This manual contains information about the selection and implementation of a meal counting and claiming system for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (BSP). Federal reimbursement is provided for each meal that meets program requirements and is served to an eligible student. Part 1 explains the six elements of…

This manual contains information for determining students' eligibility for free and reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Commodity School Program. Guidelines are also offered for schools in the Special Milk Program, which serves free milk to eligible students. The manual describes general…

"Healthy School Meals: Promotion Ideas That Work" is a Minnesota program based on the USDA's Team Nutrition program. The program's goal is to improve the health of children through school meals and nutrition education. This is accomplished by empowering schools to serve meals meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and motivating…

School district administrators can decide whether food service components are operating cost effectively. Explains ways to determine costs of energy, personnel, and supplies and equipment. Two tables provide cost-responsibility checklists for school food services and contracted operations. (MLF)

This guide for school personnel is intended to sensitize them to the special problems of homeless students, to help them meet their special needs, and to help them make school a more comfortable place for these students. It is divided into four areas of particular concern for homeless children. The first, food, makes the following points: (1)…

A New York State school district employed a management company to privatize the food-service program with the goal of enticing all students to eat lunch. Expertise in marketing, menu planning, and food-service operation turned the program around. Suggests questions to ask when selecting a management company. (MLF)

This manual delineates procedures for the mandatory verification of 3 percent of the applications for national school food programs. Two methods of selection are described: random and "error prone profiling." The latter involves selecting for verification those applicants whose recorded monthly income is closest to the eligibility cutoff…

This report describes the analyses of student participation in two school nutrition programs, the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Data were collected from students and their families during the 1983-84 school year as part of the National Evaluation of the School Nutrition Programs (NESNP). Each program…

Despite the importance of breakfast, summer, and after-school child nutrition programs, coverage in these programs in Massachusetts is low. This report describes the barriers facing the states School Breakfast, Summer Food Service, and After-School Snack Programs and suggests many innovative solutions and resources that program sponsors can use to…

Exclusive vending contracts with food and beverage companies can produce much-needed revenue for school districts. However, these pouring and vending contracts as well as other forms of exclusive vendor contracts are often the subject of contentious public debate and legal challenges. Even the language used to refer to such agreements varies:…

This handbook is designed to serve as a resource guide to New York school district officials who are involved in the application approval, hearing, and verification processes for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, and for those exercising the free milk option of the Special Milk Program. Detailed information and clarification…

A condensation of ideas generated during the 1982 Conference on More with Less, this guide presents methods of saving money, increasing student participation, and influencing decision-makers to maintain school meal programs in the face of reduced federal support. For each topic, specific suggestions, a brief case study, and addresses of resource…

Estimates were made of the effects of school lunch participation and various socioeconomic, anthropometric, and psychological variables on the consumption of 20 food items by 8- to 12-year-old children. The study sample consisted of 845 school children in the State of Washington, stratified by ethnic group and by poverty level so that it contained…

This guide sets forth federal and Wisconsin state policy regarding administration and financial management of child nutrition programs. The first of the three main sections of the document covers United States Department of Agriculture administrative policies. The topics included in this section are as follows: (1) "Reimbursement"…

To find major problems with the National School Lunch Program, a study was conducted with 1,015 students, their parents, and 16 school lunch supervisors in 18 Washington school districts. When interviewed, only 2% of the students said the lunch program did not need any changes. The needed changes most often mentioned were for "different kinds…