What's the procedure at your school for buying lunch?

GinandTonic

I assume I'll find this out when he starts next week, but I thought I'd ask.

At his school, the kids are given pre-paid cards.   The parents can either prepay for a number of meals or put a set amount of cash on the card so the kids can buy a la carte.  The activity can be monitored on a website, so you can see what your kid is buying.  DS definitely wouldn't buy a whole meal - he's pretty picky - but I could see letting him get pizza every so often (as gross as it is, I remember how fun it was to buy on pizza day). 

 Also, we were just talking about what he was going to bring for lunch - being picky, there are limited options.  And he said he'd like to buy milk some days. Last year at PreK, I paid $20 for the whole year (he only went 3 days a week) and he got milk every day.  But, this year, he'd have to buy it on the days he wants it.

So, I can't see Kindergarteners being responsible enough to keep track of their cards - or mature enough, at least at the beginning to get themselves through the lunch line.  Do the teachers keep the cards for them at first and help them?

Again, I'll find out eventually and he can bring lunch until we figure it out, but I'm curious.  It doesn't help that his teacher is new to the school as well, so probably doesn't know all the answers.

ali-1411

The kids have an account that you put money on.  They don't get cards, they have to memorize their ID number. 

Last year, DS would get breakfast every day.  Then I'd get a phone call from the school saying that we owed $20!  I didn't realize they let the kids run up a tab

heyitsme

DD's old school did a card system. The cafeteria workers/greeters at the cafe door had an index card box with all the Kindergartners cards, so they didn't have to be responsible for them. Every now and then I'd go to the office and drop some $$ in an envelope for DD's lunch. We actually had a balance at the end of the school year that will roll over into this year... but if we were ever in the negative they'd just send home a note.

Boizmom

Where we live, they have a student ID.  That ID number will follow them while they are in the school district.  It allows them to buy lunch, get library books and log onto class computers.  Later on it'll allow them do other things.  At school all kids in the district have to wear ID badges.  The ID # is encoded on it so they can just swipe their badge or type in their number.  It's pretty simple.

christen115

ali-1411:

The kids have an account that you put money on.  They don't get cards, they have to memorize their ID number. 

Last year, DS would get breakfast every day.  Then I'd get a phone call from the school saying that we owed $20!  I didn't realize they let the kids run up a tab

This!!! I would write the school a check for $50 a month, she could either buy breakfast, lunch or a snack.

Cristine

We have pre-paid cards also. At our school they have a large hanging chart that holds all the cards for each class in a pocket next to their name. At the beginning of the line, the kids grab the card and then put it back after they've paid. My son was a kindergartener last  year and it seemed to work really well.

hokies94

GinandTonic:

Do the teachers keep the cards for them at first and help them?

This is how it's done at our school.  We have prepaid cards. 

In K, the teachers keep the cards and then give them to anyone who is buying right before they go through the lunch line.  They collect them after they are finished.  For the first few weeks the K teachers are very hands on helping the students figure out the lunch procedure.  Both the teacher and the assistant are in the lunch room for the first few weeks.  After everyone gets the hang of it only the assistant stays in the lunch room. 

Beginning in first grade the cards are in a pile before you enter the lunch line and if you're buying you pick out your card before going through the line.   

clp1027

ali-1411:

The kids have an account that you put money on.  They don't get cards, they have to memorize their ID number. 

Last year, DS would get breakfast every day.  Then I'd get a phone call from the school saying that we owed $20!  I didn't realize they let the kids run up a tab

Ditto all of this. I got a few notes home during the year that DS had overcharged his account. I then found out the reason was because he was buying ice cream everyday. Sneaky little thing!

amykins1283

I teach kindergarten.

At the school I work at the kids have pre-paid lunch cards.  The parents put money on them and the kids give the cards to the cashier who runs them through the computer.  I keep the cards until it is time for lunch, then I hand them to each student and they carry them through the line, and after lunch the cards are returned to me in my mailbox. 

If the child goes over their pre-paid limit the school sends the parent a letter.  If charges exceed $10.00 then the child is only allowed a peanut butter sandwich (or a similar alternative if they are allergic) and milk for lunch until the tab is paid.  We have issues with parents not paying their charges at my school since it's a low-income school (we do offer a free/reduced lunch program if they qualify). 

For our breakfast program, I ask each parent at the beginning of the year whether or not their child will be eating breakfast at school.  If the parent says yes then I let them know that their child will be receiving breakfast every day that they are present in school.  If the parent says no to breakfast, then that means that the child will NOT ever receive breakfast from school.  I then have a roster that I check off and send to the cafeteria each morning letting them know who is getting breakfast and how many I need.  Making it an all or nothing policy helps avoid confusion about who is eating and who is not each day.

The kids are not allowed to charge ice cream on their lunch account.  Parents have to send in separate money for that.