The National School Lunch Program
Learn about D.C. Public Schools' Wellness Policy.
...guarantees that millions of low-income children receive a healthy lunch during their school day. All children can participate in the program, but low-income children qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Any public school, charter or nonprofit private school can participate in the National School Lunch Program, and public or nonprofit private residential child care institutions can also participate. In the District, 32,500 low-income children benefit each day.
What’s happening with school lunch in D.C.?
D.C Schools adopt wellness policies
The D.C. Public Schools Wellness Policy was adopted in school year 2006-2007 to help improve the quality of school meals. The Wellness Policy includes a mandate for: increased use of the federal nutrition programs, including breakfast; standards for food served in school meals and vending machines; nutrition education guidelines; and minimum physical education standards. Charter schools have adopted similar policies. D.C. Hunger Solutions, in partnership with Action for Healthy Kids, took the lead on Wellness Policy development and adoption.
School meal application campaign
D.C. Hunger Solutions partnered with D.C. Public Schools, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, DCPS Parent Resource Centers, and others to launch a school meal application campaign.
When a student qualifies for free meals but has no application on file, the school loses more than $600 over the course of the school year in federal nutrition reimbursements. Estimates of lost dollars in the District run as high as $11 million annually. Collecting meal applications is a rare win-win-win-win situation: good for the nutrition, health and learning of D.C. students; good for struggling parents; good for test scores and other educational outcomes; and good for D.C. government’s fiscal well-being.
D.C. Hunger Solutions can help by:
- advocating for policy improvements to make school meals work for low-income families and improve meal quality;
- conducting outreach to increase participation in school meals;
- implementing a plan to collect meal applications to enable D.C. schools to access full federal funding;
- helping your school enroll in the National School Lunch Program or develop strategies to improve school meal quality;
- promoting the new Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in D.C. elementary schools.
Help Us Spread the Word:
- Collect D.C. Public School meal applications from all households so that schools can get maximum federal reimbursements for school meals and Title I funding. The DCPS application is available in multiple languages.
- Download our Guide to Collecting School Meal Applications (pdf).
- Download this Local School Wellness flyer (pdf) and promote your school’s wellness policy.
- Contact us with your questions or concerns about school meal quality.
