Equipment can make all the difference to the success of a breakfast-in-the-classroom program, from menu development to delivery method. Your kitchen equipment is a big factor in determining the types of foods you can prepare, hold, deliver, and serve to the classroom.
As you plan what your BIC program will look like, you may find you also need additional equipment to execute delivery, classroom cleanup, or to assist custodial staff with trash pick-up. Even with the best planning, equipment chosen during the early stages sometimes fails to live up to expectations once you roll out breakfast-in-the-classroom. This was the case in Livingston Parish schools in Louisiana, where finding a cooler to transport food to the classroom was harder than it seemed at first glance.
According to Sommer Purvis, administrator of special programs for child nutrition in Livingston Parish Public Schools’, the department’s first and second attempts to purchase a cooler for BIC service were less-than-successful:
“We started with a 100-quart cooler on wheels, but we learned the weight was too heavy; having to bend in half to drag the cooler across campus was not feasible for our staff—not to mention the wheels didn’t hold up! Next, we ordered an ice chest on a stand. This was easier to push because it was waist-height, but the base and wheels didn’t hold up any better—maybe worse! We finally realized using an ice chest without wheels and using a flatbed cart to transport it made things much easier.”
Want to learn more about how to choose proper equipment for breakfast-in-the-classroom? Check out our video: “Assessing Equipment Needs for Breakfast in the Classroom” on YouTube.