Many schools are incorporating technology into their lesson plans to further engage their students and get them excited about learning. Some examples are so innovative that they've caught the attention of local news outlets and gone viral! 

Are you curious about using digital signage in your cafeterias? You’re not alone - the digital signage industry in the U.S. is anticipated to reach $6.90 billion by 2025. That’s quite a jump considering the current digital signage market is only half that amount today. So why the big shift?

Well, let's think about the students you serve each day. This new generation of students, sometimes referred to as iGen or Gen Z, are digital natives that have never known a time without access to a smartphone or tablet. They grew up with technology at their fingertips and the ability to consume information from a screen. The iGen generation has grown accustomed to highly-visual, personalized communication; so it only makes sense that your cafeterias and schools should follow suit.

There are a number of benefits supporting the addition digital signage to your cafeteria.  But before you purchase, here are 3 things your nutrition program should consider:

Schools and parent communication have reached a crossroad in recent years thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile apps. Currently, 77% of all U.S. adults own a smartphone and nearly 55% of them receive news alerts on their phones. As this trend toward mobile communication continues, technology companies are fast developing mobile apps that cater to the needs of school communities. Now teachers, parents, and students can communicate and collaborate more easily without having to rely on more traditional forms of communication like phone calls and letters.

Implementing a new point of sale system in your cafeterias may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right plan in place, you can keep your implementation on track to ensure a smooth rollout.

SNA's 47th Legislative Action Conference (LAC) is in the books and I was thrilled to be in attendance, along with several other Heartland team members. This is one of my favorite school nutrition events of the year, and it's a great opportunity for  advocates to come together for the betterment of students. Here are some of my top takeaways from this year's event.

We're excited to announce the guest speakers for our Connect 2019 training conference! From guidance on how to unlock your inner genius to empowering you to advocate for legislative change, these talks are sure to leave you feeling inspired and motivated to tackle any challenge.

Start Your Engines for National School Breakfast Week, March 4-8! National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) is the perfect opportunity to promote breakfast and show why it's the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast is a great way for students to start their morning off on the right foot and help provide enough energy to last throughout the day. It also helps boost overall health and academic performance in school.

As a childcare director, one of your main goals is to deliver successful and engaging programs for students. That means managing registration, taking payments, and communicating with parents are all vital and equally important. 

Your point of sale is the center of your nutrition operation during serving periods. With an average lunch period lasting only 25 minutes, students want to get through the line quickly so they have time to eat and chat with friends.

While there are many adjustments you can make to speed up your serving lines, optimizing your menu boards can also help shave a few precious seconds off the time it takes to enter a transaction.

Here are 8 tips for building menu boards that help make your cashier's job easier and your lines move faster:

In 2018 mobile commerce sales in the U.S. reached a record $208 billion, representing over 39% of all ecommerce sales. This year, that figure is expected to grow to over $270 billion.