End-of-the-school-year Checklist for Food Services

The end of the school year is incredibly hectic for everyone. With kids running wild and summer vacation on the horizon, you're probably as ready as the students to wrap up the year. Just staying on top of daily operations can be a challenge in the spring, but taking care of some year-end tasks before you leave will make the start of the school year much easier in the fall.

Order New Equipment

Instead of waiting until the new school year to replace hardware and equipment, go ahead and do it now. Everyone will be placing orders in the fall, so you'll avoid the rush and possible delays. By ordering early, you'll set yourself up for success and ensure a smooth start to the new year. As busy as the end of the year is, the beginning of the year is just as hectic. You'll be glad you don't have to deal with malfunctioning equipment on top of everything else.

If you need a better software system, now is also the perfect time to order it. You'll have time meet with vendors and make an informed decision. A meal order system like Boonli can save you time and money, as well as provide a better experience for your staff, vendors, students, and parents.

Reconcile Accounts for Students Who Are Leaving

Close out the accounts of students who are graduating or moving to another school. Trying to contact families who are no longer at your school will be a huge hassle. Issue any refunds that are due and deactivate the student accounts or notify parents to turn off autopay if your system uses it. Before issuing refunds, you can offer parents the option of transferring their balance to a sibling or donating it to cover delinquent accounts.

Notify Parents Regarding Outstanding Balances

Communicate with parents before the last week of school about any outstanding balances. Parents are always swamped with paperwork, end-of-the-year programs, and parties towards the end of the school year. Try to beat the crowd by sending out notices ahead of time. Make it easy for parents by sending out direct links in an email.

Update Your Roster of Students Receiving Free and Reduced Meals

If you have information about upcoming students who will be receiving free and reduced-price meals, go ahead and update now instead of waiting until the beginning of the year. You'll undoubtedly have to add students in the fall, but you'll reduce your workload by updating as much information as possible before you leave for the summer.

Add Incoming Students for Next Year

Although you may not have information about all new students, many new students are registered before the end of the current year. Import the data for these students into your software now to save time in the fall. It will be much easier to stay on top of adding new students as they come in during the summer and in the fall if the majority have already been imported.

Evaluate Your Vendor Relationships

If you've been working with restaurants and other vendors, now is a good time to evaluate those relationships. Take stock of the restaurant collaborations that were successful and the ones that weren't. Think about any sticking points that cropped up and how they might be overcome. Problems with coordinating deliveries or communicating orders may warrant revaluating your current software program.

If this was your first year working with restaurants or you're interested in expanding your program to include more restaurants, go ahead and reach out to them. If you have suggestions for specific collaborations you can let them know, or you can ask the restaurant for suggestions. Giving restaurants time to put together packages will speed up the process of implementing them in the fall. If you've decided you don't want to work with any of your current partners in the fall, go ahead and let them know so they can plan accordingly.

While you're examining your partnerships, reconcile their accounts as necessary. Send them a copy of your accounting so you'll both be on the same page about participation, expenses, and profits.

Survey Your Students and Parents

Before everyone scatters for the summer, get feedback on your program. Send out surveys for teachers to distribute to their students. Send them via email to parents.

Students

Students make up the majority of your customers. When you ask their input and give them choices, they'll be more likely to want to participation. Consider asking questions such as:

What's your favorite thing about school lunch?
What new foods would you like to see during lunch or breakfast?
How often do you eat lunch at school?
How often do you each breakfast at school?
How do you find out what's for lunch and breakfast at school?

Parents

Since parents are the ultimate decision-makers about school lunches, send them a survey to find out what's working for them and solicit suggestions for improvement. You can ask questions such as:

How often does your child eat lunch or breakfast at school?
Do you make decisions about eating lunch at school based on menu options?
How do you find out what's on the menu for lunch and breakfast?
Does your child come home from school hungry?
How can we make lunch or breakfast more appealing for your child?
Do you get enough information about your child's lunch program?

Plan Your Summer Lunch Program

If you're participating in the Summer Food Service Program, go ahead and get everything set up for a seamless transition. Coordinating with volunteers will take a lot of the load off of you and your staff. If you school has a Backpack Buddies type program, they may want to be involved in overseeing activities and promotion for your summer lunch program.

Conclusion

Although you probably already feel like your schedule is jam packed with end-of-the year activities, taking the time to wrap up this year's administrative tasks and get a head start on next year's will make your life easier in the fall. You'll be able to enjoy your summer knowing that you're well prepared for a great school year.