Enter to win our 2016 School Lunch Hero Day Giveaway


This year, three (3) Grand Prize winners will receive a complete set of the Lunch Lady Graphic Novels signed by the author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka.

Read More ⟶

A Look Back At SNA's 44th Annual Legislative Action Conference

Five Heartlanders attended the 44th Annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) held on February 28-March 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C.  Child Nutrition Reauthorization was the primary focus of this year’s conference.  As discussed in this blog, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.

Read More ⟶

4 Simple Tips For Protecting Your Nutrition Program Data

For many people (including myself), talking about data protection can be a boring topic.  Like buying insurance for your car or house, we don't want to think about the consequences of not having it until something goes wrong.  Well, the same logic applies to your program data.  Whether your district uses a Point of Sale (POS), Menu Planning or Inventory solution, making sure your data stays safe is paramount.

Read More ⟶

Which School Breakfast Service Model is right for your district?

Depending on the size of your school, resources available to your program, and the structure of class times, some breakfast service models may benefit your school more than others.

Thousands of schools have implemented new service models that have transformed their programs and increased overall participation.

One of these four service models may be the perfect fit for your school:


Read More ⟶

Child Nutrition Reauthorization: What Is It and Why It Matters to You

The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates

What is Child Nutrition Reauthorization?

This June will mark the 70th anniversary of the National School Lunch Act (NSLA), now named after Sen. Richard B. Russell from Georgia who is considered to be the father of the legislation.  When it was first enacted, the NSLA was what is called a “grant-in-aid” for states to develop and support school lunch programs.  Over the years, this approach has been replaced by the program we know today.  The way it has made the changes is through regular reauthorizations, or legislation that amends the law.  There have been almost two dozen reauthorizations over the past 70 years, as well as changes enacted in legislation between the regular schedule.

Read More ⟶

FitFuture Parent Newsletter: Ingredient Substitutions for Healthier Recipes

Trading high-calorie or high fat-ingredients for lower-calorie or lower-fat ingredients is a great way to make your favorite recipes healthier, without sacrificing flavor.

This month's FitFuture Parent Newsletter provides a list of quick and easy ingredient substitutions parents can make to just about any recipe for a guilt-free family meal.

Read More ⟶

What You Missed at School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC) 2016

Heartland’s own Pete Belknap, National Account Manager, shares his experience of the 2016 School Nutrition Industry Conference.

Read More ⟶

Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbook for Schools

Are you looking for school recipes that are both nutritious and kid-approved?  The Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook, launched in September of 2013 as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign, features a collection of healthy and flavorful recipes selected from the Recipes for Healthy Kids Competition back in 2010.

Read More ⟶

District Administration Magazine Selects MySchoolBucks as a 2015 Readers' Choice Top Product

MySchoolBucks has been recognized by District Administration magazine as a 2015 Readers' Choice Top Product. Superintendents, senior school leaders, and their colleagues selected these best-in-class products based on the innovation they provide throughout the K-12 industry.
Read More ⟶

Happy Holidays (+ 2015 Most Popular Blog Posts)

From all of us at Heartland School Solutions, we'd like to wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

And with 2016 right around the corner, let's take a look at the most popular Connections blogs posts from this year:

Read More ⟶