To say the first month of school is a hectic time for parents is a huge understatement. We’ve got to scramble for school supplies, meet new teachers, and shuffle through the seemingly endless barrage of handouts and emails we receive about the upcoming year.   

One of the great things about returning to school, though, is the school meals service.  If you’ve been making lunches and breakfasts at home every day the past few months or packing brown bags for camps all summer, you know what I mean. The start of the school year means less time spent making sandwiches and shopping for snack packs because your kids can eat lunches (and many times breakfasts) at school. It can also mean lower grocery bills because school meals are an excellent value.

But as a parent, I know that saving time and money on food is only worth it if your kids actually eat the meals and the foods are healthy.  So it’s reassuring to know that schools participating in USDA’s school meals programs serve healthy, well-balanced meals that include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Many are also involving kids in taste testing new menu items, which helps put foods kids love on the menu like Hawaiian chicken wraps and black bean quesadillas.  My daughter still loves her school’s macaroni and cheese, which now includes whole grain pasta.  Also, many schools now have salad bars, so kids can choose the fruits and veggies they like best.  But another great thing about school meals is that kids see what their peers are eating and are more willing to try new foods.  Your broccoli-hating 3rd grader might just come home asking you to make broccoli for dinner because they’ve seen their new lunchroom buddies eat it.

If you haven’t seen a school lunch for a while, you might want to check it out. These are not the same school meals of yesterday.  But if there is something you’d like to improve about the meals at your child’s school, or if you’d just like to ensure that the healthy meals continue, there are many ways parents can get involved.  You can talk with the School Nutrition Director about being on your school’s wellness council.  Every district that participates in USDA’s school meals programs is required to have a local school wellness policy defining their goals, action steps, and methods of evaluation, and parents must be allowed to participate in developing, implementing, reviewing, and updating this policy.  

You can also continue to encourage your kids to make healthy choices.  Check out USDA’s Team Nutrition website and The School Day Just Got Healthier’s Toolkit for Parents; both are loaded with helpful resources.  For example, if you have a kindergartener that will be eating at school for the first time, there’s a free “Welcome to School Lunch” activity sheet you can do together.

So with the kids back in school and their school meals all taken care of, you can finally take a deep breath and relax... Who am I kidding?  You’ve got sports practice, parents meetings, homework help….