Sharing a meal is a tradition as old as time. It’s an opportunity for storytelling, laughing with friends and getting the nutrition needed to complete the day. However, fostering such a lunchtime environment at schools can be tricky.  

When educators at Hitchcock Primary School faced challenges getting students to communicate in a healthy way during mealtime, they turned to solutions that are commonly used to maintain order in school cafeterias. Students entered single file into the cafeteria, allowing students to speak quietly to peers sitting to their right or left, and often requiring students to eat in silence for periods of time.  

While the cafeteria became quieter and more structured, the decision had unforeseen impacts on students’ mental health.  

“My son wouldn’t interact with anyone and was afraid during lunchtime,” kindergarten parent Abigail Garza said. “I didn’t know why it was happening, but I talked with our principal and started coming every day to have lunch with my son to make him more comfortable.”  

Garza described how the five-year-old developed a sense of anxiety and curbed appetite attributed to his lunchtime experience, which resulted in half-eaten lunches and newfound shyness.  

Fast forward to this spring and lunchtime at Hitchcock Primary is a different experience—at least for kindergarten classes.  

As Harris County Department of Education celebrates Occupational Therapy Month this April, we see how the partnership between therapists and educators can positively impact students. 

“People are ready for change,” said Lisa Otto, an occupational therapist within HCDE’s School-Based Therapy Services division. “When OTs give our perspective, strategies and suggestions for interventions, the teachers are ready because they also see the students’ struggles.”  

Otto, who began serving students across Hitchcock and Danbury independent school districts in 2022, noticed the lunchtime discord and presented the challenges to her HCDE supervisors. They found a solution in Trang Mai, a Texas Woman’s University doctoral student.  

HCDE is a community partner to statewide universities, offering opportunities for students to complete their capstone courses in a school-based setting. Since the program’s inception, School-Based Therapy Services has helped nearly 10 doctoral students complete their coursework to become certified occupational therapists.  

“This is not only a way to give back to our professions but is also an opportunity to ensure a well-trained pool of professionals who may want to work for us in the future,” Senior Director Carie Crabb said. “I have been very impressed with the doctoral occupational therapy students that we have had in recent years and particularly with Trang. She not only facilitated a program that had a huge impact on the students we serve, but she also led a discussion with school-based occupational therapy practitioners all around the state during HCDE’s Occupational Therapy Leadership Group meeting, teaching others how to implement the program in their own districts. Trang is an impressive student with a very bright future ahead of her!” 

Mai’s project centers around an initiative within Every Moment Counts, a mental health program developed by Dr. Susan Bazyk to help youth reframe mental health as a positive state of functioning.  

By introducing “Comfortable Cafeteria” as a pilot program at Hitchcock Primary, Mai helps transform the space into a sanctuary of social joy and mental wellness, where students can enjoy their meals, engage in meaningful conversations and connect to their school community. 

“We completely changed the cafeteria arrangement to where students are sitting in groups of four so they can communicate with the person next to them and people across from them,” Mai said. “By keeping them in small groups, they can practice having mealtime conversations in the most natural setting.”  

Comfortable Cafeteria is built on four pillars—Time to Enjoy a Meal, Be Responsible and Respectful, Enjoy Time with Friends and Follow Directions. Throughout the six-week program curriculum, Mai and Otto visit with kindergarteners before lunch to discuss the fundamentals of conversations, how to actively listen to cafeteria supervisors and mealtime etiquette. 

They also implemented audio-visual strategies throughout the lunch period that serve as reminders to students. Call and response techniques help gain the classes’ attention. Supervisors use “calm cards” to discourage students from sharing food, and a timer projected on the screen allows students to gauge when to wrap up conversations.  

“Coming from an outsider’s perspective, you can see the rapport that students are now building with their teachers,” Mai said. “They are excited to see us and want to hug us all the time. They are happy to be involved, and lunchtime has become a positive experience overall.”  

Hitchcock and La Marque Fire Departments were recently invited to visit the kindergarten classes during lunch to help students practice their newfound conversation and etiquette skills.  

“It’s the end of the school year and most of the students already know each other,” Mai said. “By adding in these firefighters and special guests, the kids get to practice learning how to get to know new people again, making friends and having that back-and-forth conversation.”  

Otto and Mai were brought to tears when Garza pulled the pair aside after lunch to share how the Comfortable Cafeteria initiative has positively impacted her son.  

“I’m loving it because my son is so happy now,” Garza said with a smile. “He’s always talking about these new techniques when we are at home. He’s engaging in more conversations and eating all his food. I’m so happy because this program is making a difference not just at school but at home, too.”  

Garza says her daily visits are no longer needed. Now, she only visits her son twice a week.  

The “Comfortable Cafeteria” pilot program will wrap up in a few weeks. Yet, Hitchcock Primary School leaders are already looking to the future and have plans to implement the initiative across all grade levels during the 2024-2025 school year. 

“Responses like that is why I feel very strongly about occupational therapy, whether in hospitals, communities or schools because it’s a holistic profession,” Otto said. “We are addressing a person’s mind, body and spirit to help them be as independent as possible.” 

As Mai prepares to travel back to Denton for graduation in May, she reflected on her time working closely with HCDE’s therapy services division to complete her capstone project. She describes the weekly progress meetings as informative and encouraging.  

“They were a big help in making me feel like I can handle this project and never put me down for any ideas I have,” Mai said. “Everyone was able to help me problem solve, figure out logistics and provide feedback on how to build relationships with the teachers, staff and students.”  

Added Otto: “Mai has been such a gift because she’s bringing new ideas and strategies to this campus that are helping everyone involved. This is an experience that she will never forget, and I’m very fortunate that she’s been here. We couldn’t have done it without her.” 

To learn more about HCDE School-Based Therapy Services, visit hcde-texas.org/school-therapy.