Child Nutrition
East St. Louis School District 189's Child Nutrition Program is based on federally funded and administered programs from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). At the state level, the Illinois State Board of Education's Nutrition and Wellness Programs Division is the administering agency working with East St. Louis School District 189 to provide nutritional meals for all students without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
All schools in School District 189 serve breakfast and lunch for students in grades Pre-K to 12. East St. Louis School District 189′s meals are provided by Chartwells Food Service. Breakfast and lunch meals are designed to be compliant with all federal, state, and local guidelines.
COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION
District 189 is a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) participant. As such, we are able to provide healthy breakfasts and lunches each day at no charge for ALL students enrolled in the CEP school.
CEP has been successfully implemented in more than 14,000 schools, reaching more than 6 million students nationwide. Schools that participate in the CEP are able to provide healthy breakfasts and lunches each day at no charge for ALL students enrolled in that CEP school during the 2024-2025 School Year. No further action is required of parents or students. Community Eligibility Provision Letter
Special Announcement: we are currently serving Half Pint 1% White Pantry Fresh Milk and Half Pint 1% Chocolate Pantry Fresh Milk.
The Triennial Assessment for District 189’s Local Wellness Policy was held on January 30, 2024.
Triennial Assessment for School District 189
Parents of students with special dietary needs should contact school administrators or contact Food Services for more assistance.
SCHOOL BREAKFAST
Our schools are proud to offer a nutritious school breakfast to all students free of charge. Traditional breakfast serving times, when students are in school, are as follows:
Vivian Adams Early Childhood Center | 8:30 am – 9:00 am |
Avant Elementary School | 8:00 am – 8:30 am |
Bush Alternative Center (middle) | 8:00 am – 8:30 am |
Dunbar Elementary School | 8:00 am – 8:30 am |
Officer Elementary School | 8:00 am – 8:30 am |
Wright Elementary School | 8:00 am – 8:30 am |
Mason Clark Middle School | 7:30 am – 8:00 am |
Lincoln Middle Middle School | 7:30 am – 8:00 am |
Younge School of Excellence | 7:30 am – 8:00 am |
Bush Alternative Center (high) | 7:30 am – 8:00 am |
East St. Louis Senior High School | 6:45 am – 7:30 am |
BREAKFAST AFTER THE BELL
Illinois Public Act 99-0850 requires that public schools in which at least 70 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches must operate a breakfast after the bell program. Breakfast must be made available to children after the instructional day has officially begun.
In District 189, breakfast will continue to be provided for students prior to the start of the school day. To fulfill the Breakfast After the Bell mandate, breakfast will remain available for students in the cafeteria for 30 minutes after the school day begins. Students are encouraged to take advantage of eating breakfast prior to school and then report to class for the beginning of the instructional day.
FOOD AND BEVERAGES PROVIDED OR SOLD ON SCHOOL PREMISES
By state law and Board of Education policy, all food and beverages sold or provided to students (including celebrations, classroom parties and rewards) on district campuses must meet U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) school meals and Smart Snacks in school nutritional standards. This law applies to all food and beverages supplied by individuals and organizations. The only exceptions to this requirement are food or beverages created or used as part of the district’s instructional programs.
Please see the following resources for suggestions to meet the nutritional standards:
- Smart Snacks in Schools
- Healthy Non-Food Rewards as alternative options for food rewards.
- Best Practices for Healthy School Fundraisers
LOCAL WELLNESS POLICY
Please view the District 189 local wellness policy (adopted June 20, 2017, and updated on March 12, 2024) District 189 Wellness Policy
East St. Louis School District's local wellness policy committee meets periodically to review the wellness policy and focus on continuous improvement efforts. School Year 2024-2025, meetings dates will be announced as they are determined. The location of the meetings is at the Board of Education building, located at 1005 State Street, East St. Louis. These meetings are open to the public. Parents and other community stakeholders are invited to attend.
The committee welcomes feedback and suggestions from students and stakeholders throughout the year. For questions or comments, please contact the coordinator of the local wellness policy, Carla DeBoe, at carla.deboe@estl189.com or 618-646-3083.