School/school district and community leaders play a critical role in making sure kids have access to healthy food and enrichment opportunities when school’s out.

Ways in which they can help include:

• Policies that support summer learning and summer meal programs
• Encouraging community organizations to become summer meal providers
• Promoting summer meal programs in the community
• Addressing barriers to participation in local summer meal programs
• Bringing together other community leaders and leading the charge to keep kids healthy and engaged in summer.

In its Building Healthy Communities: A School Leaders Guide to Collaboration and Community Engagement, Summer Meal Coalition partner California School Boards Association (CSBA)  offers a comprehensive guide to help school leaders support nutrition and physical activity in their schools and communities. CSBA’s student wellness guide helps district leaders plan for the academic year, after school, and summer.