This post is sponsored by the School Nutrition Association. All opinions are mine alone.

When my kids started school, I was surprised at how different things were. There were similarities, of course, but many things were new – such as how much homework it seems is normal for younger kids! Not only that, but school meals have switched things up a bit – the more I learn, the more I wonder if mobile ordering, slushie machines and food trucks at schools is the future. I’m not even talking in several years – it’s happening now, and after learning more I’m actually really excited about it!

Photos of food truck, bus & cart – as well as mobile ordering pic – courtesy of Nutrislice & Orange County Schools, Fla.

While at the School Nutrition Association’s National Conference in July, I not only learned about how much goes into the food (and supply) decisions for our kids’ school meals or ways they’re caring for students with food allergies – but also changes they’re making to keep kids actually INTERESTED in the foods. When you think about it, kids eat out so much more often than a decade or so ago. When I was growing up, eating out was a rare treat, but now for many families it seems to be something they do multiple times a month – or even week. That changes kids’ expectations with meals, so school nutrition programs need to alter along with that to keep them happily fed!

For example, take-out type containers look much ‘cooler’ than a simple lunch tray, and even the way it’s served can make it more appealing to kids that are use to a restaurant or fast food meal. One of the ways they’re helping is by changes like the TRAYS the food is served on – they’re starting to offer trays that are designed more like a dinner plate instead of that same weird rectangle shape and layout that we all associate with a school lunch tray. Small and simple changes like this can help kids move away from the ‘uncool school lunch’ mindset, and be more eager to eat the meals offered by their school.

One of the classes I was able to attend while at the School Nutrition Association conference was all about other modern changes being made in schools around the country – like food trucks in schools! Okay, so I don’t mean exactly IN schools (because that would be ridiculous), but several schools have been testing out having food trucks – owned and managed by the school food program – available to their kids during mealtimes. What they found when tested at some Orange County public schools was that breakfast meals served increased by 18% after they started using their food trucks and food carts (how cool is a golf cart-turned food cart? love it!). That means less students skipping meals, and getting the quality food their growing bodies and minds need!

Another thing they tested out was mobile ordering. By having this available to students (because 98% of Gen Z own a smartphone – it’s just natural to them, I suppose) and parents, their pre-orders increased by 15%. No smartphone? Not to worry, kiosks are becoming a thing as well! I remember in high school, some days I was just too busy to stand in line to order food, so I missed out on eating lunch that day. We don’t want kids skipping meals, so having more options to take away the time, stress and hassle (and ‘uncoolness’ apparently) can greatly increase the odds of them eating.

Last, but not least, is the amount of variety available for school food nowadays. I remember having the same rotating menu of pretty generic items at my schools – even al a cart didn’t offer much that was special or unique. Pizza was as exciting as it got for us – or this large slices of bread served with ranch. Going through the School Nutrition Association conference expo, there were tons of options now – everything from taco and nacho bars, to various rice or noodle bowls, and even multi-grain pastries and donuts!

They even take it up a notch by offering 100% juice SLUSHIE MACHINES! I mean, seriously. I would’ve been THRILLED to have this available in high school – and kids nowadays will think it’s ‘cool’, all while getting their fruit in.

There’s so many options and variety with school meals for our kids now, and it’s fun to see the changes. As a parent, I love knowing that the school food programs take into account what the kids really want and like, to ensure they’ll not only EAT the meals, but also be excited about them! I’d be even more happy if there were food trucks at schools that ALSO came to my house, but I’ll take what I can get 🙂

Tell me about YOUR school meals when you were a kid!

While I love that I’m able to stay home with my kiddos at this time in our lives, that wasn’t always the case. For a long while, not only did some of my littles go to daycare all day, but I always worked in an at-home daycare for many years – because it was my moms! Having the varied experiences, I have some tips on Things to Consider When Looking for Childcare for your kiddos.

Check Referrals

Talk to those that have used that daycare/sitter before, and those that are currently trusting them with their kids. Not just ‘hey do you like this place’, but real questions about their thoughts on all aspects. Word of mouth is huge for sitters, because most parents won’t just sweet talk a place that cares for kids that doesn’t deserve it. Try to make sure the referrals are not only real (of course), but not related or have no other interest in ‘selling’ that center or person.

Do You Agree With Their Policies

Find out how they handle everything, such as punishment or if you’re late dropping off or picking up. How often do they feed the kids, are they allowed to bring toys or toys (blankie) from home? If someone is sick (child or caregiver), what happens then? Make sure you know all their rules and how things are run.

Do Their Location and Hours Work for YOU

Will you be spending far too long driving between home, there and work? Will it badly affect work if you have to leave early to pick up your child before the center closes, or are they open late enough? Make sure it’s not so far that you can’t get their in a decent amount of time should something happen. How do they handle holidays or vacation days as far as time changes or openings?

Is Their Rate Reasonable

Is it comparable to others in the area of good quality? Be wary of the cheapest, but the most expensive doesn’t necessarily mean best, either. Do they charge even when you don’t come, or for holidays you miss or they aren’t open?

Are They Certified & Following State/Local Laws

There was an in-home daycare in our neighborhood that wasn’t licensed – meaning that not only was there no regulating the child-to-caregiver ratio, but no training required, no safety inspections, nothing to protect the kids or parents if something went wrong. Do they have their CPR/First Aide training (and is it current)? How extensively do they do background checks of their employees, and how often are employees leaving/being replaced?

Do They Have Openings

Especially if you have a child under 2 or 1 (because those spots fill faster, and are fewer because of laws), you’ll want to plan ahead to make sure there’s openings – or at least so you can get on a list for when you need! I know several friends who, unfortunately, were stuck with a daycare they didn’t honestly like because they had no options because of lack of openings.

Does It Appear Safe

Safety is most important, so check and make sure it looks clean. Are the plugs covered, dangerous cords out of the way and furniture (dressers, shelves, etc.) secured to the walls? Check for signs of the big things, but don’t forget the little things. Is the banister wobbly, so a child could potentially fall through? Also check if there’s tiny items all over the floor that babies have easy access to. Do the kids nap in safe, secure cribs or clean mats on the floor? How regularly do things get cleaned and sanitized?

Seriously, it’s SUPER nerve-racking trying to find a place you really trust with you child. Especially as a mom, you always feel leary because ‘WHAT IF?’ Overall, be alert, ask as many questions as you need (and don’t feel bad about it – it’s your CHILD, so they can deal with a million questions if that’s what it takes) and use your best judgement.

Do you have any more tips for looking for childcare?

This post was sponsored by the National 4-H Council as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Through my own life, and especially now as a parent with multiple children, I’ve learned that there’s many different types of learning styles. I’m more of a visual learner, while others are auditory. Some learn best by more creative ways, while some are more analytical. Regardless of what style matches best, I think we can all agree on the benefits of Hands-on Learning for Kids. Inspiring kids to ‘do’ as they’re learning can really help the skills and lessons stick, and help set them up for a more successful future.

As I’ve gotten older, it seems my learning speed has sure slowed – probably due to a mixture of busyness (not actively learning) and parental exhaustion. Kids, on the other hand, really learn fast – but when it’s more hands-on they can learn even faster! That’s why 4-H Wellness 360º program is kicking off their year-long national campaign ‘Inspire Kids to Do‘ with 30 Days of Doing. It celebrates all kiddos across the nation who don’t just watch, but also ‘do’ with purpose with awesome tools, tips, as well as resources and stories for parents and children. It’s a great way to get more hands-on learning for kids in your home or community.

Remember a bit ago when I told you all about the 4-H Wellness 360º program and how incredible it is for teens and other youth? They not only are helping teach teens essential life skills, but giving them actual experience leading their peers, thus setting them up for a bright future. Everything from cooking classes and learning about nutrition, to activities like yoga, even lessons on avoiding risky or dangerous behaviors are helping build a framework for today’s youth. By giving them the knowledge they need, along with the confidence, they can live healthier lifestyles – and then go on to share that knowledge and experience with their friends, families and peers. It’s a wonderful cycle of hands-on learning for kids, giving them the tools AND the experience to be the best they can!

There are many kids and youth out there who don’t really have opportunities to learn and grow, so I love that 4-H’s Inspire Kids to Do Campaign gives them those opportunities, and helps them develop into leaders that are ready to tackle life and – eventually – careers. This amazing campaign will help mark the path for 4-H to empower 10 million true leaders of our future, youth who DO with a purpose and can navigate themselves (and help guide others) through life’s challenges -a s well pursue their passions and actively contribute to the worth around them – all by 2025. That’s quite a goal, with a beautiful looking result.

As a parent or youth leader, YOU can be a part of kicking off 4-H’s 30 Days of Doing with a fun Twitter party! During this awesome party, you can build a ‘To Do’ list of skill-building ideas for your kiddos. Be ready to be inspired, chat with fellow doers and possibly win some prizes! To join in, all you need to is:

• Log in to Twitter on August 28 from 9:00pm to 10:00pm EST
• Search the party hashtags: #gno and #30DaysofDoing
• Participate in the conversation with other moms, parents and youth leaders like you

After the party, be sure to participate in 30 Days of Doing – you can inspire kids to DO more by joining in hands-on, positive learning for kids with activities dealing with health, wellness and more. To get started, be sure to download 4-H’s ‘Inspire to Do’ list – and don’t forget to enter the photo contest at 4-H.org/InspireKidsToDo on September 1-30. You could even win a $10,000 scholarship for your kid! I don’t know about you, but I could DEFINITELY use some help with my kids’ future college costs.

What are your best ideas for hands-on learning for kids?

This post is sponsored by the School Nutrition Association. All opinions are mine alone.

Raise your hand if your kids, or someone you knows kids, eats breakfast or lunch at school. I’m betting that’s pretty much everyone, right? Now, raise your hand if you know everything that goes into those meals. I don’t just mean the foods – although many have on idea the standards and regulations school meals must meet – I’m more talking about the behind-the-scenes stuff. The planning, budgeting, shopping, checking nutrition amounts, and so much more. I’d never thought of all the little details necessary to get those meals to our kids, but after attending the School Nutrition Association’s National Conference, I have a lot more appreciation for it all!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I flew out to Las Vegas last week to spend a day learning and exploring at their annual conference. Until then, I’d never given much thought into my kids’ school meals other than the actual food and nutrition aspect. But oh my goodness, I was a bit overwhelmed at just how MUCH goes into all the planning, preparing and more! But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit – first, what is this conference?

It’s the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference, held in a different city each year where school lunch directors, managers, and others attend to learn all about the current information, trends and more for their school’s meals. This year it was in super-hot Las Vegas, at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center. The seminars that fill up the days are really interesting, and vary in topics from National Policies/State Agency Workshop, to Simple Solutions for Customer Service, and even ones like Going Digital with Team Nutrition and Reducing Food Waste at School. The attendees are there to learn all that they can so that they can make the best choices for their schools!

I was able to attend two sessions in my awesome day there, the first being ‘Celebrating Local Foods in Schools’. They discussed all the different rules and USDA-funding regulations that help school purchase more foods locally. It was really interesting, though quite over my head because I never knew so much went into something like buying foods for schools. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t think it an easy thing, but they have to consider different budgets (money coming from this source can be used to buy this, but this other source of money can only be used to purchase this, etc.) and meet some intense (at least it seemed to me) rules when doing something as simple as ordering tomatoes. All of this is part of their way to make sure the foods our kids are eating are healthier, and that we’re also supporting local businesses.

The other session to wrap-up our day was my favorite: Reaching Kids on the Go – Food Delivery, Pre-ordering and Food Trucks. You read that right – FOOD TRUCKS! Kids have so many options nowadays, and if schools don’t keep up with the newest trends or what may be more ‘cool’ at the time, they may have less kids electing to eat school meals. This can often mean the kids aren’t eating at all, or that they’re eating meals that are much less healthy for them (such as fast food or less-wise choices brought from home). I’ll tell you much more about what I learned at this class later, but dang it was interesting!

Now for a confession – my FAVORITE part was the exhibit floor, because there was food EVERYWHERE! Brands of all sizes and types come out to the School Nutrition Association’s event, offering samples and information for incredible foods (some brand new – and many not even available in stores) to try and show school meal directors and ordering managers WHY they should select their foods to include in their schools’ menus. In my few hours looking around, I didn’t even have time to visit half the booths, but still had so many amazing food samples. I loved it – and definitely wouldn’t mind doing that part of a school director’s job!

When I say brands of all sizes and types, I really mean ALL! There were huge brands like Tyson Foods that we all know, and smaller ones such as 88 Acres, who make seed butters that taste AMAZING and can offer a healthy alternative to nut butters. Everything from breakfast foods, to lunches, to even snacks (donuts made with whole grains? Yup!). And they weren’t just the tiny samples you find at the local grocery store on Saturday mornings, they were a half-plate of delicious Asian orange chicken and rice, a whole street taco, baby hot dogs on buns and even half chicken burgers. I doubt a single person was hungry for HOURS after walking around the exhibit hall!

I loved seeing such a variety of things for schools to now consider, such as 100% Juice slushie machines – where were those when I was in high school?! They realize kids nowadays want variety, and since kids are more use to eating out than years ago, items that are similar to what’s being offered at local restaurants is more appealing. The schools know they need to keep this in mind when making their food decisions, and want to give the kids meal that don’t just meet the health standards, but also make the kids excited for the school foods.

Beyond the foods (though I consider those the best part, of course), there were companies offering new solutions to the programs school use for charging students’ accounts or managing profiles for allergy information. There were new machines or equipment to make the kitchen run more efficiently and food be served in a more smooth and/or attractive manner. I even got to speak with a company that makes several types of the disposable trays that schools use! Not all schools have the plastic reusable trays I grew up with, so alternatives such as foam trays or cardboard-like ones are available. They’re even developing ways to make their compostable trays more affordable, to compete with the less environmentally-friendly foam options.

In a nutshell, at this event there were school meal staff (such as directors and managers):

• Sampling and ordering new foods to add to their school menu
• Learning new programs and software to assist in the orders, charging systems and more
• Gathering contacts for new equipment for the kitchen
• Finding new companies to bulk process and order much-needed items (such as a company to take a bulk order of tomatoes and make it into ketchup, salsa, tomato sauce, etc. that the schools can better use)
• Getting information on nutrition, policies, new trends and ideas, and much more

Guys, there’s so much more to share with you that I learned at this event that would be wonderful for parents to be more aware of – like, how do schools keep track and deal with allergies? Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing that and more at a later time. I feel that as parents, we SHOULD be more aware of all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Not only so we have more knowledge of our kids’ school meals, but also an appreciation for the many workers and all the time and dedication put into providing the best possible for the kiddos.

Check out even more at the School Nutrition Association website!