Good nutrition in schools is the key to the normal mental and physical development of the child. In accordance with the law of the Russian Federation "On Education", these institutions are obliged to provide students with full breakfasts and hot lunches. Nutrition in schools is strictly regulated by sanitary rules and regulations - it must be balanced (the optimal ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates), complex. In addition, along with food, the child should receive not only nutrients, but also vitamins and minerals.
Catering Requirements
Multiple observations have shown that a child who receives a balanced breakfast and lunch is less tired, has good academic performance, and maintains a high level of performance longer. Therefore, the organization of meals in the school should be built in such a way as to cover 100% of students. Since most of the time the child is in the classroom, breakfast andmeals should cover his energy needs. For example, elementary school children spend about 2500 J per day, middle and senior students - 2900 J. These costs should be fully covered by breakfast and lunch. When children stay at school for a long time, they must also be provided with an afternoon snack.
The dining room should be well lit and heated. Be sure to have enough furniture. Noises and smells from industrial premises and the catering department should not enter the dining room. The artistic and aesthetic design of the hall is welcome, it is good if there are stands with information about he althy eating. At the entrance to the dining room, the child should awaken his appetite, this helps to prepare the body for eating and good digestion.
Preference should be given to glass and porcelain dishes. It is forbidden to use plastic and enameled plates, mugs.
What breakfast and lunch should be like
According to sanitary requirements and standards, breakfast should include an appetizer (salads), a hot dish (as a rule, these are milk porridges, soups, omelettes, cheesecakes and casseroles) and a hot drink (tea, cocoa, compote). Lunch should consist of an appetizer, a first course (soup), a second course (fish or meat with a side dish of vegetables or cereals) and a third course (sweet tea, jelly, fruit compote). In afternoon snacks, it is recommended to include buns and sour-milk drinks or milk. By the way, in most regions of our country, primary school children (regardless of the preferential category) are provided with free milk andbun.
The organization of meals at the school provides for gentle cooking modes, such as boiling, baking, stewing. They are aimed at maximizing the preservation of nutrients and vitamins in food. Roasting is not allowed. It is recommended to draw up a varied and balanced menu for 12 days.
Who deserves free meals
Hot meals in schools should be provided to all students from grades 1 to 11. Despite this, many parents are unable to pay for school breakfasts and lunches. Some categories of children can get free school meals. Benefits can be used by large and low-income families. This is considered a family in which 3 or more children under the age of 18 years. If the child is an adult, but he is a student of an educational institution, the family has the status of a large family until he graduates. A low-income family is considered to be a family whose average monthly income per member does not exceed the amount established by law.
Each region sets its own "ceiling". For example, if one person has an average of 4,500 rubles a month, and the region has set a limit of 5,000 rubles, then children from such a family can eat for free in the school canteen.
In addition, orphans, the disabled, and children in difficult living conditions can receive preferential meals at school.
What documents need to be collected
To get freemeals at school, parents will have to collect a certain package of documents and send it to the department of social protection. Each region has its own list, in most cases they require:
- Copy of an identity document (passport, mandatory pages with information about registration, number of children and marital status).
- Certificate of family composition.
- Copies of children's birth certificates.
- A copy of the certificate of a large family (if available).
If the family is recognized as low-income, then in addition to the above documents, you must provide a certificate of income of each parent for the last 3 months (in some cases, 6 months). Benefits for meals in schools are provided by the social protection authorities. However, documents may be required at the educational institution itself. Among other things, it is also necessary to write an application for school meals.
What documents need to be collected for orphans and disabled people
Children without parental care can also get free school meals. In such cases, the legal guardian must write the application.
If a child is disabled, they can also eat for free at school. In this case, a certificate confirming disability is additionally attached to the application form.
What parents should do in a difficult life situation
Children in difficult life situations are considered a special category. In fact, there is no official confirmation of this, so herestatus must be determined by the class teacher. Parents themselves must explain to the teacher why their family is in this situation, and why paying for meals at school has become impossible. Then the class teacher must examine the living conditions of the family and draw up an act about this.
Further, the document is sent to the social protection authorities, where an appropriate decision is made, and an application for preferential meals for the child is sent to the educational institution. It is worth noting here that such a benefit can only be used for one year.
Paying for meals at school - the nuances
The law determines the amount to pay for children's meals, and it changes every year. And if the cost of breakfast or lunch exceeds the limit prescribed by law, parents are offered to compensate for this difference at their own expense. If they are against additional fundraising, in such cases a separate menu is drawn up, as a rule, it is several times inferior in quality to a balanced lunch.
The local budget can also partially pay for reduced-price meals at school, but here, too, each individual municipal institution makes its own decision. In addition, as mentioned above, elementary school children can additionally be provided with a bun and a sour-milk drink.
