National School Lunch Program
The National School Lunch Program is a meal program present in public and non-profit-making schools. The program also targets children in residential child care institutions. The National School Lunch Program derives its funding from the federal government and aims at providing balanced nutrition to children. While the meals are free in many schools, children in other schools pay a small fee each school day. Notably, Harry Truman signed the School Lunch Act to create the program in 1946. One of the advantages of the National School Lunch Program is that it ensures children access nutritional meals at low costs. A study by Campbell et al. shows that there are minimal differences between the diet that the children in the program consume and those who opt out of the program take (2011). Besides, the government has reduced the risk of food insecurity. Notably, children from poor backgrounds do not have access to proper food. The program ensures food security for such vulnerable children. The third advantage of the program is that it has enhanced the learning environment of the children. Indeed, students struggling with hunger find it hard to concentrate in class. The National Lunch Program has allowed the children to focus on their studies rather than worrying about the source of their next meals. On the other hand, the program has a huge weakness. Though the dietary options have increased, many children seem to avoid the healthier portions of the food. The situation has led to increased amounts of food, resulting in waste.
Special Milk Program
The Special Milk Program is a program that provides milk to children in childcare and learning institutions. The program targets the institutions that do not participate in other foodservice programs that the federal government offers. Notably, the schools offer the milk to the students, and the program reimburses them with funds. The Special Milk Program is essential since it provides a nutritious drink to the children. The milk contains calcium and vitamins, which ensure the development of strong bones and teeth among children. The program also benefits the parents by enabling them to provide a healthy beverage to their children even when they are not at home at low costs. The administrators of the schools can include the cost of the milk within the fee structure or offer it as a separate charge. Nevertheless, the inclusion of charges to access the milk programs can lock out vulnerable populations that cannot afford such payments.
School Breakfast Program
The School Breakfast Program finances breakfast programs in schools and residential institutions which offer childcare services. The Food and Nutrition Services offers the services at a federal level and reimburses the states for the cost of the breakfast programs. Notably, the School Breakfast Program targets vulnerable children in the country. One of the benefits of the program is that it reduces behavioral problems. Experts state that students who have had breakfast are less likely to engage in disruptive behavior in schools. Therefore, students can focus on their studies and enhance their achievement (Frisvold, 2015). The major weakness in the School Breakfast Program is that the teachers observed the consumption of low nutritional and poor quality foods by the children. The problem stems from the lack of proper regulatory oversight by the stakeholders in the distribution of the food.