As schools aim to provide a healthy and balanced diet for their students, dietitians play a crucial role in ensuring the school lunch program runs smoothly while keeping up with the changing trends and regulations. With so many students to manage, there are a number of common challenges that may be faced along the way. We spoke with a dietitian to learn about some of the biggest challenges and a few ideas to help you overcome them. 

Since 1962, National School Lunch Week has been an important reminder that a healthy school lunch is an important part of a student's life, helping them thrive in and out of the classroom. Every year, during the second week of October, cafeterias across the nation celebrate with a week of fun. This year, from October 14-18, join the celebration and “find your treasure” with this year's School Lunch Pirates theme!

Check out these resources from SNA that can help you dive into the fun:

Join us for Connect 2025, our annual conference, in Phoenix, Arizona! From March 19-20, 2025, prepare to learn from our product experts how you and your team can get the most out of Heartland products. 

Did you know MySchoolBucks now has over 25 key integrations and partnerships with other top K-12 vendors? These integrations allow MySchoolBucks customers to manage the entire fee collection and payment process across existing district systems, which provides district staff and parents with a more seamless user experience.

As every new school year begins, so do all the back-to-school to do lists! Districts nationwide are preparing plans for their school programs and the collection of fees that come along with them. From class fees to parking passes, schools are managing countless student programs that require payments. Many schools still rely on physical cash and check payments, even though parents may prefer to pay electronically. By leveraging an online School Commerce Platform, like MySchoolBucks, schools can simplify how they collect and manage fees district-wide.

Here's the top 5 fees we see schools managing each year and how to collect them more efficiently:

We’re heading to ANC 2024 and hope to see you there! The School Nutrition Association's Annual National Conference is taking place in Boston, July 14-16. Our team is looking forward to seeing you, so stop by booth #1115.   We can't wait to show you how we're working to shape the future of nutrition technology.

The USDA is always working to balance nutrition and taste in school meals, ensuring they are both healthy and delicious. In April 2024, the USDA revealed the final rule for updates to school nutrition standards,which will start to come into effect in the 2025-2026 school year and will need to be fully integrated by the 2027 school year. 

Each year schools are responsible for collecting, tracking, and reconciling thousands of student payments across multiple programs. From lunch money to exam fees and everything in between, managing payment collection district-wide is typically a complex and decentralized process. Districts will often find that their school sites and student programs use various methods and software platforms to help them manage payment collection. The athletic department may have a specific application for registration fees, while the before and aftercare program uses another for their enrollment payments. That doesn't even account for all the areas where staff may still be manually collecting physical payments and paper forms, forgoing a software platform altogether. 

According to SNA’s 2024 School Nutrition Trends Report, schools shared that staff shortages and rising costs are their programs' top two challenges. As schools look to navigate through these roadblocks, time is a valuable resource. Choosing which Point of Sale System you’re going to implement for your nutrition program is a big decision, and there are many things to consider. Let’s take a look at a few of the features that will not only help you run a smooth program, but save you time along the way. 

Our school menu templates are back for the 2024-25 school year. This year, we have a brand new set of designs, as well as a new ADA-friendly format option!