Schiavo Visits School Day Cafe

Assemblywoman Visits School Day Cafe to Support Nutritious Meal Programs

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, representing the 42nd District in Chatsworth, recently took a tour of the Valencia facility of School Day Cafe. The visit was aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the school meal program and its impact on students and families across Santa Clarita.

Schiavo emphasized the importance of ensuring that the program receives all necessary support from the state, especially as rising food costs have made meals unaffordable for many families. “Families are really struggling, and food insecurity is very real for a lot of families, even here in Santa Clarita,” she said after the tour. “We want to make sure to support programs that are ensuring that kids get healthy food every day.”

During the hour-long visit, Schiavo and her staff met with Brittany Young, director of child nutrition programs at School Day Cafe, and other representatives of the organization. They toured the facility and learned about the daily operations that go into providing nutritious meals to students.

Overview of School Day Cafe’s Operations

According to its website, School Day Cafe is a program of the Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services Agency. It serves an average of 22,000 free nutritious meals during the school year across 37 campuses. With over 150 employees, the program plays a vital role in supporting students' health, well-being, and academic success.

Young highlighted that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of the state’s Universal Feeding program, participation in School Day Cafe has seen a significant increase. Breakfasts have risen by 92%, lunches by 36%, and snacks and dinners by 662%.

The tour included a walk-through of the test kitchen, where chefs experiment with new recipes, as well as prep areas, the bakery, freezer and refrigerator rooms, the overstock area, and the loading dock. Meals are delivered to schools in the Castaic, Newhall, Saugus, and Sulphur Springs districts between 4 and 5 a.m. weekdays.

Summer Meal Program and Funding Stability

Although the facility is typically busier during the regular school year, School Day Cafe continues to operate during the summer months through the Seamless Summer Option. This initiative provides free meals to children aged 18 and under at community pick-up sites such as libraries and community centers.

During the tour, Schiavo asked Young whether the program faced any risk of losing state or federal funding. Young assured her that there were no cuts this year and none expected in the near future.

Schiavo also spoke with Elizabeth Donis, a registered dietitian at School Day Cafe, about upcoming federal nutrition rules that will limit sodium and added sugars in school meals. “In 2027, that’s when the food diet regulation goes into effect,” Donis explained. “We’re starting to see that in some of the products that are coming out. So, yeah, we’re just keeping on top of all those standards … We’re making sure that kids aren’t getting too much of those things that they’d normally get in heavily processed foods.”

Proactive Measures and Community Impact

According to Young, School Day Cafe is proactively updating its recipes and training staff to not only meet but exceed current standards and stay ahead of future USDA updates. Susan Weiss, director of operations and fiscal for School Day Cafe, also participated in the tour.

She emphasized the critical role the program plays in the lives of students. “Sometimes it’s the only meals they have in a day,” she said. “Even in these districts. We have pockets here in Santa Clarita where you will see there is a food insecurity. We help with our after-school snack programs, our supper programs, and the lunch and the breakfast. We think that we provide a pretty good day’s worth of meals for those kids.”

Recognition and Future Goals

After the tour, Schiavo praised the School Day Cafe program for its “amazing work” and expressed admiration for the number of meals they provide each day. She shared concerns about rising food costs affecting other programs in the state, such as a daycare center she visited earlier in the week, where the owner could not even pay herself.

“This is a critical lifeline for those kids and families in a time when they need it,” Schiavo said. “I’m very happy that even in a hard budget year, the state of California continues to invest in this program and programs like it to make sure that kids get a hot meal every day — healthy, good, delicious food — so they can learn and grow and play and be successful.”