Category Archives: Food Service Software

Food Service Software, Nutrition Softwares, School Lunch Software, Software for Cafeteria, Software for School Cafeteria

Wordware Family Website Instructions : Lunch Cashier System (LCS1000) www.wordwareinc.com

Wordware Family Website Instructions

Registering on the Family Website

Important: You must fully complete registration in one session in order to guarantee that there are no problems with activating your account. If you think you may not be able to complete registration in a given time, please wait until you know you will not be interrupted. The majority of problems with access to the family site are caused by incomplete registrations.



With a web browser, go to www.wordwareinc.com
Enter username and password and click on the SIGN IN button
This will bring you to the New Account Registration screen Click on I HAVE A FAMILY KEY

o Click in the FAMILY KEY box
o Enter key numbers
o Click on the FINISH CONNECTING NEW FAMILY button
OR

  • Click on I HAVE A FAMILY ID AND PIN
  • Enter your Family ID and PIN
  • This will bring you to the New Account Registration page

Please note: Family IDs, PINs and Family Keys are provided by your school district. If you do not have this information, please contact your school.

  • Click on the drop arrow next to the STATE options box and select the appropriate state
  • Click on the SCHOOL NAME box and enter the appropriate school name
  • Click in the FAMILY ID box and enter the family ID number
  • Click in the FAMILY PIN box and enter the family Pin number
  • Click on the FINISH CONNECTING NEW FAMILY button

At this point, your registration is almost complete; however your account must be activated.
To activate your account, simply open your email account inbox and select the Wordware Inc email titled Wordware District Account Activation Required, then click on the contained link. It is very important that you complete activation before leaving this page.

Logging into Wordware Family Account

  • With a web browser, go to www.wordwareinc.com
  • Enter username and password and click on the SIGN IN button
  • This will bring you to the Account Dashboard home screen

Adding Funds to the Account

  • Click on ADD FUNDS button or click on the quick link I NEED TO ADD FUNDS TO MY FAMILY’S ACCOUNT
  • Complete the transaction using your district’s epay provider

Changing User Password

  • Click on USER MANAGEMENT
  • Click on the CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD link
  • Enter your current password
  • Create and confirm your new password
  • Click on CHANGE PASSWORD button


Changing User Security Question

  • Click on USER MANAGEMENT
  • Click on CHANGE YOUR SECURITY QUESTION
  • Click on drop the arrow next the SECURITY QUESTION options box
  • Select desired security question
  • Click in the SECURITY ANSWER box and enter answer
  • Click on the SAVE SECURITY QUESTION button

Changing Contact Preferences

  • Click on USER MANAGEMENT
  • Click in the box(es) of desired contact preferences
  • Click on the SAVE CONTACT PREFERENCES button

Connecting to Other Family Accounts
*Please be aware that at this time, you are able to connect to other family accounts. To remove other family accounts, you will need to contact your school lunch administrator.

  • Click on FAMILY ACCOUNTS
  • Click on CONNECT YOUR FAMILY ACCOUNT
  • Click on I HAVE A FAMILY KEY

o Click in the FAMILY KEY box
o Enter key numbers
o Click on the FINISH CONNECTING NEW FAMILY button
OR

  • Click on I HAVE A FAMILY ID AND PIN

o Click on the drop arrow next to the STATE options box and select the appropriate state
o Click in the SCHOOL NAME box and enter the appropriate school name
o Click in the FAMILY ID box and enter the family ID number
o Click in the FAMILY PIN box and enter the family Pin number
o Click on the FINISH CONNECTING NEW FAMILY button
Add Family User

  • Click on FAMILY ACCOUNTS
  • Go to the family account where the user will be added
  • Click on the ADD A FAMILY USER link
  • Click in the box behind EMAIL and enter the users email

  

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Customer Satisfaction, Food Service Software, Nutrition Softwares, School Lunch Software, Software for Cafeteria, Software for School Cafeteria

A Fourth Grader Secretly Filmed His School Lunches To Prove A Point To His Parents

Zachary Maxwell may only be 11 years old, but he has an award-winning short film that will be screened at the Manhattan Film Festival this year.

It’s called “Yuck! — A 4th Grader’s Short Documentary About School Lunch,” and it exposes the dark side of the NYC Department of Education’s lunch program.

Click here to jump to the lunches >

In the fall of 2011, then-fourth grader Zachary asked his parents if he could start packing and bringing his own lunch to school. His parents insisted he keep eating the school’s hot lunch, which was not only free, but sounded delicious on the NYC Department of Education’s menu on its website.

With options like chicken nuggets with glazed carrots and beef ravioli with zucchini, Zachary’s parents weren’t sure he could provide himself the same well-balanced meals.

So to convince his parents things were not as they seemed, Zachary snuck a small HD camera into the lunchroom in his sweatshirt and eventually gathered six months worth of “inside” footage of what his lunches really looked like.

The result is “Yuck!” a 20-minute film narrated, written, and directed by Zachary and edited by CJ Maxwell, Zachary’s dad.

The film may sound cute and innocent, but what Zachary uncovered in the cafeteria of PS 130 in Little Italy was actually quite shocking. According to a review in The New York Times, which calls Zachary the “Michael Moore of the grade-school lunch room”:

Among the 75 lunches that Zachary recorded – chosen randomly, he swears – he found the menus to be “substantially” accurate, with two or more of the advertised menu items served, only 51 percent of the time. The menus were “totally” accurate, with all of the advertised items served, only 16 percent of the time. And by Zachary’s count, 28 percent of the lunches he recorded were built around either pizza or cheese sticks.

A spokeswoman for the NYC Department of Education told The Times that school lunches are healthy, and that perhaps Zachary wasn’t choosing the vegetable option each time. Zachary denies the claim.

But the documentary has made one substantial change — Zachary now brings his own lunch to school.

Cafeteria Software, Food Service Software, Nutrition Softwares, School Lunch Software, Software for Cafeteria, Software for School Cafeteria

Food and Nutrition

Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States

Food and Nutrition

The Minnesota charter statute does not specifically address food service. Charter schools have the same responsibilities in this area as school districts. While nothing in state law mandates that public schools must provide meals to students, in most cases it will be necessary.

This section includes information on:

  • Funding
  • Food Service Options
  • Resources

The Food and Nutrition Service at the Minnesota Department of Education administers the School Meal Programs. The programs include: the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program, After School Snack Program, Food Distribution Program, Summer Food Service Program and the Minnesota Kindergarten Milk Program.

Participation in the food programs requires a substantial amount of paperwork, in terms of record keeping and regular reporting. Many of the software packages that schools use to report information include lunch programs, which can make the process much easier. MDE provides periodic training on the implementation of the School Meal Programs. Schools are strongly encouraged to attend one of these trainings well before school begins, so that a system can be set up to ensure prompt, full reimbursement. Once operating, schools should contact MDE if they have questions about operating the programs. Schools that do not implement the program properly might not receive the full amount of reimbursement to which they are entitled.

For more information about the School Meal Programs, please visit the Food and Nutrition Service website at fns.state.mn.us or the U.S. Department of Agriculture website at fns.usda.gov. The Food and Nutrition Service also provides periodic training on the School Meal Programs.

Funding 
Charter schools that choose to participate in the School Meal Programs may receive cash subsidies (reimbursements) for each meal served. For some programs, schools receive state subsidies and USDA commodities in addition to the federal awards. In order to participate in the programs, schools must serve meals that meet federal nutritional guidelines, keep accurate records of meals served and submit monthly reimbursement claim forms during the required timeframe.

Schools will be reimbursed at some level for all reimbursable meals served, although the amount is greater for meals served to students who qualify for free and reduced meals than for those who don’t. The amount of federal subsidy depends on each student’s eligibility category. Eligibility for free or reduced meals is based on the family’s income level. Children with family incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level are eligible for free meals, and those with incomes between 130% and 185% of the poverty level are eligible for reduced price meals.

Most charter schools will have a number of students eligible for free or reduced price meals. To determine whether a student qualifies, his or her family must complete an “Application for Educational Benefits” form. This is the same form used by schools to determine eligibility for certain state and federally funded programs aimed at high risk, low income students (e.g., Title I). Families must complete this form each year their child is enrolled at the school. It is important to have completed forms on file, especially for those schools with a substantial low-income population. You may lose significant financial benefits if these forms are not on file.

Any child may purchase meals served by schools participating in the School Meal Programs. Schools may not charge students eligible for reduced price meals more than $0.40 for lunch. In the 2003-2004 school year, state breakfast reimbursements were increased to allow schools to serve breakfast at no charge to reduced eligible students and at a low price to paid eligible students.

In general, schools charge and are reimbursed for after school snacks on the same basis as other meals, although special rules apply for schools that operate in an area where at least 50% of the students are eligible for free meals.

Beginning in the second year of operation, the school will qualify for USDA commodity foods from the Food Distribution Program. In addition to school year food programs, there is also a Summer Food Service Program.

Reimbursement Rates
Although these rates change annually, as a point of reference, the combined federal and state reimbursement rates for the 2003-2004 school year are:

Breakfast Lunch Snack
Free $1.20 $2.27 $0.60
Reduced $1.20 $1.87 $0.30
Paid $0.77 $0.29 $0.05

Food Service Options 
When providing food service, a charter school has three basic options:

  1. Prepare meals on site. This gives the school complete control over the program, in exchange for greater responsibility. Unless the school has access to an institutional kitchen, however, equipment needs are likely to pose a significant barrier. Schools that prepare their own meals must have equipment certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, which is quite expensive. Schools that choose to prepare their own meals will have additional health and safety requirements and should also expect more frequent health inspections.
  2. Ask the local school district to provide food service for the school. A district that agrees to provide food service may have a minimum number of meals that they are willing to serve, or a minimum number in order to serve hot, rather than cold, meals. You will also likely be tied to the district’s schedule. Some smaller districts, particularly in rural areas where each school has a small kitchen, may be unable to provide food services.
  3. Contract with a private caterer for school meals. A private caterer might be more flexible in terms of types of meals, special preparations, special meals for field trips, schedules, etc. Most charter schools that provide meals choose this option.

IMPORTANT: Regardless of the food service option the school chooses, the school is ultimately responsible for making sure that federal and state requirements are met. For example, the school must comply with requirements regarding food storage, handling and safety. The school will also be responsible for submitting the paperwork for meal subsidies and for billing students who don’t qualify for free meals. All employees and volunteers working with the School Meal Programs should have an understanding of the following:

  • Sanitation and food safety
  • Required meal components and serving sizes
  • Counting meals by eligibility category at the point of service

When exploring food service options, consider speaking with staff at nearby charter schools and visiting other schools to watch their meal service.

Other Considerations 
During the first year, it is very difficult to break even on food service, given equipment needs. Even if someone else is preparing the food, schools will need serving areas, coolers for storage and, often, warming ovens. Schools should budget for these expenses. Free or inexpensive equipment may be available to schools through the federal surplus property program. To learn more about this program, contact the State of Minnesota Surplus Services at
(651) 639-4024.

When providing meals, schools must comply with federal nutritional guidelines for schools. These include, for example, portion sizes for different age groups and sample meal patterns. These guidelines are available on the Food and Nutrition Service website.

In addition to nutritional requirements, schools must also comply with the state health department’s requirements for sanitation and food handling. Regardless of whether the school actually prepares its own food, the staff is required to ensure proper food storage and handling. For example, a school must have a way to keep food at temperature-warm or cold. The state or local health department will inspect your facility yearly. In addition, any school that serves food must have one certified food manager on staff. To become certified, this person must take a course and an exam and register with the Department of Health. The Department of Health charges approximately $150 for the certification process. For more information about the requirements for food handling, safety and inspections, contact the Environmental Health Services Section of the MN Department of Health at (651) 215-0870. If you plan to prepare meals on site, you should contact the Plan Review Specialists at the MN Department of Health at (651) 215-0862.

Resources
Minnesota Department of Education Food and Nutrition Service 
1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113
(651) 582-8526 or (800) 366-8922

USDA Food and Nutrition Service

American School Food Service Association

MN School Food Service Association

Minnesota Department of Health Division of Environmental Health

For easy to understand Food Safety Fact sheets, see: health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/fs/index.htm

For information regarding food service construction requirements and licensure, see:health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/license/summary.htm.
(651) 215-0870

As public schools, charters are eligible to obtain surplus federal property from the state for free or a nominal charge. Food service equipment may be available. To learn more about this program, contact:

State of Minnesota Surplus Services
5420 Highway 8
New Brighton, MN 55112
(651) 639-4024

 

Food Service Software, Nutrition Softwares, Software for Cafeteria

Here’s One Way to Improve School Lunches

Alice Park @aliceparkny

March 23, 2015
Yellow Dog Productions—Getty Images For many children, half their daily calories come from school lunch With so many children getting about half of their daily calories from school meals, it’s critical that school cafeterias provider healthier options. The latest research suggests one way to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables

 

If everyone had a personal chef, we’d all eat better. And if every school had a chef overseeing its recipes and menus, then kids would eat better too, right?

That’s the idea behind the latest study published in JAMA Pediatrics. With 32 million children in the U.S. eating school lunches—some of those at schools where pizza is considered a vegetable—there’s a movement to bring healthy food to the school cafeteria. But could a chef really make a difference?

MORE: Here’s What School Lunches Around the World Look Like

The answer, as Juliana Cohen from the Harvard School of Public Health and her colleagues found out, is a resounding yes. The First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools program and the Smarter Lunchrooms movement have pushed two new ways of bringing healthier fare to students: by hiring chefs to work in school cafeterias, and by something they called a “smart café” system: strategically placing healthy foods like fruits and vegetables more prominently in lunch lines.

To test each strategy, as well as the two methods together, Cohen went to 14 schools in low-income Massachusetts urban areas and watched what 2,638 students in 3rd grade through 8th grade put on their trays and ate during lunch for seven months. Some schools were randomly assigned for the first three months to work with a chef to develop and modify recipes, some simply focused on the placement of healthy food, and some did both. The scientists studied what was left on the students’ plates as a way to determine what and how much of their food the students were eating.

MORE: Michelle Obama Bites Back at Critics of Her Healthy School Lunch Standards

At the chef schools, the chances that the students selected fruit from the lunch line increased threefold compared to schools without a chef’s influence, and the odds that they actually tried some of the fruit increased by 17%. Researchers saw similar boosts with vegetables; students in the chef schools were nearly three times as likely to choose veggies, and 16% more likely to actually eat them.

When the researchers looked at the schools that used both the chefs and the smart café strategies, the results were more mixed. Interestingly, the combination did not significantly affect the chances that students would grab fruits, but it dramatically increased the odds that children would pick up vegetables, compared to schools without either intervention.

“We were quite surprised to see that when we looked at the combined smart café and chefs, there was no additional benefit beyond the impact of the chef,” says Cohen, a research associate in the department of nutrition. “Really it’s the impact of the chef that is driving the increase in consumption. We also saw that chef schools also increased selection as well, so there is a double benefit in these schools.”

What the results highlight is that smart architecture and strategic placing of healthier foods in more prominent positions isn’t enough to get kids to eat them. But having a chef prepare school lunch does the trick.

MORE: Lunch Brought From Home is Unhealthier Than Cafeteria Food

At the schools assigned to use a chef, the chefs tested new recipes and gave out samples for students to try, as well as encouraged them to try new things, presumably those containing more vegetables and fruits. “Knowing that the chef inspired the recipes can change the mentality around cafeteria food,” says Cohen. “And having the chefs there showed the kids that the school cared about them, and cared about what they were feeding them.”

MORE: Most Schools Still Don’t Meet Federal Nutrition Standards

Cohen doesn’t see hiring full time chefs as a realistic or practical option for most school districts, but does suggest having several districts pool their resources to share a chef for training and nutrition education. At the schools in the study, some saw cost savings because the chefs not only revamped menus but helped staff with inventory control and more efficient use of their supplies. “They will gain long-lasting skills,” she says, noting that once they are trained, cafeteria staff could come up with their own additions and modifications to menus over time.

There won’t be a single easy fix to improving school lunches, and each school may need to find its own solution, but if Cohen’s study proves one thing, it’s that when it comes to getting kids to eat something — anything — taste is key. Even if it’s nutritious, if it tastes good too, students will eat it.

Cafeteria Software, Food Service Software, School Lunch Software, Software for Cafeteria

District Schools Highly Satisfied With Lunch Cashier System Cafeteria Software’s performance and customer support – School Food Service Directors

The Wordware mission with Lunch Cashier system for School District ‘s  is to actively contribute to the health of children, district staff, lunch cafeteria staff, students and other eligible customers by preparing, marketing and food service cafeteria software application.. Nutritious meals will be offered at a free and reduced price for eligible students while maintaining a financially accountable program.

Wordware Lunch Cashier system assists with your staff and parents to the new lunchroom software and is always here to help with any questions that may come up encounter while the process or after implementation Schools quickly learned how helpful our team is from the beginning and they are pleased with the technical support being provided by wordware’s experienced and dedicated technical staff. Wordware Support Team set up the software for the schools and provide training to your school staff up to the level they needed to learn the ins and outs of our school cafeteria software. From the launch of the new software, School Food Service Directors, was happy  that Wordware Lunch Cashier system would be an excellent fit for the children in their school.

 

“The implementation team and trainers did a great job getting us set up and ready for the first day of school,” say many of our valuable customers. Furthermore, their Staff have not encountered any problems, but they called for general questions. Customer care representative attends the phones calls promptly and guide them with confidence in using the lunchroom management software than before. They all are extremely satisfied that with the of wordware customer support team.

 

“There are many reasons why using Wordware for our lunch software has made my job easier. The remote support and ticket system have been a life saver on many occasions. The Direct Certification is simplified and the Free and Reduced timeline has kept me on track. The upgrade to the LCS1000 Mayflower has everything I need on the family dashboard for quick and easy reference. There are letter templates that can be customized by you and the numerous reporting options available are a tremendous help in documenting the daily and monthly transaction activities.” – Jean Erd, School District of Menomonee Falls

 

The Lunch Cashier System by Wordware, Inc. is a complete, affordable, user-friendly meal accounting system for schools, including back-office and point-of-sale management software. Lunch Cashier System is one of the Top Food Service Management Software. They provide comprehensive solutions to both school administration and food service staff. Computerized Lunch Program for school cafeterias, State and Federal reporting. Parents only need to send lunch money to one family account for all family members participating in the lunch program.

Food Service Software, Nutrition Softwares, Software for School Cafeteria

Spotting Trends Based on ‘What We Eat in America’

Using a computerized dietary-intake survey program and serving-size aids, interviewers are able to help volunteers recall their dietary intakes. (USDA-ARS photo taken by Stephen Ausmus)

March is National Nutrition Month. Throughout the month, USDA will be highlighting results of our efforts to improve access to safe, healthy food for all Americans and supporting the health of our next generation.

The U.S. food supply is abundant, but many consumers are experiencing nutritional shortfalls. Some are overfed but undernourished at the same time. Observing trends in U.S. diets is possible based on food-consumption data collected during the annual “What We Eat in America/NHANES” dietary-intake survey.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is responsible for the consumption interview, one of several components of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The dietary survey is managed by researchers at the Food Surveys Research Group in Beltsville, Md., part of the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center.

Each year, the “What We Eat in America” computer-based dietary interview is used to ask more than 5,000 individuals nationwide about the foods and beverages they consumed. The participants’ dietary supplement intakes also are collected.

Research nutritionists then translate “what’s eaten” into “nutrients consumed.” The survey data—after analysis—provide insights into the population’s nutrient-intake status, such as overconsumption, nutritional shortfalls, healthy snacking and poor eating.

Here are some of the dietetic trends based on “What We Eat in America” survey data collected in 2011-2012.

—On average, U.S. individuals are getting only about half their daily recommended intake for dietary fiber and potassium. And well over one-third aren’t getting their recommended calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin A from foods and beverages.

—More than 90 percent are not getting their recommended vitamin D from foods and beverages. Based on supplement use tracked, about one-fourth took a supplement containing vitamin D, and more than half of women aged 60 and older took one.

—Lunch is the meal most frequently skipped. On any survey day, one in five individuals did not eat lunch.

—On a given day, more than half of individuals ate at least one food or beverage that was obtained from a restaurant. The proportion is higher for young adults. Two-thirds of those aged 20 to 39 ate food or beverage obtained from a restaurant. When consumed, restaurant foods and beverages contributed more than 40 percent of daily calories.

—Overconsumption also is a problem. Based on the survey data, individuals consumed 3,500 milligrams of sodium on a given day, which is about one-third more than the recommended maximum for adults with no known risk factors.

Essential vitamins and minerals help the body stay healthy and function properly. “What We Eat in America” data results are informative to consumers and professionals. To keep up with what’s trending based on “What We Eat in America,” visit the USDA-ARS Food Survey Research Group Web site.

A man and woman looking at the Sodium Intakes of Americans chart

The dietary survey data show that U.S. adults consume on average about one-third more than the maximum daily sodium intake recommended, or more than 1.5 teaspoons of salt daily. (USDA-ARS photo taken by Peggy Greb)

Posted by Rosalie Marion Bliss, Public Affairs Specialist, Agricultural Research Service, on March 31, 2016 at 11:00 AM