National School Lunch Program Essay

The sustenance and livelihood Service administers the program at the Federal take aim. At the terra firma level, the national domesticate dejeuner architectural plan is usu all in ally administered by utter education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with drill f be administration. 2. How does the content school day Lunch Program work?The National school Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating(a) in everywhere 101,000 public and nonprofit orphic inculcates and residential barbarian c atomic number 18 institutions. It pass ons nutritionally balanced, lowcost or indigent dejeuneres to to a greater extent(prenominal) than 31 jillion babyren each give lessons day in 2009. In 1998, Congress expanded the National School Lunch Program to entangle reimbursement for snacks served to children in afterschool educational and enrichment programs to include children through 18 long time of age.1. What is the National School Lun ch Program?NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH platform3. What are the nutritional requirements for school lunches?Generally, public or nonprofit private schools of high school grade or under and public or nonprofit private residential child care institutions whitethorn go in in the school lunch program. School districts and independent schools that choose to dispense part in the lunch program get cash subsidies and donated commodities from the U.S. subdivision of Agriculture ( farming) for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that control Federal requirements, and they must offer free or reduced outlay lunches to qualified children. School solid food authorities potbelly also be reimbursed for snacks served to children through age 18 in afterschool educational or enrichment programs.School lunches must experience the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no to a greater extent than 30 portion of an individuals calor ies come from fat, and less than 10 portion from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide onethird of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories. School lunches must meet Federal nutrition requirements, but decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities.4. How do children qualify for free and reduced price meals? Any child at a participating school may purchase a meal through the National School Lunch Program. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reducedprice meals, for which students can be charged no more than 40 cents. (For the period July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011, 130 percent of the poverty level is $28,665 for a family of four 185 percent is $40,79 3.)Children from families with incomes over 185 percent of poverty pay a full price, though their meals are take over subsidized to some extent. Local school food authorities decorate their own prices for fullprice (paid) meals, but must operate their meal services as nonprofit programs.5. How much reimbursement do schools get?Afterschool snacks are provided to children on the same income eligibility basis as school meals. However, programs that operate in areas where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reducedprice meals may serve all their snacks for free. some of the support USDA provides to schools in the National School Lunch Program comes in the form of a cash reimbursement for each meal served. The afoot(predicate) (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011) basic cash reimbursement rates if school food authorities served less than 60% free and reduced price lunches during the second antedate school year are Free lunches $2.72 Free snacks $0.74 Reduced-price lunches remunerative lunches $0.26 Paid snacks $0.06 $2.32 Reduced-price snacks $0.376. What other support do schools get from USDA? In add-on to cash reimbursements, schools are entitled by law to receive USDA foods, called entitlement foods, at a value of 20.25 cents for each meal served in monetary Year 20102011. Schools can also get bonus USDA foods as they are unattached from surplus agricultural stocks.Through Team Nutrition USDA provides schools with technical training and assistance to help school food service staffs prepare healthful meals, and with nutrition education to help children watch the link between diet and health. 7. What types of foods do schools get from USDA? States take aim entitlement foods for their schools from a list of various foods purchased by USDA and offered through the school lunch program. Bonus foods are offered only as they become available through agricultural surplus. The variety of both entitlement and bonus USDA foods schools can get fr om USDA depends on quantities available and market prices.A very successful project between USDA and the Department of Defense (DoD) has helped provide schools with impudent produce purchased through DoD. USDA has also worked with schools to help get ahead connections with local small farmers who may be able to provide fresh produce. The National School Lunch Act in 1946 created the modern school lunch program, though USDA had provided funds and food to schools for legion(predicate) years prior to that. About 7.1 million children were participating in the National School Lunch Program by the end of its first year, 1946 47. By 1970, 22 million children were participating, and by 1980 the figure was nearly 27 million. In 1990, over 24 million children ate school lunch every day.In Fiscal Year 2009, more than 31.3 million children each day got their lunch through the National School Lunch Program. Since the modern program began, more than 219 billion lunches have been served. 9. Ho w much does the program cost? The National School Lunch Program cost $9.8 billion in FY 2009. By comparison, the lunch programs total cost in 1947 was $70 million in 1950, $119.7 million in 1960, $225.8 million in 1970, $565.5 million in 1980, $3.2 billion in 1990, $3.7 billion and in 2000, 6.1 billion. For more learning For information on the operation of the National School Lunch Program and all the Child Nutrition Programs, contact the State agency in your domain that is responsible for the administration of the programs. A listing of all our State agencies may be found on our web site at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd, assume Contact Us, then select Child Nutrition Programs. 8. How many children have been served over the years?