Discusses organizational problems in Italian state-run nursery schools. The causes of extreme variations in pupil-teacher ratios and problems concerning teacher scheduling, lunchroom management, and student transportation are examined. (AM)

Educators have a responsibility to learn as much as they can about the relationship between nutrition and the teaching/learning process. This article presents a model to help local school boards draw up their own policy statements. (Author/WD)

Due to shrinking financial resources accompanied by increased nutritional responsibilities, school food service professionals are employing economies of scale (central kitchens, cooperative purchasing, computerization, and high-tech food preparation equipment) and revenue-expansion opportunities (catering, vending machines, and "a la…

Describes a comprehensive food service computer needs assessment conducted in Minnesota. Includes three phases: (1) defining the needs of the food service; (2) evaluating vendors and their systems; and (3) system selection and contract negotiations. Cites availability of two documents published in the process.(MLF)

Describes initiatives in New York State to meet student nutrition needs, including the Statewide Training Network for School Food Service Workers and the Nutrition Comes Alive in the Cafeteria program. Emphasizes the role of local boards of education in supporting better nutrition in school lunch and breakfast programs. (FMW)

An Arizona high school district chose to stop the National School Lunch Program in order to eliminate the unpopular components of the required meal pattern. Menu selections were narrowed down to the most requested items; nutritious food was offered at low prices; and fewer students left the campus at lunchtime. (MLF)

Labor shortages, cost increases, and turnover have prompted Fairfax County Schools, Virginia, food service managers to offer training programs and recruitment bonuses, to use more convenience foods, and to price out every service. (MLF)

Discusses the development and implementation of the Lunch Bunch Writing Club, a weekly parent-student lunch and writing workshop organized by a fourth-grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary School in Homewood, Alabama. Parents assist their children in writing essays or stories on particular themes while becoming more informed about their children's…

Explains why privately-run lunch programs are providing better nutritional value at less cost than state-run programs. Several examples are provided of schools where lunch program privatization has increased participation and cafeteria discipline, improved nutritional and food quality, and has done so with financial efficiency. (GR)

Pending federal legislation would require that school meals meet federal dietary guidelines. However, food service directors and nutritionists see other obstacles to improving the nutritional content of school meals such as government red tape, costs, and difficulty in changing people's tastes. Hundreds of schools, usually in affluent communities,…

Presents an interview with Nikolai Nikolaevich Baganov addressing the presidential program "Russia's Children" that is made up of nine subprograms: Children of Chernobyl, Children of the North, Family Planning, The Baby-food Industry, Orphaned Children, Handicapped Children, Gifted Children, Children of Refugee Families, and Children's…

Three school districts are working successfully with a private contractor to reduce the operating costs of lunch programs, while increasing participation and maintaining nutrition standards. The facilities department of the fourth school is producing higher quality work and greater accountability under the direction of a private contractor. (MLF)

Despite federal and state regulations prohibiting the sale of nonnutritious foods in competition with school lunch programs, powerful market forces are keeping vending machines in schools. In 1997, schools generated $750 million for the vending machine market. Soft-drink companies are offering million-dollar contracts to some schools. Student…

This article presents the results of a survey by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) on the year-long adoption of wellness policies of 15,000 local schools nationwide. Released September 5, SNA's "From Cupcakes to Carrots: Local Wellness Policies One Year Later" was compiled from a survey of 976 school nutrition directors conducted in May 2007.…

This manual contains information about the selection and implementation of a meal counting and claiming system for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (BSP). Federal reimbursement is provided for each meal that meets program requirements and is served to an eligible student. Part 1 explains the six elements of…