Schools, learn all about National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day!

What is National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day?
National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day is a grassroots effort to bring families together with schools to share a meal and share ideas. The signature event takes place on October 17, 2012, during National School Lunch Week. It's a day for parents across the country to visit their children's schools and have lunch with them in the cafeteria. The goal is to learn more about what goes into putting together a healthy lunch, and for parents and school officials to open the lines of communication so they can work together to provide kids with the healthiest meals possible. The day is sponsored by KIWI, the School Nutrition Association, the Whole Kids Foundation, and Stonyfield.

Why is National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day important?
The event is important because it’s an opportunity for schools to showcase their meals and provide parents with more information about lunchtime—from what goes into getting a healthy meal on a child’s tray, to what the day-to-day lunch experience is like, to what new initiatives, plans, or updates have been made to the menu.

What if my school can’t host Lunch Day on October 17?
It’s okay! If that date doesn’t work for your school, any day during National School Lunch Week, which takes place from October 15 to October 19, 2012, is great. In fact, you can host a Lunch Day event any day during the school year!

What if we’re not able to have the whole school participate in the event?
You can tailor the event to fit the needs of your school. For example, you can have just the oldest or youngest grade in the school participate, or one class per grade. It’s also a great idea to make sure the event welcomes not just parents, but other caregivers and important people in kids’ lives, like grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

How do we get the word out?
Once you’ve decided to host National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day at your school, talk with other staff members for ideas on how to get the word out—you may want to work with the PTA, contact the local media, or post the event on your school’s Facebook page. Download our checklist, which provides more information on getting started.

How can we get parents involved?
There are lots of way to get parents interested and participating in National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day. You can send information home explaining the event and why it’s important (here’s an example of an invitation) or put out a call for parent volunteers. Don’t forget to point them to the parent toolkit, too! It has information on what goes into a school meal, and recent government updates to the school lunch program.

What should be on the menu?
It’s up to you! You can serve what would normally be on the menu that day, highlight a great, organic meal the cafeteria serves, or provide a sampling of a variety of the food students eat each week.

What do we do on National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day—besides serve lunch?
The event is a chance to highlight all the great work your school is doing to provide healthy—and delicious—meals to students. Along with serving lunch, you can have a member of the food service staff give a presentation about the lunch program, or invite a guest speaker, such as a local farmer or nutrition expert, to talk to parents and kids. You may also want to have entertainment, such as a student performance.

What can we do to prepare for National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day?
Download our school toolkit that includes:

• A checklist for how to plan for the event
• A sample invitation to send to parents
• A feedback form to hand out to parents
• A sample PowerPoint presentation to give at the event