Through their positive working relationships, they have been able to make the changes that Mary Ann was inspired to make using her action plans. She has two facilities on their Juvenile Services Center campus that provide food service under the National School Lunch Program and After School Snack Program. They serve anywhere from 40-50 students daily.
Mary Ann’s Action Plans included:
Procurement and Inventory: Establish effective menu planning, using staff and student feedback, to maximize customer satisfaction and improve nutrition guidelines for all consumers; with an increase in ADP of 10%. As an outcome of increasing our ADP we have averaged around 40-50 meals.
Meal Plan and Preparation and Service: Increase participation of staff meals consumed, by 10% in the next six months. In a good month we averaged 50-55 adult meals served, in the month of February we now average 226 meals.
Nutrition and Menu Planning: Integrate Themed Meals, this, as we continue celebrating food(s) in our nation and around the world!