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In 2020, during the pandemic, many families in Los Baños, California noticed something they hadn’t really paid attention to before: the quality of the food their kids were eating at school was not what they expected.

While picking up school meals, parents noticed that the menus were mostly processed foods, high in sodium, fats, and carbs, and often not very fresh. They quickly grew concerned, for many students these meals are often their main source of daily nutrition.

In response, a small group of five to ten parents decided to organize and advocate for better nutrition in schools. Today, supported by more than 600 families and with the guidance of the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), they have become one of the most persistent voices in the fight to improve school lunches in their community.

“One of the hopes is that the district builds a central kitchen so that the food that comes into their school system is local, warm, and prepared in-house—not frozen,” explained Adolfo Lopez, Community Engagement Manager at PIQE, who has played a key role in supporting and guiding the parent group.

The Los Baños Parent Leaders group originated during COVID when PIQE offered a civic engagement class. After graduation, participants chose to continue meeting and identified school nutrition as a priority. PIQE provides training, guidance, and access to the district, but the initiative is parent-led.

“I was not aware of what my children were eating in school,” said Armanda Ruiz, a PIQE Parent Ambassador and one of the parent leaders in this effort. “My daughter is autistic and doesn’t have a kidney or a gallbladder. Certain foods overstimulate her, and when I realized what they were actually serving at school, I started paying closer attention.”

Los Baños Unified School District serves about 11,000 students across 17 schools, 91% of whom come from minority backgrounds. While many families earn moderate household incomes, a significant portion of children live below the federal poverty line, according to Census Reporter. For these families, school meals often serve as their children’s main source of daily nutrition, whether due to financial constraints that limit access to healthy foods or because parents do not have enough time to prepare balanced meals at home.

“We’re advocating for kids who aren’t getting proper nutrition from kindergarten through high school,” said parent leader, Gabriela Salcido. “We want overall nutrition to improve, and we need special menus for children with specific health conditions, tailored to their needs. We’re speaking up because so many parents work long hours and rely on schools to feed their kids, but they often don’t know what’s actually being served.”

What the parents are asking for is not unrealistic. In fact, some districts are already preparing and serving healthy meals right from their own kitchens. In the Fresno Unified School District, which serves 72,000 students, a team of over 100 school food professionals—from nutritionists to site managers, chefs, and bakers—prepares more than 45,000 meals each day. They also made available the “Nutrislice” app, which allows families to view daily school menus, leave feedback, and even rate meals. Additionally, they added more Latin-inspired options to reflect the high percentage of Hispanic students.

In the Gustine Unified School District, with 1,746 students, the district secured $3 million to build an on-site kitchen where meals are prepared fresh daily and then transported to the four schools it serves.

Over the past five years, the group has cultivated relationships with district leaders, including Dr. Mark E. Marshall, who served as superintendent of the Los Baños Unified School District for eight years before leaving in 2025. They succeeded in getting student surveys conducted about which foods they liked and disliked, and there were slight changes to the menu. They launched a community campaign that collected more than 600 parent signatures, highlighting widespread concern over the quality of school meals. The group also secured a parent seat on the district’s Wellness Committee and has presented before the School Board while regularly attending its meetings. Despite these efforts, the progress has been slow.

The group has faced several challenges, including budget constraints. “One of the challenges will always be the district’s funding priorities and aligning them with the work we’re trying to do,” said Lopez. “It’s about helping the district see how these priorities are essential to the growth of their schools.”

Another major barrier is language. More than half of Los Baños residents speak a language other than English at home, and roughly 73% of families identify as Latino, making Spanish the dominant language in many households. This creates challenges not only for parent engagement in schools, where communications and meetings are primarily in English, but also in school board meetings, which are conducted entirely in English without simultaneous interpretation—making it difficult for parents to follow discussions or provide input.

“Sometimes there is an interpreter, but they only translate what we say— they don’t interpret the entire meeting,” explained Ruiz. “We need an interpreter who is impartial and provides full translation.”

“Districts have to support the families they represent,” said Lopez. “In a community like Los Baños, where the majority of students come from Spanish-speaking households, districts need to adapt old practices to ensure open dialogue and meaningful interactions with parents. Interpretation should be embedded in board meeting protocols, so families feel welcome and heard. This includes clear agendas, accessible interpretation regardless of attendance, and sufficient notice of meetings.”

The group is now entering a new phase under the leadership of Dr. Bree Valla, the district’s new superintendent, who will begin her work with the district on July 1,2026. With a permanent leader in place, parents are looking to build on the progress they have already made and continue advancing their priorities in collaboration with district leadership.

“We’re hopeful that we won’t have to start from scratch,” commented Salcido.

“We had fruitful conversations with the past superintendent, and there has been progress and dialogue, including discussions about finding a site for a central kitchen. So far, things have been moving in the right direction,” said Lopez. “With Dr. Valla now in place, we’re hopeful that she and her team will continue to work with us to move closer to this vision.”

Lopez acknowledged the growth of the parent leaders, praising their dedication and initiative. “I’ve seen them develop solutions to the challenges they’ve faced and step up to promote themselves,” he said. “When we talk about leadership, we always ask our leaders to create other leaders. Their ability to keep other parents involved, uplift them, and share the spotlight has been amazing to see.”

Looking ahead, the group will take their advocacy national. Lopez, along with two Parent Ambassadors will travel to Washington, D.C., from April 22–24 to attend the UPLAN National Conference. The conference brings parent-led organizations from across the country together to advocate on real parent engagement, early childhood education, and immigration policy. Lopez will present the work the Los Baños parents have done during a workshop session, helping elevate the voices and experiences of their community to a national audience.

“The work these parents have done is exactly what we hope to see from others,” said Lopez. “Supporting families across California means identifying opportunities in your community that need attention, developing solutions, and speaking out. We strongly believe in the power of parents’ voices and their role in driving change.”

The parent leaders remain committed to driving real change in their schools, working tirelessly to improve the quality of meals for all students, knowing that proper nutrition supports children’s health, learning, and overall well-being.  “We want it to be known that we are here; we will continue to advocate, and we will keep meeting every month to fight for better nutrition for all our children,” said Salcido.