Serving students nutritious meals and snacks while they are on campus is a vital part of nurturing the whole child so that they are happy, healthy, alert, and ready to learn.

Some background on school meals

In addition to their central role in providing academic instruction, schools are places where hundreds of children eat their meals every day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many children consume “up to half their daily calories at school. Nationwide, more than 30 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program and nearly 15 million participate in the School Breakfast Program.” Many schools offer breakfast as students’ days begin, lunch at mid-day, an afternoon snack, and even an evening meal in places with after school or extended day programs.

 As schools have reopened this year, many switched to “grab and go” options instead of pre-pandemic self-serve fruit and salad bars. Although some schools have had students eat in their classrooms rather than gathered in a cafeteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many local health authorities encourage schools and districts to “have children eat meals outdoors” as part of their overall COVID-19 safety protocol, if it is feasible.

Eat outdoors for health and happiness

Picnics and al fresco dining are joyful human experiences. For some they are an occasional treat, for others a beloved tradition. During the pandemic fresh air eating has taken on new importance as a safe way for friends to eat together and for restaurants to stay open because the increased air flow outside reduces the risk of virus transmission when masks are off.

Outdoor dining makes sense for meals that are eaten at school for the same reason. Eating outdoors helps students and teachers reduce virus transmission risk when their masks are off during their meals and afterwards, since eating outside prevents indoor air from being contaminated by the unfiltered, exhaled breath of an entire class.

As schools have moved dining to the out of doors, they have discovered that just about everyone — students, teachers, food service workers, and custodians — is happier and more relaxed. Outdoors is quieter than a crowded cafeteria, there is often more space to spread out, and clean up is easier. This pandemic response is something many plan to continue into the future.

Both children (above) and adults (below) benefit from eating outside in the fresh air, where virus transmission is lower.

Planning and serving meals is always a complex undertaking, and COVID-19 has added additional considerations. Transitioning to outdoor food service may require small tweaks or big changes in some or all of your meal planning and provision systems. Eating outdoors can be accomplished simply and many have discovered that offering fresh air meals at school brings joy to everyone’s day. See the case study from the Arlington, Virginia school district for ideas.

As you plan for moving some or all of your meal service outdoors, you’ll need to decide
where and how to distribute meals to students;
where students will sit and eat;
how hands will get washed;
how meal cleanup, and waste management will happen.

You will also need to consider
adult supervision during meals;
how to schedule cohorts; and
how to manage distancing and traffic flow throughout mealtime.

This chapter of the National Outdoor Learning Library shares planning guidance, best practices, and resources from the federal government and from organizations and experts across the country. All are intended to help schools and districts move their meal service outdoors as efficiently as possible. We hope these materials will help to make this complex undertaking more manageable so that more students, teachers, and school staff will be able to eat outside in the coming year and beyond.

Include all voices in Your planning process

Your emergency response plan for meals may have been determined and implemented quickly, but when time allows, and certainly when considering a longer term move to outdoor meals, create a planning committee with all of your stakeholders. This may include administrators from the school and school district, the principal, teacher representatives, food service supervisors, kitchen managers, custodians, waste management staff, maintenance and facilities staff, health and nursing staff, parents, and students. The best plans come when all voices are heard, and all perspectives considered.

considerations

As your team looks at each aspect of moving meals outdoors, you’ll need to think about the systems that will need to be developed and the furnishings and equipment required for serving food, eating, and managing meal waste. Start by understanding what equipment, space, funds, and planning capacity you have, as well as the level of interest and excitement among your stakeholders. Identify where there are opportunities and what your constraints are and then set goals for what your school would prefer to do if possible.

Begin by documenting the furnishings and equipment you already have

How can you use what you have to support a move outdoors? Inventory the serving equipment, tables and chairs, and waste stations at each school or district-wide.  

Think about short term, simple, creative, affordable solutions as well as your long term ideals. For example you might begin with nice-day-outdoor-lunches where you opt to stick with distributing lunch indoors and have students sitting on beach towels, but you could have a long term goal of adding umbrella tables or building covered pavilions with an outdoor serving station for outdoors-in-all-weather meals.

Equipment purchases

When selecting new equipment, consider cost, durability, and flexibility. When planning happens at the district level, bulk purchases will save. Consider offering school leaders a few options for their outdoor food service equipment so they can choose what will work best for their site. 

Evaluate the overall short- and long-term uses of any equipment and facilities purchased for food service. How will the items be repurposed if the conditions and service methods change?

See Outdoor Equipment for Food Service as well as the comprehensive Outdoor Infrastructure Cost Estimator Tools below for specific options and pricing for equipment used by other schools and districts. These tools include information about options for seating, hand-washing stations, waste sorting bins, tables, outdoor tents, kiosks, carts, and more. 

To learn more see Part 2, Outdoor Meals: Implementation

Outdoor Meal Service Equipment
Cost Estimate Tool
Download this PDF or Excel spreadsheet to create a cost estimate for your outdoor food service plan. This tool lists examples of equipment and supplies for serving and eating meals, and managing food waste. Coming Soon!
Download: PDF or Excel File
Version: 3-24-21

Outdoor Infrastructure Cost Estimate Tool
Download this spreadsheet to create a cost estimate for your entire, comprehensive outdoor learning plan. This list includes ideas for outdoor seating, tables, and shelter but does not include items that are specific to meal service or waste management.
Download: Excel File
Version: 6-26-20