1. Welcome and The Why (5 minutes)
Content: Megan introduces herself and shares her journey from classroom teacher and Pilot Light Fellow to program specialist and author of the Pre-K expansion of the Food Education Standards.
Engagement: Quick polling activity: participants share one way they already connect food to learning or a challenge they face doing so.
2. Understanding the Food Education Standards (7 minutes)
Content: Overview of Pilot Light’s Food Education Standards--the development process and their purpose, structure, and connection to academic and social emotional learning.
Engagement: Brief reflection with person next to you: “Which subject or activity in your classroom could naturally align with one of these standards?”
3. Applying the Standards in Practice (12 minutes)
Content: Megan shares concrete classroom examples of how she’s used the standards to transform her own teaching, showcasing lessons, cross-curricular connections, and insights from the Pre-K expansion.
Engagement: Participants access lessons through the Food Education Center via QR code. In small groups or pairs, they identify one standard the lesson addresses and discuss how they might adapt it for their students.
Process: Megan facilitates a brief share-out to highlight themes and ideas from the group.
4. Reflection & Next Steps (6 minutes)
Content: Megan summarizes key takeaways and resources.
Engagement: Participants complete a short digital reflection: “What’s one way you’ll bring food education into your classroom?”
After this session, participants will be able to apply the Food Education Standards as a framework for designing authentic, learner-driven experiences that connect academic content to students’ lives and communities. They will learn how food can be used as a tool to spark curiosity, deepen engagement, and promote equity across subjects. Participants will also access and explore Pilot Light’s Food Education Center, a digital hub of lessons and professional learning resources aligned to the standards, and identify actionable next steps for integrating food-based, standards-aligned learning into their own classrooms or school programs.
1. Defining Food Education Standards through Consensus: The Pilot Light Food Education Summit - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31612490/
2. USDA MyPlate.gov: https://www.myplate.gov/pilot-light-classrooms-use-myplate-fuel-informed-food-decisions
3. Civil Eats: What's at Stake for Food Literacy Programs: https://civileats.com/2025/09/17/whats-at-stake-for-school-food-literacy-programs/
4. Massachussetts Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs Summit Keynote (2025): https://johnstalkerinstitute.org/profdev/conferences-and-events/healthy-kids-summit/
5. Check out Pilot Light: www.pilotlightchefs.org
6. Pilot Light's Food Education Center: https://foodedu.pilotlightchefs.org/lesson-plan-library/
7. The Food Education Standards: https://simplebooklet.com/foodeducationstandardsrev2025#page=1
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