Food Services ESP — 
Building a Quality Workforce

Building a quality workforce requires attention and focus by employers and employees alike. The Food Services Quality Workforce that exists in our public schools has not happened by accident. A quality workforce emerges from an ongoing effort by all employees in the district to contribute to the school community "state of readiness."

This workforce comes together when Food Services ESP are recognized to be a part of, and deliberately included in, the school district mission to enhance student achievement. This effort must include result-oriented job descriptions and evaluations, new employee orientation programs, ongoing in-service training programs, relevant and current skill set training, and career-enhancing professional development programs.

These Web pages — originally published as a booklet — highlight some of the challenges Food Services ESP face daily as they endeavor to build a Food Services Quality Workforce.

Our Job Descriptions — Who We Really Are and What We Really Do

Food Services ESP are essential school employees who interact with students, teachers, parents, and the community every day. We are responsible for providing the most basic component of student achievement: nutrition. Even with the understanding that students must eat to learn, Food Services ESP continue to be the most abused, misunderstood, and disrespected sector of educational support.

Only in recent years has it generally been acknowledged that without proper nutrition no student can learn and thrive in school. However, the invaluable contribution Food Services ESP make to student achievement and our daily endeavors on behalf of public school children are still not valued properly by school boards and administrators.

Food Services ESP affect public school children in basic ways: what kids eat influences their behavior, energy levels, alertness, thinking capacity, attitudes, psychological health, basic physical health, and overall well-being. Unlike any other skill students learn, how and what they choose to eat at school affects their basic health for their entire lives.

The immediate by-product of the daily work of Food Services ESP is enhanced student performance. Recognizing a well-nourished child and her/his overall well-being is not rocket science. Unfortunately, a malnourished child also can be easily recognized. A child who is acting out in school, falling asleep in class, having attention and concentration problems, not comprehending, or just appears bored, very often has a basic nutritional problem. Experts usually look for more obscure or complicated reasons for these difficulties, when nutrition is what should be examined first. These kinds of determinations are made and measured on a daily basis by caring and involved Food Services professionals in public schools.

The scope of tasks performed by Food Services ESP and our interaction with students is often underestimated by supervisors who are responsible for developing our job descriptions. Recognizing the full extent of Food Services ESPs' vital work for the students and the school community must be the basis for meaningful and appropriate job descriptions, job evaluations, promotional opportunities, and professional development.

To the Administration, Our Job Descripiton Is Our Work Identity

With competence and personal attention, Food Services ESP meet the nutritional challenges of students and staff on a daily basis. Our job description should define who we really are and what we really do in our public school district and as part of the Food Services Quality Workforce.

To Section 2: Federal and State Statutes