Assessing Diversity and Inclusion in School Nutrition Programs
Highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in school nutrition will be one of many ICN’s key developments starting in 2023. To date, ICN has begun to assess the efforts schools are making to adopt D&I practices in their day-to-day operations. ICN worked with child nutrition professionals to arrange an exploratory task force meeting with the goal of identifying diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in school nutrition settings. The task force assessed what is working well, the challenges and gaps that hinder accountability and intentionality among the school nutrition team, the current DEI climate and practices in school nutrition programs, and training opportunities for future development. Some key take-a-ways shared by child nutrition professionals included: A Need More opportunities to hear from school nutrition professionals who currently implement DEI practices would further delineate the challenges, opportunities, best practices, key learnings, and creative strategies needed to develop and sustain programs that improve sense of purpose and belonging for members of school nutrition programs. A Challenge The ongoing generational stigma surrounding school nutrition staff and
services results in a disconnect that stems from a lack of understanding of the school nutrition program among school leaders and community members. An Opportunity Bringing in experts to deliver and facilitate future DEI education and training is crucial to help create room for all voices to contribute to conversations related to DEI—leaving little room for biases and more space for experienced facilitation.
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