NISD
CHILD NUTRITION School lunch, as it is known today, came into being in 1946 as a result of the National School Lunch Act. That law was intended to safeguard the health and well being of the nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption of agricultural commodities.
The NSL guidelines specify the type of meal to be served and the quantities of each food that must be offered. The school lunch provides 1/3 of the Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances for key nutrients and sufficient calories to provide for the energy needs of growing children. An emphasis is placed on providing calories from whole grain breads, vegetables, and fresh fruits. Low fat milk is offered. Recipes have been revised to lower the amount of fat, sugar, and salt. The nutritive value of products is evaluated so healthy choices are available to students.
The School Breakfast Program began as a pilot program under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. The program was aimed at schools serving a large number of needy children. Since then, legislation has been enacted which makes the School Breakfast Program available to all schools.
BASIC FOOD SERVICE FACTS
The
Goal
The goal of the Child Nutrition Department is to provide nutritious meals to
the students of Northside at an affordable price in a pleasant environment.
Over 83,549 meals are served daily with over 14,788,181 million served per year.
Locations
Child Nutrition has fully equipped kitchens in ten (10) high schools, fifteen
(15) middle schools and fifty-nine (59) elementary schools. Additionally,
Sul Ross, Hobby and Health Careers prepare meals as a satellite center for three
special schools, including Northside Alternative Middle School North and Alternative
Middle School South, Holmgreen and Northside Children's Center. Pease
Middle School prepares food for Northside Alternative High School.
Lunches
Served
More than 65,211 lunches are served daily. The number of lunches served
in each school ranges from 334to 2,199 per day. Approximately 78% of the
District enrollment purchases lunch at school.
Breakfasts
Served
More than 16,000 breakfasts are served daily in all schools. Approximately
20% of the District enrollment purchases breakfast at school.
Employees
There are approximately 798 permanent employees in the kitchens. An additional
substitute pool of 70 employees (10 per supervisor) work daily to fill in for
absent employees.
Staffing
Each school has a Child Nutrition Manager who is in charge of that kitchen and
directly responsible to Child Nutrition Central Office. The schools are
staffed according to the number of meals served and the amount of a la carte
sales. Child Nutrition workers perform all the duties necessary for the
preparation and serving of food and clean up the facilities. Duties are
usually rotated.
Supervisors
There are seven area supervisors directly supervising schools in a geographic
area. They carry cell phones and are readily available for any problem
that may arise.
Adults and visitors pay slightly more
Because federal reimbursement and commodities are not received for lunches sold to school staff or visitors, adults and visitors pay more for the food than students. However, the cost is significantly less than what people pay at a restaurant for the same type or amount of food.
Business policies dictate self-supporting operation
The Child Nutrition Department operates within Northside School District's business policies while maintaining a non-profit, self-supporting status. The revenues to support this department are generated by income from paid meals, government reimbursements, and government donated commodities. From this income the Child Nutrition Department:
Some of the Benefits of working for NISD's Child Nutrition Department are:
