Our school menu templates are now available for the 2026-27 school year. This year, we have a brand new set of designs, as well as an ADA-friendly format option.

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. 

In the world of school nutrition, efficiency and accuracy are crucial. For Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts, delivering nutritious meals to over 28,000 students across 66 public schools and 12 charter/parochial schools is no small feat. We recently had the opportunity to visit Springfield Public Schools, where we saw firsthand how they utilize MCS to manage their operations from Back of House to Front of House. 

In the 2018 School Nutrition Operations Report, 56.5% of districts surveyed offered or planned to serve vegetarian meal options. For many districts, this might include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or meatless pizza. While this may be simple and familiar, there is an opportunity to incorporate more vegetarian meals that meet student's ever-changing taste preferences and provide a wider variety of nutritional value.

Being a part of your students' daily lives - whether in the lunchroom or in the classroom - creates a special and unique bond. What better day to celebrate the friendship and care you provide them than on Valentine's Day?

Below are a few simple ways to get students engaged and show them you love them:

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we know that you are always looking for fun and creative ways to celebrate in your schools! What better of a way to celebrate than by serving a Thanksgiving themed meal to your students.

Here's some ideas to help you get ready!

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:

The history of school lunch programs in America is anything but brief.  The Children's Aid Society began feeding hungry, needy school children in New York City as far back as 1853.  But it wasn't until the late 19th century that some major US cities, including Philadelphia and Boston, started their own school lunch programs.  Over the next century, authors, war, and politics continued to shape the school lunch program into what we know it as today.

Coming up with new, healthy recipes for school cafeterias can be challenging to say the least.  Fortunately, many states and organizations across the country have developed cookbooks full of nutritious recipes school kids will love.

Here are 13 of our favorite school cookbooks that feature plenty of locally sourced ingredients and flavors from around the globe:

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.