The school lunch program in Montgomery County Maryland is truly a unique program. Ranked as one of the best county school systems in the nation, Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) system is at the forefront of school lunch.

The National School Lunch and National School Breakfast Programs are the driving factors for MCPS. I learned a great deal about what MCPS does to stay current with recommendations and what regulations must be followed to qualify for the programs.

The headquarters is located in Rockville Maryland and houses the central preparation facility for all school lunches. The lunches are prepared, cooked and package in the facility, and then delivered to each school in the county. This type of system seems like it poses some real challenges from a logistical standpoint but the benefits out way any issues that my occur. The central processing facility allows for improved quality control, quicker production by a highly trained staff, minimal errors and it proves to be cost effective.

I was given the opportunity to observe different lunch periods at a few different schools in the Rockville area. Most of the children liked the menu choices and did not realize they were getting a healthy meal.

During this rotation I had a chance to develop:

• Wellness flyers to promote eating delicious fruits (Apples, Grapes, and Pears) during the pack assorted colors for kids week (PACK).
• A superhero themed newsletter to be featured in a monthly menu.