From Constraints to Capacity: Improving Scratch Cooking Implementation in Schools

The capstone team partnered with Wellness in the Schools (Wits) to evaluate and strengthen WitS’s program Chefs in the Schools (CiTs) in promoting scratch cooking and healthy eating in public schools. This work is important because access to culturally responsive school meals play a key role in student health and willingness to eat healthy food. The team used a mixed-methods assessment grounded in qualitative data from chef and school food managers interviews, analyzing how WITS chefs integrate into kitchens, collaborate and introduce culturally diverse menus and collected surveys utilized during the course of CitS. In addition, the team interviewed peer organizations within the wellness space to best identify monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices and the funding landscape. Final recommendations provide strategies to strengthen chef-school partnerships, align evaluation practices whilst seeking funding, and improve data collection, all to support WITS long-term sustainability and scalability.