Picnic and Play Announcement

Picnic and Play Updates

New Information

We are excited to announce that flexibilities for our summer programs were extended by USDA on July 8th.  After preparing this past week, we are able to begin offering the following options through our summer program for the final three weeks of our program:

  • Children may now take their meal home with them and are no longer required to stay onsite to eat their meal.
  • Parents or guardians may pick up meals for children that are not present at our current established sites (Windfield West Apartments, Maple Grove Villas, and Sun Prairie Apartments).
  • Breakfast for the next morning will be packaged with the lunch meals and consist of a grain item, fruit, and milk.

Here are a couple of important items to note when you visit:

  • We will still continue to set up our in-person programming for those who want to stay since our wonderful programming partners have dedicated their time to us.  Here is the program calendar link so you can see what is coming up!
  • Families will still need to park and exit their vehicles to pick up meals for their children and participate in programming.
  • Our program will operate until August 5th.

We hope that these flexibilities granted to us offer some additional convenience for you as you consider visiting our sites over the remainder of the summer.  If you have any questions, contact Kaitlyn Scheuerman at kscheuermann@waukeeschools.org.

Previous Post

We are excited to announce that our Picnic and Play service for summer meals will continue in 2022. Free meals will be available Monday-Friday starting Monday, June 6 and running through Friday, August 5. 

Picnic and Play sites will be available at three locations throughout our community. 

Windfield West Apartments – 11 am-12 pm

  • 75 SE Windfield Pkwy, Waukee, IA 50263

Maple Grove Villas – 11:15 am-12:15 pm

  • 8602 Westown Pkwy, West Des Moines, IA 50266

Sun Prairie Apartments – 11:30 am-12:30 pm

  • 6137 Vista Dr, West Des Moines, IA 50266

** Waukee High School will not be a Picnic and Play site in 2022. 

Please note the following changes to our program for 2022 due to a change in USDA rules:
  • Children must stay onsite to eat their meals.  Grab and go meal service is no longer allowed.  Please plan accordingly to allow time for your children to stay and enjoy their meals.
  • Children must be present to pick up meals. Parents or caregivers cannot pick up for a child who is not with them.
  • Breakfast meals will no longer be offered.

Our Picnic and Play locations will also be participating in the Farm to Summer Campaign. This year’s theme is Let Us Eat Lettuce. Locally grown lettuce will be served at our summer meal locations. Additional information will be coming soon.

Nutrition Note for 2022-23 School Year 

As we look forward to the 2022-23 school year, there is a change coming to meal pricing in our schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government funded a program giving all students access to free meals at school. That program will not continue next school year. This decision means that all students will need to have an active and positive balance in their school meal account next year. 

There has been a slight change to the application to the free and reduced meal program. The free and reduced meal application will be available the first week of August. All eligible families will be required to fill out this application, even if it has been filled out in previous years.

Please visit the Waukee Nutrition Services website for additional information.