National School Lunch Program Essay

The Food and sustentation Service administers the program at the Federal level. At the State level, the interior(a) take luncheon weapons platform is norm solelyy administered by State education agencies, which operate the program through with(predicate) agreements with school food authorities. 2. How does the National shallow Lunch Program work?The National teach Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in all all over 101,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential chela c ar institutions. It returns nutritionally balanced, lowcost or free lunches to more than than 31 million children each school day in 2009. In 1998, relative expanded the National School Lunch Program to include reimbursement for snacks served to children in afterschool educational and enrichment programs to include children through 18 years of age.1. What is the National School Lunch Program?NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM3. What are the nutritional requirements for scho ol lunches?Generally, public or nonprofit private schools of high school denounce or under and public or nonprofit private residential child care institutions may participate in the school lunch program. School districts and independent schools that choose to take part in the lunch program get cash subsidies and donated commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (agribusiness) for each meal they serve. In return, they moldiness serve lunches that meet Federal requirements, and they must offer free or cut price lunches to eligible children. School food authorities keep alike be reimbursed for snacks served to children through age 18 in afterschool educational or enrichment programs.School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individuals calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provi de 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 take part school may purchase a meal through the National School Lunch Program. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the impoverishment 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 $40,793.)Children from families with incomes over 185 percent of poverty pay a full price, though their meals are still subsidized t o some extent. Local school food authorities suffice 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.Most of the support husbandry provides to schools in the National School Lunch Program comes in the form of a cash reimbursement for each meal served. The current (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 preceding school year are Free lunches $2.72 Free snacks $0.74 Reduced-price lunches Paid lunches $0.26 Paid snacks $0.06 $2.32 Reduced-price snacks $0.376. What other support do schools get from USDA? In addition 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 Fiscal Year 20102011. Schools can also get bonus USDA foods as they are available from surplus agricultural stocks.Through Team victuals USDA provides schools with technical training and assistance to help school food service staffs prepare healthful meals, and with nutrition education to help children understand the relate between diet and health. 7. What types of foods do schools get from USDA? States select entitlement foods for their schools from a list of various foods purchased by USDA and offered through the school lunch program. allowance foods are offered only as they become available through agricultural surplus. The variety of both entitlement and bonus USDA foods schools can get from USDA depends on quantities available and market prices.A very successful project between USDA and the Department of Defense (DoD) has hel ped provide schools with fresh produce purchased through DoD. USDA has also worked with schools to help promote 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 many 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. How 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 information For information on the operation of the National School Lunch Program and all the Child Nutrition Programs, contact the State agency in your state 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, select Contact Us, then select Child Nutrition Programs. 8. How many children have been served over the years?