PINE BUSH ¬– There's a new digital system for buying breakfast and lunch at the Pine Bush School cafeterias. Called Nutrikids, it was rolled out on April 19, and has been implemented now in all the district schools.

Food Service for the Pine Bush School System is big business, a $2.2 million operation covering seven schools and seven cafeterias, with approximately 6,000 customers for breakfasts and lunches.

So, making dramatic changes is not undertaken lightly. However, Food Service Director Lynn Prestia had wanted to make this change pretty much since she arrived in Pine Bush, three years ago.

"This has been in the works for over a year now. We researched it, looked at all the available products, developed our bid specifications and sought out a competitive field. Nutrikids was the lowest responsible bidder."

Prestia adds, "There are a lot of benefits here. First, it replaces the whole manual cash register system. That means a lot less paperwork, and paper. Second, we now have a history of what students are eating every day. And we know what we're selling, too. Third, all the prepayments are on the computerized system."

Another important aspect of the change for Prestia is that, "This system brings anonymity to our customers, the students. In the past it was obvious who was on free and reduced meals programs. Now the students put in a six digit number and the computer charges them accordingly, and no one knows if you're a free, reduced or fully paid customer."

"Well, in the past, some students did not eat, even though they were allowed to on the free and reduced program."

Another important point: "Cash will always be accepted. But a cashless line is quickest," says Prestia.

"We expect this system to reduce the time students spend on cafeteria lines. With cashless, prepaid, everything moves very smoothly."

One of the last pieces of the system will be put in place by September this year. "By September, we will have the prepayment system online."

Prestia also notes other benefits. "Parents will not only receive regular communications on their child's balances, but, if they want, they can know what specifically their child has been buying. They'll know what's going on."

However, Prestia also says, "This information is strictly confidential, and will not be published anywhere. If a parent seeks their child's purchasing history, it will be provided, but it will not be made available to anyone else."

The six digit ID numbers will be assigned to students as they enter the Pine Bush School system.

"Those numbers will stay with them throughout their time at Pine Bush schools. The ID will be used for a variety of purposes, such as signing onto district computers."

So, this change involves more than just lunch and breakfast!

Prestia says that the response, so far, has been good. "Students have been very favorable, this fits right into the world where everything is digital. Parents have been positive, too. Many parents have been looking for a way to get this information, and prior to this, a student's purchasing history was not available."

Regarding one potential problem, Prestia says, "In the middle schools and the high school, there is a photo on file with the student's ID number. That comes up whenever the number is entered, so we can stop anyone from using another student's ID."

Another point, "Any prepaid funds that we already had on hand, have been entered into the new system."

More information can be found on the District web site, and at www.nutrikids.com

"The high school and middle school students are breezing along with this now. The kindergarten kids are still working on it, but it's part of their learning process."