At this Weekday Survival Snack program update, May 2018, there are 10 schools among our current 70 elementary schools who have been participating in this test program. Based on the early responses, for most schools (in the test) there is a need, as almost all of the teachers reported funding snacks for the classroom. However, as you can imagine, the need may vary from school to school. These are the truths we know…in every school there are children who come to school without snacks – some because snacks are just not in the family budget, some because a child or parent may have forgotten to include a snack. Having a snack available can help a child focus on their school work. Being able to remove hunger-related obstacles to learning is clearly part of our mission.
Our beta-test relies on having feedback from the schools via the teachers that are accessing the snacks. In our test we have found that the schools that have received snacks value them more when there is someone at the school who has taken on the unofficial role of champion and communicator on the snack availability, quantity and quality of snacks.
Recommendations for Weekday Survival Snack Program
For this test period at Weekend Survival Kits we were committed to finding a variety of snacks which would please both the students and teachers, be healthy choices, and of course nut-free. In some instances, schools were receiving too many snacks, in others not enough. Our Weekday Survival Snack program coordinator, Traci Weston, is making some early recommendations for proceeding to all of the schools we serve:
- All snacks will be delivered at the first of the month in a pre-determined amount.
- Schools should designate a coordinator for communicating with Weekend Survival Kits (Minimal time required)
- Schools must opt-in to the Weekday Survival Snack Program
Kudos to Traci for being vigilant in finding the best, healthiest, and most cost-effective snack options for this test period. If you are a school currently participating in this test program, listed below, please take note and watch for a wrap-up survey:
Herbison Woods, Donley Elementary, Sycamore, Leslie Elementary, N. Aurelius, Hiawatha, Webberville Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Fairview, and Three Fires Elementary
If your school is not in the test program, watch for opt-in information for school year 2018-19…coming to you in May. For all schools receiving our Weekend Survival Kits, in order to secure a place in our Weekday Survival Snack program be sure to respond to our email (which should come by May 15th) before the date specified. This will give us time to secure sponsors for this additional program. Schools, please be advised that the Weekday Survival Snack program is available only to schools participating in the Weekend Survival Kits program. Please contact Jillaine Eaton at jillaine@weekendsurvivalkits.org for information on participating.