Celebrate National School Lunch Week

Did you know that almost 30 million children receive nutritious lunches every school day because of the National School Lunch Program? It’s important for children to get the nutrients they need to stay focused and concentrated in school. The National School Lunch Program has standards that ensure the nutritional needs of students are met so they can be successful.

The week of October 12-16 is National School Lunch Week, which focuses on highlighting how important healthy school lunches are for the development of children. Although school lunch looks a little different this year with many students learning from home, many institutions are still open for school lunch pick up! It also raises awareness on how eating a nutritious lunch impacts not only school life, but home life too.

This celebratory week aims to put a national focus on school lunch programs in hopes to get as many eligible children to participate in the program.

3 Benefits of the National School Lunch Program

There are a wide variety of benefits to this program. These 3 reasons explain the importance of promoting National School Lunch Week:

1. Food Insecurity is reduced: Depending on household income, children can either receive free or reduced priced lunches. This is a huge weight lifted from the shoulders of many parents in situations where they live with food insecurity and cannot afford to provide their children with nutritious meals.

2. More well-balanced meals are consumed: Since all lunches served through the program have to meet federal nutritional guidelines, they contain low amounts of saturated fat and added sugar. There is also a requirement that these lunches contain adequate fruits and vegetables, making them a well-balanced and nutritious meal.

3. Improve learning environment: Research has shown that children who are hungry perform more poorly in school compared to students who are adequately nourished. Providing lunches may improve children’s performance in school while providing them with the energy they need to make it through the school day.

3 Ways to Celebrate National School Lunch Week

There are many ways schools can promote the National School Lunch Program during this week that will increase participation in the program. Here are 3 just examples:

1. Plan themed lunches for each weekday: This is a fun way of increasing engagement by decorating the cafeteria and making signs letting children know information about the school’s lunch program.

2. Give students opportunities to taste test foods: Doing this allows for feedback to be received from students, making them feel included in the decision-making process about what foods are included on the menu.

3. Invite parents to have lunch with their child: This provides an opportunity to educate not only the children, but also the parents about the specific lunch program the school offers and how they can get their children enrolled.

Now that you understand the importance of the National School Lunch Program and have ideas on how to increase participation, you can celebrate this weeklong event!

Your turn to take action: What are you going to do to get the word out about the importance of the National School Lunch Program? Let me know in the comments below.

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