I'm sure no one will be shocked to hear that Farm to School has been growing in popularity over the last few years.  So much so, that a recent national Farm to School Census conducted by the USDA, showed that roughly 42% of all districts surveyed participate in farm to school activities.  

These programs include serving local foods in school meals, holding taste tests and food demonstrations showcasing local foods, and planning student field trips to farms or orchards.  Another 16% of school districts surveyed plan to start farm to school activities in the future.

National School Lunch Week is a week long celebration of all the wonderful work school nutrition programs do on the daily! This year's theme, School Lunch: Recipes For Success, encouraged schools nationwide to share how their own unique, secret ingredients that help make their program's shine.

We're excited to share some of the fun celebrations schools cooked up this year:

We've recently established a new partnership with SchoolFunds Online by TRA - and we couldn’t be more psyched about it! Developed for and by school bookkeepers, SchoolFunds Online is a comprehensive accounting system engineered to meet the needs of a dynamic school environment to automate funds management.

We’re thrilled to announce that MealViewer has joined the Heartland family! 
MealViewer is a communication tool for parents, students, and schools
that can help boost participation and grow your program.

Recently, it's become common to see pictures of school meals shared online that students and parents deem unacceptable. Or, to see an article that negatively compares American school lunches to those from other countries. Unfortunately, this trend perpetuates an already dangerous, false stigma that all American school lunches are unacceptable. And we know that's not the case!

Parents want to be assured that their students are served healthy, delicious meals at school, but may be wary if that is actually the case based on content they see online. Combating this negative stigma can be difficult, but it's become a necessary battle for school nutrition departments across the country.

Here are a few tips that can help you get upset parents on board with schools meals:

Menu calendars are a staple to any school nutrition program. Whether they're available in print or online, parents at your school district check them regularly. The design of your menu calendars give you the opportunity to portray your program's personality while offering important information in a clear and concise way.

Here are 7 steps to help spice up the look and feel of your school menu calendars:

Knowing when it's time to upgrade your cafeteria's POS hardware, versus sticking with what you already own, can have important implications for your foodservice operation. Upgrading too soon is certainly not good for your bottom line.  But waiting too long can also be expensive.

The new school year is here and we've updated our menu templates with brand new designs for the 2017-18 school year.  These fun, free, easy-to-use templates are available for you to download now. With unique designs that channel the spirit of each month, these menus are sure to catch the eye of your students' parents.

The 2017-18 school year is almost here! You and your staff are ready to start another year of serving students healthy meals everyday. What if you had more funds to promote your program and boost participation? MySchoolBucks and Heartland School Solutions are excited to offer Growth Grants for the start of the 2017-18 school year!

Recently, much media attention has been focused on school cafeterias and the (seemingly) controversial methods used when students cannot pay for their meal. Cafeteria staff have an obligation to balance feeding hungry kids, maintaining financial stability, and following district guidelines. Occasionally, something has to give.