As the school year comes to a close we wish to express our appreciation to the staff at schools throughout Utah and the Utah State Board of Education who have worked to support the educational, nutritional, physical and mental health needs of students during this unprecedented time. It has become even more evident that schools play an important role as anchor institutions in their communities, providing for the needs of children and their families.
With very little notice, schools shifted to serving grab-and-go meals, serving 7,984,236 meals during the month of April alone, an increase of over 800,000 meals from April 2019. Nearly 75% were provided free of charge to families. Lunchroom staff across the state served food in drive thru pick-up lines, at apartment complexes and at bus stops. For many children, school meals provide a significant portion of their daily nutritional needs and are an important part of proper nutrition. Schools are now shifting to summer meals programs in order to continue this important service.
Schools, teachers and partner agencies provided physical activity resources to help ensure kids were active while learning from home. Students could participate in virtual recess or access a variety of free online activities.
Schools also quickly responded to help students unable to access or afford internet connections. Schools distributed laptops and iPads to students. Some school districts even provided Wi-Fi hotspots to help ensure those students without internet connections could maintain remote learning. Schools helped to reduce the digital inequities affecting many across our state.
Schools help connect families to vital resources to meet their basic needs, so kids can stay healthy and keep learning. Schools distributed grocery bags to families, in partnership with food banks. As trusted sources for information, schools helped distribute updates about social services, such as SNAP or CHIP, and ensured families could access information in multiple languages.
Finally, in a time where many children and families are facing heightened mental health concerns, schools played a critically important role in addressing the social and emotional needs of students. School counselors recognized the additional stress and anxiety that some students were experiencing and reached out to students to provide support. Schools found innovative ways to stay connected to students including Zoom meetings and check-ins, teacher parades, virtual concerts and dance parties, and story time with the principal.
In these challenging times, we celebrate Utah schools, staff and agencies for all they have done for kids, families and communities across our state. As Utahns weather this crisis together, schools will continue to be anchor institutions to help our state recover. As a coalition of organizations and agencies working together to keep Utah kids active and healthy, we look forward to supporting our schools so they can continue to help all kids and families thrive.
Sarah Hodson is the executive director of Get Healthy Utah and Jessie Mandle is a senior policy analyst for Voices for Utah Children. Utah Action for Healthy Kids is a coalition of agencies and organizations working together to improve health for children in Utah and ensure that all schools are healthy places where kids thrive.