School Toolkit

As a principal, what do I need to know?
How do I access funding?
How do I find a monitor?
What do I need to know about food safety?
What are other schools doing?
What foods should I serve?
Need more info? Contact your CDC.

1. As a principal, what do I need to know?

Follow the MCYS Student Nutrition Guidelines - This is required by the program’s largest funding source, MCYS. Serving nutritious foods and beverages promotes good health and healthy eating habits in children and youth, and helps them to be ready to learn.

Inform Parents About the Program - Parents should be informed about the program and its associated costs. They should also be given the opportunity to contribute to the program through financial, food or time donations. Here are some examples of information for parents:

Register Students - Registration is strongly encouraged as it provides supporting documentation if requested by major funding sources. Here is a sample registration form and some examples of additional wording you might like to use.

Track Student Participation - Accurate collection and recording of daily student participation numbers must be undertaken at each school. Click here for different tracking methods.

Report Requirements - Student participation numbers must be reported to the School Breakfast Program to comply with funding source requirements. This information is also crucial to the fair allocation of funds to each school. There are 3 reporting periods per year. Forms are sent from the School Breakfast Program via email.

Maintain Accounting Data - Each school is required to maintain receipts and accounting records. A representative from each Board oversees the accounting process on behalf of the School Breakfast Program. Any unused funds remaining at the end of the school year must be reported to the School Breakfast Program.

Evaluate My Fundraising Needs - There may be a need for school-level fundraising to support your program if funding is insufficient. Click here for some fundraising ideas and tips.

Ensure My Monitor Knows What To Do – This checklist helps the monitor understand their responsibilities and the program’s requirements. Monitor’s checklist.

Use this checklist as a quick summary. Principal’s Checklist and Resources

2. Where does the funding come from and how do I get it?

Funds are provided for nutrition, monitor salaries (elementary schools only) and equipment when available. Funding FAQ’s

3. How do I find a monitor?

The principal is responsible for finding and hiring a monitor. Here are some resources to help:

4. What do I need to know about food safety?

All School Breakfast Program schools are subject to inspections by Ottawa Public Health

Sign up for recall notices - automatically receive notices of foods that have been recalled due to tampering, allergy alerts, contamination, etc.

Ensure the highest sanitary practices for safe food handling:

Cleaning and sanitizing surfaces
Sanitizing and using test strips
Dishwashing practices (3-compartment sink) (2-Compartment sink)
Handwashing

Display Safe Food Handling Posters. Colourful food safety posters created by Ottawa Public Health on the following topics are available for printing. Chill, Clean, Cook, Facts, Separate