Their parents often deprive themselves of food to feed them. If a school board and parents believe there is a need for school-based feeding in a particular area, it should be available to all students so that no child in need is missed. A. Research suggests different outcomes in different programs. The needs of the children should indicate the choice. Often a combination will best meet the food and non food-related needs.
Most programs operate locally through the efforts of community volunteers.
Collaborative programs between schools and communities seem to work best. Some important considerations in planning a program are the financial resources, the food and nutrient content, and the facilities and personnel required to prepare and serve the food. It is also important to find out how parents, teachers and students view the program and to evaluate whether it has met its goals of improving food intake, behaviour, academic performance, nutrition knowledge or quality of life. This article was published by the National Institute of Nutrition, 1993.