Food is often provided by the government through the ministry of agriculture or by international donors such as the World Food Programme. While costs can be cut by involving the community in food provision, it is generally difficult to ensure timely delivery and a sustainable supply of food supplements. Cooperative food operations therefore require close supervision. Those who care for very young children can be trained or untrained teachers or day care workers, mothers, or other women from the community. Volunteers, however, cannot be held to as high standards as employees, and many dissatisfied with their unpaid status eventually demand salaries.
Ongoing supervision is necessary to make a program effective.
The cost of supervision needs to be included in operations. In addition to monitoring program implementation, each project needs to incorporate in its design an evaluation of program impact. Governments can contain costs by targeting services narrowly to the most needy children. Some governments have instituted cost-sharing measure. These measures have generally failed to lower costs as much as expected, however, and in some instances have compromised quality.