Eating at school

How it works:

As a school, you are at liberty to decide how to organise the meals at your school. You choose the time and format that best suits your school. For example, breakfast, lunch, snacks, or a combination thereof. You also decide how to organise everything, as long as you stay within the budget of up to €9 per pupil per week (including VAT). That is €1.80 per day.

If your school chooses the ‘Meals at School’ option, you will receive an email from het Jeugdeducatiefonds (the Youth Education Fund) after your admission to the School Meals Programme. This email provides important information on how to start organising food and drink at school. You will also receive login credentials for ‘Mijn Jeugdeducatiefonds’ (your personal environment on the Youth Education Fund website). This is where you request monthly budgets online.

In the animation, we explain how organising meals at school works in just one minute.

School contact persons

The Youth Education Fund supports the participating schools by appointing school contact persons. They are your permanent point of contact and can advise you on the types of food that are most appropriate for your school. After your school has been accepted into the programme, your personal school contact person will call you within a week to help get you started with the school meals. You can ask all your questions during this call.

Important documents

Links to important documents are included below – they will help you organise the meals effectively and ensure speedy financial settlement:

Guide on how to apply for your budget and submit claim forms
Ten important points to check when submitting claim forms
Form for volunteer reimbursement 2025

Suppliers and additional budget

The School Meals Programme does not work with suppliers. Schools decide for themselves whether they want to work with a supplier, and if so, which one. If you have any questions, please contact your school contact person at the Youth Education Fund (Jeugdeducatiefonds).

Please note: Some suppliers claim that schools not participating in the School Meals Programme can request additional budget through this website for items such as summer or Christmas packages, in addition to the school meals. This is incorrect. Only schools that participate and have chosen the “school meals” option receive this budget.

Getting started & inspiration videos

Want to find out how other schools organise meals? Watch the inspiration videos or read more tips and advice for a healthy meal on our inspiration page.

For more information:

Sign up

Frequently asked questions & contact

View the list of all frequently asked questions. If your answer is not shown, please get in touch with your school contact person. The details can be found in ‘Mijn Jeugdeducatiefonds’ (your personal environment on the Youth Education Fund website).
If you have another question or complaint, please refer to our contact page.

Stories

20 January 2025

“With a bit of effort, you can really make a difference.”

The Prins Willem Alexander School in The Hague has creatively utilised the school meals budget. Two initiatives stand out: the JEF cupboard, a giveaway cupboard for families, and the ‘Full Tummies’ project, where children take home a box full of groceries five times a year. Deputy Director Maxime van Boheemen and liaison officer Marloes Gaillard are passionately committed to projects that help families. Whenever possible, students are also involved.

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19 December 2024

Working Together: Festively Filled Christmas Box

At De Springplank in Zutphen, a primary school for special education in a beautiful new building, the extra December budget is given a creative twist. Mattias van Os, sports teacher and school meals coordinator, explains how they are giving out Christmas packages to students for the second year in a row at the start of the holiday.

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12 December 2024

Packing Christmas Packets Together with the School Meals Budget

Packing Christmas Packets Together with the School Meals Budget. Schools that offer meals receive an extra high budget in December. This allows for extras, such as a Christmas dinner or Christmas packets. At VSO de Monoliet in Leeuwarden, they chose the latter. Coordinator Klaas Nieuwhof enthusiastically explains: “We wanted to do something that not only benefits all students but also actively involves them.” The idea arose during a brainstorming session with the working group that Klaas and his colleagues, who organise the school meals, are part of. “We discussed how we could link this December activity to an internal internship,” Klaas explains. De Monoliet has a warehouse where a safe working environment can be simulated. “This provides our students with an educational place to develop practical skills with the aim of eventually being able to independently undertake external internships.”

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