How CVUSD is meeting community needs to feed kids over the summer

The summer break can be challenging for families who rely on school lunches during the academic year. Coachella Valley Unified School District is addressing this need by providing free lunch to anyone 18 and under at three mobile park communities, including La Chicanita in Thermal, Mountain View Estates in Thermal and St. Anthony Mobile Home Park in Mecca. Meals are available — in air-conditioned school buses — on weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon through July 26.

“This wouldn’t be able to be during the school year, but on the times that we have breaks, such as our spring break or our winter break and even some Saturdays when there are long weekends, I think it’s important for our students to have the opportunities to have meals for them," said Frances Esparza, CVUSD's newly appointed superintendent.

More: Will Coachella Valley schools start later in August 2024? Here's all the start times

Also in this week's education roundup: A reading challenge launched by Riverside County for elementary school students to combat learning loss, and a program spotlight for high school student leaders who live in Riverside County.

Did we miss a noteworthy education story? Raise your hand and send it my way: jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

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School lunches from a school bus? How Coachella Valley Unified School District is meeting community needs over the summer

When the air-conditioned school buses pull into the mobile home park communities in the eastern Coachella Valley, a group of kids and families trickle in by foot — or on bicycles — to collect their free lunches.

This summer, Coachella Valley Unified School District stepped up to meet community needs by launching its Meals on the Bus program — literally mobilizing lunches to provide relief to families. Kids don't have to qualify for free and reduced lunch to get the free meals, all are welcome. District school buses are dispatched from 10 a.m. to noon to provide a safe and cool place for the children to enjoy their lunch.

On a recent hot and humid Friday, representatives from the Riverside County Office of Education, as well as CVUSD board members and its newly appointed superintendent, visited Mountain View Estates in Thermal to see the program in action. This mobile home park is one of three communities CVUSD is serving this summer. The other two are La Chicanita in Thermal and St. Anthony Mobile Home Park in Mecca.

"For me, it was important to see this great program where we are feeding our students during the summer break," said Edwin Gomez, who serves as the Riverside County superintendent of schools. "We have to keep in mind that students in poverty sometimes lack resources, and I think having meals to-go during the summer break is very important.”

Gomez expressed his desire to see this program replicated across Riverside County. Much of the county is farmland and agriculture is one of its biggest industries. However, most jobs are low-paying, leaving families struggling.

“Many of our districts have students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, so I think projects like this are models to emulate." he said. "I believe we should have more consideration of implementing these kinds of projects across the county. What I would encourage other districts to do is come visit like we did today and if there’s a need for students that might have food insecurities, we should be able to consider programs like this.”

A mother, who declined to share her full name, expressed gratitude for the staff's visit to understand the significant needs in her community. Her children attend Las Palmitas Elementary, Toro Canyon Middle and Desert Mirage High Schools in Thermal. (Her youngest son, shyly hiding behind her, said his favorite item are the "taco sticks.")

"It’s great to see that the district does this for us, the parents, because sometimes we have to leave (work) early to get the (kids’ meals) ready, so I am very appreciative," she said in Spanish.

The turnout exceeded expectations, said CVUSD Superintendent Frances Esparza. A bus driver commented that many families arrive as soon as they arrive, worried that meals might run out.

“We look for where we know where we’re going to have an impact — communities that we want to ensure that we’re still providing resources to," Esparza said. "These are some of the communities, even during the times of COVID, that were targeted for most need. Those are the communities that we want to make sure that we’re able to support.”

For more information: Visit bit.ly/cvusdsummermeals

Riverside County Office of Education invites students to take part in summer reading challenge

As summer break nears its end, students and teachers prepare to tackle the "summer slide"— the learning loss that occurs when students are away from the classroom. To help combat this phenomenon, a summer reading program is in full swing in Riverside County, and your student still has time to join in.

The Riverside County Office of Education has launched the Superintendent's Summer Reading Challenge, running through Aug. 2. The challenge encourages families with children up to fifth grade to read a total of 10 million words using Footsteps2Brilliance, a bilingual early literacy mobile app. Students at each grade level who finish on top by the deadline will win a prize.

Libraries, too, are essential hubs of learning and connection for families seeking enriching activities. The Riverside County Library System recently announced its public libraries have done away with fines for overdue materials, as of July 1.

More: Renovated Palm Desert library opens after split from county

For more information: Visit myf2b.com/riverside or footsteps2brilliance.com/virtual-summer-school to follow daily lessons for your child's grade level

Program Spotlight: Riverside County seeks high school students for its youth commission council

Riverside County is calling on local teens to join a team of high school leaders for its youth advisory council during the 2024-25 school year.

Established in 1998 by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, the youth commission gives young people a platform to contribute to their community through public service. The commission focuses on making recommendations on educational, recreational and cultural needs to enhance the quality of life for all young people in Riverside County. Students must commit to attending biweekly meetings and service events.

Supervisor V. Manuel Pérez represents the fourth district, which comprises the Coachella Valley. Prospective public and private high school applicants from the desert would also represent the fourth district.

For more information: Visit rivcoyac.org or tinyurl.com/rivcoyac

Alex Grauel is The Desert Sun's summer 2024 intern. He's a rising senior journalism student at Arizona State University, and a native of Rancho Mirage. You can email Alex at agrauel@palmspri.gannett.com. Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: How CVUSD is meeting community needs to feed kids over the summer