National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day – October 12, 2022, history, significance
National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day occurs on Wednesday in the second full week of October, which is October 12 this year. Its purpose is for parents to have an enjoyable and memorable moment talking to and learning about the things their children eat in school. Parents and school administrators collaborate to help come up with a system that provides the healthiest luncheon for school kids.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL TAKE YOUR PARENTS TO LUNCH DAY
On National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day, parents bond with their children in lunchrooms, learning not only about the efforts that go into delivering healthy meals to the children but also about the kids’ eating habits.
This annual celebration began in 2015 and has continued since then. It is heavily promoted by “Kiwi,” an online magazine dedicated to providing families with resources and information and helping them make the best choices about health, food, home life, etc. On this day, parents enjoy lunch with their kids at their school canteens.
They get to see and taste the foods that their children eat every day, examine the environment, and even engage with the cafeteria staff. The day, basically, is an excellent opportunity for parents to focus on other aspects of their child’s school life besides their grades, giving mom and dad a peek at everything going on in their child’s school kitchen.
National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day is considered one of the most important days in the nation’s schools. Parents who wish to participate but live in places where the celebration is not observed can talk to school administrators about joining in the celebration. They can also discuss it with the school’s Parent-Teacher Association or get other parents to form a committee to host the event themselves.
NATIONAL TAKE YOUR PARENTS TO LUNCH DAY TIMELINE
1946
National School Lunch Program
President Harry Truman signs into law the National School Lunch Act, a federally assisted school lunch program called the National School Lunch Program (N.S.L.P.) for public and nonprofit private schools.
1946
N.S.L.P.’s First Year
7.1 million children benefit from the program in its first year.
2016
A Major Milestone is Reached
An estimated 30.4 million children benefit from the N.S.L.P.
2020
W.F.P. Sets an Ambitious Goal
The World Food Program sets the goal of working with governments and partners to ensure zero hunger by 2030, adding 73 million to the at least 388 million children who were receiving school meals worldwide before the pandemic struck.
HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL TAKE YOUR PARENTS TO LUNCH DAY
Visit your child’s school
School administrators will usually ask students to invite their parents to school on this day. So, be there. Make time to go inspect, learn about your child’s eating habits, and bond with them on National Take Your Parents To Lunch Days.
Learn how it has helped someone
Talk to people who gained surprising insight from observing their kids on this day. Ask about the things they uncovered and how participating in the activities of the day helped with their kid.
Talk about it on social media
Share your story or the stories of others on social media to encourage and generate a buzz around the day. Use the hashtag #TakeYourParentsToLunchDay.
5 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT SCHOOL LUNCH
A healthy school lunch lasts a day
A healthy school lunch serves a child the entire day, going beyond regular school hours.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
New nutritional standards for schools mandate that the lunches provide one-third of a child’s daily recommended intake of key nutrients.
A healthy school lunch costs less
The healthy school lunch, it has been observed, costs less than a packed meal from home.
Kids eating habit has improved
Since the United States Department of Agriculture’s (U.S.D.A.) updated nutritional standard, children are eating more of their healthful school lunches and wasting less.
Students have more cafeteria options
The U.S.D.A.’s updated standards have expanded menu options in schools’ cafeterias, serving fruits and vegetables with every meal and offering variety throughout the week.
WHY WE CELEBRATE NATIONAL TAKE YOUR PARENTS TO LUNCH DAY
To create a parent-child bond
National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day is an opportunity for parents to learn more about their child’s lunchtime, creating special bonds in the process.
So we can monitor our children’s eating habits
It’s that simple! That is the idea behind National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day. It helps us fully visualize and uncover our child’s eating habits and choices of foods away from home.
To learn what their favorite meal is
Yes! Kids in school sometimes love and choose something entirely different from what they are familiar with at home. National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day is an opportunity to discover what that meal could be.
