UCCE School Meal Resources and Reports | San Mateo & San Francisco Counties

School meals - challenges and opportunities

School meals play a crucial role in student success, impacting academic performance, nutrition, and overall well-being. California has been a leader in expanding access to school meals, becoming the first state to permanently implement universal free school meals in 2021. However, with increased meal access and participation, a challenge has presented itself: students often do not have enough time to eat their meals.

This report focuses on the issue of meal time in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, highlighting challenges and opportunities to improve meal time policies. Through surveys and interviews with food service directors, key findings reveal that inadequate time to eat is a widespread issue. Observations of meal times at schools provided additional information on meal time challenges. To read the full report click here

State of School Meal Programs in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, School Year 2022-2023

School meals are integral to student health and learning. Universal school meals, where all students can eat for free, have been shown to improve student diet quality, academic performance, attendance and to reduce food insecurity.

The 2022-2023 school year was the first year of implementation of California’s Free School Meals for All policy, where all students in California, regardless of income eligibility, are able to eat breakfast and lunch for free in perpetuity. Across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, 235,000 students became newly eligible for free school meals and this policy change represents a substantial opportunity to improve food security for children and families. During School Year 2022-2023 school meal programs stopped operating under COVID-era USDA waivers and fully operationalized California’s policy. This report details food service directors' experiences during the first year of implementation. READ MORE

Cafeteria Promotion - Taste Tests

Resources, tips, and more are available to help implement and sustain taste tests in your school. Download the full Taste Test Guide here: Cafeteria Promotion Flyer

Why School Breakfasts Matter

This fact sheet provides information on the benefits of school breakfast and alternative breakfast service models to help increase breakfast participation: School Breakfast Fact Sheet

Universal Meals Resource Hub

Online resources to support food service directors and staff in implementing California's universal school meals program. Click here.

Universal School Meals in California

All public school children in California can eat school meals – totally free of charge! School meals support student learning and health. Universal meals, where all students can eat school meals for free, have been shown to improve student diet quality, academic performance, attendance, and to reduce food insecurity. See below to learn more about school meals.

FAQ for Parents & Caregivers

See answers to frequently asked questions about the healthfulness of school meals, how students access meals, and what families can do to support a healthy school nutrition environment.

FAQ - English

FAQ - Spanish

Fact Sheets

This fact sheet provides in-depth information on school nutrition standards, how California’s universal meals program will work, and challenges facing school food service directors.

Fact Sheet - English

Fact Sheet - Spanish