Communication Tools

The following tools have been developed to help school nutrition programs communicate effectively with school staff, parents and the community about the value of the child nutrition program.

Reimbursable Meal Signage

Iowa Team Nutrition has developed a collection of reimbursable meal identification resources to assist students in selecting their meal choices and will reduce unintentional purchase of food items not included in the reimbursable meal. For editable files or graphics, contact schoolmeals@iowa.gov.

• Build a Healthy Lunch Poster
  • Today's Menu Poster
  • Customize a Tray with Components
• Build a Healthy Breakfast Poster
• Make a Meal Signage
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Salad Bar
• Offer vs. Serve Posters and Tip Sheets - developed by USDA
• What Makes a Breakfast/Lunch? Signage - developed by Dubuque Community School District
• Reimbursable Meal Posters - developed by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• What is a Reimbursable Meal? - Information sheet that explains offer vs. serve and the requirements to receive a reimbursable meal that can be used in newsletters, webpages, social media, etc. School Nutrition Departments can modify to reflect their program and add photos, and contact information.
• Elementary Lesson - Explains the “Build a Healthy Lunch” signage in the cafeteria and is a great way to show support for the school meal program in the classroom.

MyPlate Menu Templates

Collection of menu templates that include MyPlate, jokes, and nutrition tips. They are easy to download and use in Word and then save as a pdf for sharing. Customize with school name, month, and additional information.

Lime Green Menu, Green Menu, Navy Menu, Orange Menu, Purple Menu, Blue Menu, and Brown Menu

Program Promotion

Collection of resources to promote help school nutrition program communicate effectively with their school boards, administrators and the community about the needs and value of child nutrition programs:

• School Board Presentation Template
• School Nutrition Webpage Template - ISU Extension and Outreach
  • Reimbursable Meals Webpage - Saydel CSD
  • Garner-Hayfield-Ventura School Nutrition Program Webpage
• School Nutrition Association PR Campaign Resources (flyers, graphics, ads, and a video)
• School Nutrition Outreach Toolkit - Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• School Newsletter Tips and Article Ideas - Extension

Posters, Signage, and Nutrition Education Resources

• Bulletin Board and Signage Templates and Ideas - Iowa Healthy Schools - Healthy Students Pinterest Page
• FREE USDA Team Posters and Nutrition Education Resources

​Student Engagement

• 10 Ways to Involve Students in Your School Nutrition Program
• School Lunch Survey: grades 6-8
• Sample Morning Announcements
• Wellness Wednesdays Messages
• Cafeteria Coaching: a program developed by NE Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative that includes older students encouraging younger students to try new foods.

Support from Parents and Resources

• The School Day Just Got Healthier
• Take Your Parent to School Lunch Day 
• Ways for Parent Teacher Organizations to Partner with School Meals (National Parent Teacher Association)
• Iowa Parent School Lunch Report - The University of Iowa Public Policy Center and College of Public Health conducted a study to determine Iowa parents' knowledge and perceptions of the school lunch program. Iowa parents of school-aged children were surveyed online to assess attitudes, beliefs and practices in regards to the school lunch program at their child's school.