Healthier school lunches and an expanded free-breakfast program are two recent changes at school cafeterias, aimed at helping students be prepared to learn.
The changes include such things as serving french fries that are baked, not fried; offering more salad varieties and fresh fruit; and changing recipes in CPS' Bake Shop to create healthier cookies, using, for example, applesauce instead of cooking oil.
And it means that all children enrolled in CPS' elementary schools will be offered free breakfast at the start of every school day. CPS now serves about 8,800 breakfasts daily; the expanded program will more than double that number.
If children eat at home, they are welcome to eat breakfast again at school if they are hungry. Lunch can seem a long time away for small stomachs, noted Renie Kelly, who supervises CPS' Food Services Department.
The changes to cafeteria menus are connected to CPS' newly adopted Wellness Policy, which aims to promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging schoolchildren to eat healthier foods and to get more exercise.