IDEA Public Schools: A Deep Dive into the Healthy Eating Index & Stakeholder Feedback

IDEA Public Schools (IDEA) is a nationwide charter school network serving over 70K students across 3 states and 12 regions with an Average Daily Attendance (ADA) rate of 91% as of March 2022. During the 2021-2022 academic year, 94% of IDEA scholars were considered students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, 40% were Emergent Bilingual-English Learners (EB-EL), and 8% had Special Education (SPED) needs. Additionally, 82% of IDEA scholars were economically disadvantaged students and therefore, at a higher risk of experiencing food insecurity. As an education institution serving low-income students and families, IDEA partakes in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), with participation rates of 78% and 88%, respectively. As active participants in federal school meal programs, IDEA’s Child Nutrition Program (CNP) leads the way in ensuring that all of its scholars receive free and/or low-cost nutritious meals they will enjoy on their journey to and through college . To do this, the Nutrition Team at IDEA utilizes data informed approaches designed to quantify and assess diet quality and menu preferences. IDEA CNP uses the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a nationally recognized measure of diet quality, to assess the nutritional quality of meals served at our campuses. Calculating HEI has allowed IDEA to not only assess the nutritional quality of our meals, but also to identify opportunities of improvement for future menus. In conjunction with HEI data, stakeholder feedback is also an important mechanism that helps drive menu decisions at our district. IDEA CNP leads various data collection efforts by executing survey administration events throughout the school year to engage with our stakeholders. Data collected is curated & analyzed to identify trends about menu preferences as well as menu item performance that help inform menu design decisions. Employing these data informed approaches is a primary goal for IDEA’s CNP Nutrition Team that aligns with our continuous efforts to remain as one of the healthiest districts in the nation. Specifically, our HEI & stakeholder feedback initiatives allow the CNP to continue prioritizing the nutritional quality of our menu and ensure that we are providing nutritious meals our students enjoy across all IDEA campuses.