Springtime is the time of year when nature seems to wake up after the long, dreary winter. The days get longer and the sun shines brighter. Trees and plants burst into bloom and many fruits and vegetables become abundant creating a vibrant and colorful landscape. Springtime is associated with feelings of expectation, optimism and a sense of fresh beginnings. People tend to enjoy spending more time outdoors simply enjoying the warmer weather.
This is also the time of year when people adopt the moto “Out with the old and in with the new”. If you are anything like me, you love to clean out. It is one of my favorite tasks to do at my house. I can put my Apple Air pods in my ears, click my favorite playlist and just toss the “old” right out the door. Once I am done, I have a feeling of relief and satisfaction. Springtime cleanouts allow me to keep what is working for my home at that time and to get rid of things that aren’t working for us anymore.
The same goes for Child Nutrition Programs all across Florida. Once April rolls around, most CN Programs are gearing up to close down another school year and possibly open up their Summer Feeding sites. While those two projects are very important, I also believe that taking a long, hard look at your program at this point in the year is very beneficial. While some might feel this task is daunting, once you get started and put in the work, the outcome is worth it. Here are a few tips to help you get started “cleaning out” your program.
As any successful business person knows, your customers are the most important people regarding your business. This can be said for Child Nutrition Programs as well. Setting up student focus groups are a great way to hear from your customers. This might seem like a large task to take on but in reality, it isn’t. You can simply reach out to a teacher that is over a certain club or organization to see if you could come join them at their next meeting. When you attend the meeting, be sure to bring past menus, possible new recipes or items so that you have a good starting
Start with talking to your customers
point for the meeting. Once the ball gets rolling, the students will open up and let you know their thoughts. This is a good exercise to use to help get rid of menu items that students do not really care for and add new menu items that they are interested in. Be sure to host student focus groups that cover all age range to include the younger grades as well.
Healthy Harvest June 2025 | 7
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