California Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship
Our Pre-Apprenticeship program offers California residents an entry point to a career in healthy, scratch-cooked K–12 school food. The program is also for current school food employees who want to gain new skills.
Spring 2025 California Pre-Apprenticeship applications will open in November.
California Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship
Our Pre-Apprenticeship program offers California residents an entry point to a career in healthy, scratch-cooked K–12 school food. The program is also for current school food employees who want to gain new skills.
Spring 2025 California Pre-Apprenticeship applications will open in November.
Overview
The California Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship provides experience and professional development for a career in healthy, scratch-cooked school food. This paid, on-the-job learning experience is seven weeks long. Nearly 50 schools districts across California are registered Pre-Apprentice host sites.
The Pre-Apprenticeship program was designed for California residents who have some to no experience in school food or scratch cooking. It’s also for current school food workers who want to expand their skills, California community college students interested in exploring a culinary career supporting children’s health, and workers who have been displaced from other careers.
The Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship is formally registered with the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
Overview
The California Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship provides experience and professional development for a career in healthy, scratch-cooked school food. This paid, on-the-job learning experience is seven weeks long. Nearly 50 schools districts across California are registered Pre-Apprentice host sites.
The Pre-Apprenticeship program was designed for California residents who have some to no experience in school food or scratch cooking. It’s also for current school food workers who want to expand their skills, California community college students interested in exploring a culinary career supporting children’s health, and workers who have been displaced from other careers.
The Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship is formally registered with the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
Join Our Interest List
Interested in the Pre-Apprenticeship but not yet ready to apply? Subscribe to our interest list to get notified when the next application period opens. The Pre-Apprenticeship program is held twice a year in the spring and fall.
Details
The Pre-Apprenticeship program includes:
- Seven weeks of paid, on-the-job learning at a participating K–12 school district (12 hours per week)
- Three self-paced, online courses through Chef Ann Foundation’s School Food Institute: School Food 101, Ingredients for Healthier Kids, and Recipes & Menu Development (15 hours)
- Two live virtual learning sessions with scratch cooking and school food experts (1.5 hours each)
- Networking opportunities with other school food professionals
After completing the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
Pre-Apprenticeship graduates are eligible to advance to the nine-month Apprenticeship program, which takes place over the course of a full school year.
Participants must be at least 18 years old and eligible to work in the U.S.
Details
The Pre-Apprenticeship program includes:
- Seven weeks of paid, on-the-job learning at a participating K–12 school district (12 hours per week)
- Three self-paced, online courses through Chef Ann Foundation’s School Food Institute: School Food 101, Ingredients for Healthier Kids, and Recipes & Menu Development (15 hours)
- Two live virtual learning sessions with scratch cooking and school food experts (1.5 hours each)
- Networking opportunities with other school food professionals
After completing the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
Pre-Apprenticeship graduates are eligible to advance to the nine-month Apprenticeship program, which takes place over the course of a full school year.
Participants must be at least 18 years old and eligible to work in the U.S.
Compensation & College Credits
California Pre-Apprentices will be paid $17 per hour for on-the-job learning in a K–12 school district. This rate is subject to change based on county minimum wages.
- Individuals who are not already employed by a school food program are expected to work 12 hours per week over seven weeks (84 hours total).
- Current school food employees will have a Pre-Apprenticeship work schedule that depends on their existing schedule.
Additionally, California community college credits may be available. If you are a California community college student, please contact your college’s work experience coordinator or email us at pathway@chefannfoundation.org if you have questions.
Compensation & College Credits
California Pre-Apprentices will be paid $17 per hour for on-the-job learning in a K–12 school district. This rate is subject to change based on county minimum wages.
- Individuals who are not already employed by a school food program are expected to work 12 hours per week over seven weeks (84 hours total).
- Current school food employees will have a Pre-Apprenticeship work schedule that depends on their existing schedule.
Additionally, California community college credits may be available. If you are a California community college student, please contact your college’s work experience coordinator or email us at pathway@chefannfoundation.org if you have questions.
Scratch cooking is extremely important to the health of our children. The right training can transform our school food system from serving highly processed food to food that’s cooked from scratch.”
Participating School Districts
The following K-12 school districts are Pre-Apprentice host sites. If you’re interested in becoming a Pre-Apprentice but don’t see a participating host site near you, please email us at pathway@chefannfoundation.org.
Albany Unified School District (Albany) | Elk Grove Unified School District (Elk Grove) | Los Gatos Union Elementary School District (Los Gatos) | Oro Grande Unified School District (Oro Grande)* | Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (Truckee) |
Alum Rock Unified School District (San Jose)* | Eureka City Schools (Eureka) | Lucia Mar Unified School District (Arroyo Grande) | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (Palos Verdes Estates) | Templeton Unified School District (Templeton) |
Atascadero Unified School District (Atascadero) | Fallbrook Union Elementary School District (Fallbrook) | Magnolia Elementary School District (Anaheim) | Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (Paso Robles) | Turlock Unified School District (Turlock) |
Azusa Unified School District (Azusa) | Fallbrook Union High School District (Fallbrook) | Marysville Joint Unified School District (Marysville) | Petaluma City Schools (Petaluma) | Twin Rivers Unified School District (North Highlands)* |
Bear Valley Unified School District (Big Bear Lake) | Fillmore Unified School District (Fillmore)* | Meadows Union School District (El Centro)* | Porterville Unified School District (Porterville) | Ukiah Unified School District (Ukiah) |
Benicia Unified School District (Benicia) | Fullerton School District (Fullerton) | Menifee Union School District (Menifee)* | Rialto Unified School District (Rialto)* | Vista Unified School District (Vista) |
Brentwood Union School District (Brentwood)* | Galt Joint Union High School District (Galt)* | Morgan Hill Unified School District (Morgan Hill) | San Bernardino City Unified School District (San Bernardino) | West Contra Costa Unified School District (Richmond) |
Burbank Unified School District (Burbank)* | Gonzales Unified School District (Gonzales) | Mt. Diablo Unified School District (Concord) | San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District (Ben Lomond) | Western Placer Unified School District (Lincoln) |
Calistoga Joint Unified School District (Calistoga) | Gridley Unified School District (Gridley) | Napa Valley Unified School District (Napa) | San Luis Coastal Unified School District (San Luis Obispo) | Willows Unified School District (Willows) |
Capistrano Unified School District (San Juan Capistrano)* | Hacienda La Puente Unified School District (City of Industry)* | Nevada City School of the Arts (Nevada City) | San Miguel Joint Union School District (San Miguel) | Wonderful College Prep Academy (Delano) |
Carmel Unified School District (Carmel)* | Healdsburg Unified School District (Healdsburg) | North Monterey County Unified School District (Castroville) | Santa Clara Unified School District (Santa Clara) | Yuba Environmental Science (YES) Charter Academy (Oregon House) |
Centralia Elementary School District (Buena Park) | Lammersville Unified School District (Mountain House) | Norwalk - La Mirada Unified School District (Norwalk)* | Santa Cruz City Schools (Santa Cruz) | |
Chicago Park School (Grass Valley) | Live Oak Unified School District (Live Oak) | Oak Park Unified School District (Oak Park) | Santa Paula Unified School District (Santa Paula)* | |
Cypress School District (Cypress)* | Live Oak Unified School District (Santa Cruz) | Oak Valley Union Elementary School District (Tulare) | Solana Beach School District (Solana Beach) | |
Del Norte Unified School District (Crescent City)* | Lodi Unified School District (Lodi) | Ocean View School District (Oxnard) | Sweetwater Union High School District (Chula Vista) |
Join the California Pre-Apprenticeship Interest List
Not yet ready to apply? Subscribe to our interest list to get notified when the next application period opens. The Pre-Apprenticeship is offered twice a year in the spring and fall.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, you can contact us by emailing pathway@chefannfoundation.org.
Puedes encontrar las preguntas frecuentes en español aqui.
Pre-Apprentices are required to complete online courses and join live virtual learning sessions. The online courses, which are offered through the Chef Ann Foundation’s School Food Institute can be completed remotely from anywhere. The courses are hosted by Moodle, which is an online learning platform. We highly recommend completing the courses on a laptop or desktop computer since you will be required to write and submit assignments.
Pre-Apprentices will also need to use Zoom to attend the live virtual learning sessions.
Microsoft Word or Google Docs will also be occasionally used for assignments.
Yes! The online School Food Institute courses have Spanish subtitles. You can change your preferred language on Moodle, which is the online learning platform we use. The live virtual learning sessions also have live Spanish translation.
We additionally have bilingual staff that can support you throughout the entire program, from application to graduation.
No, participants are only paid for the time they work at the school district. If required, they may also be paid for completing an anti-harassment training.
During the seven weeks of the Pre-Apprenticeship you will complete a variety of tasks. This includes but is not limited to chopping fruits and vegetables, batch cooking, serving students, running the point of sale (POS) system as students move through the line, and washing dishes.
After you get selected
Yes, we will reimburse you for any expenses incurred in preparing for the program, including a background check or LiveScan, TB test, and ServeSafe certificate.
Please let us know as soon as you receive notification that your background check is complete by emailing us at pathway@chefannfoundation.org.
After you start the program
To fill out timesheets, please include the hours you work daily and have it signed off by your supervisor every other Wednesday according to the Payment Schedule you received as part of your onboarding documents. Here is the file HERE.
Your timesheet must be submitted by the end of day every other Wednesday, to pathway@chefannfoundation.org. As part of your onboarding materials you will receive a calendar HERE that includes exact dates for when timesheets need to be submitted.
You will receive the recording via email, and will need to complete a reflection prompt about the topics covered in the session. You will submit your response via Moodle, our learning platform.
Career Catalyst is a third party that the Chef Ann Foundation works with to handle payroll and workers compensation.
Workday is the platform Career Catalyst uses to handle paperwork and payroll.
You will receive a debit card from Career Catalyst or you may set up direct deposit on the Workday platform.
Moodle is the learning platform used for this program. This is where you will access all your online courses, find helpful materials, receive important program updates and announcements and submit reflection prompts as needed.
Your setup information will be in your orientation guide. If you need more information, please contact pathway@chefannfoundation.org.
You will be prompted to reset your password to a password of your choice.
It is usually within 4-6 days but can take up to 10 days.
Please reach out to pathway@chefannfoundation.org and work with your supervisor to reschedule any missed hours before the end of the program.
All participants must work 12 hours per week and complete a total of 84 hours to complete the program.
Resources
Interested in learning more? Check out these downloadable resources.
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