Mission Statement
Butler Technology and Career Development School Districts Dining Service Team provides quality food services for the students and staff, giving them the nutritional energy to achieve their highest potential daily.
The Butler Technology and Career Development School District's School Lunch Program is a contracted service with Chartwells K-12 Educational Dining Services. The Dining Services Director is Sara Higgins. Contact information:
Sara Higgins
Chartwells K-12
Director of Dining Services
Butler Tech
3603 Hamilton Middletown Rd.
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
higginss@butlertech.org
513-645-8316
Cafe Prepay
To help simplify payment of school meals, Butler Tech has enrolled in an internet-based service called Café Prepay. This service is a website where you can pay for your child’s food needs using your Visa, or MasterCard. Participation in this service is voluntary; you can enroll at any time. This program enables the students to move quickly through the lunch lines, avoiding the need for money transactions with the cashiers. It also ensures the money that you provide to your child’s food is used for that purpose only.
Café Prepay enables parents to keep track of their child’s account balance. In addition, the website offers Automatic Replenish. This is optimal for the student whose lunch spending varies greatly from day to day. With automatic replenish, when the student’s account balance goes below a specified amount, another specified amount is then deposited into the student’s account via credit card. Using “automatic replenish on low balance”, the student will never run out of money. Conversely, your credit card will not be charged until the student’s balance goes below the specified dollar amount.
Café Prepay also enables you to view your child’s participation report, which means you can monitor your child’s spending and see what he’s eating each day (via the Participation Report link).
To get started, you will first enroll at myschoolbucks.com. You will be asked to enter your email address and a password, which will be used each time you log in. Please note that a valid email address is required and that Café Prepay stores any necessary personal information in a secure, offline database which is accessed only to process payments and send payment confirmation via email.
Please visit www.pay4lunch.com/faq.aspx for more information. If you have questions that are not answered on the website, we encourage you to use the “Contact” link for Café Prepay. We hope you find this service a convenient alternative.
The USDA School Lunch Program is operated in accordance with USDA policy which does not permit discrimination because of race, color, sex, handicap or national origin. Any person who believe that he or she has been discriminated against should write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.
Food Focus
Each month in the Cafeteria we focus on a particular food item to encourage students to try different foods with that item in it. This is a way to point out that particular food item and give the students an opportunity to realize the variety of ways on that food item can be prepared and to try new things.
Food of the Month
Free & Reduced Forms
Children need healthy meals to learn. Butler Tech School District offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $2.00; lunch costs $2.90. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch.
- Do I need to fill out an application for each child? No. Complete the application to apply for free or reduced price meals. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Butler Tech Main office
- Who can get free meals? All children in households receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Ohio Works First (OWF) benefits can get free meals regardless of your income. Also, your children can get free meals if your household’s gross income is within the free limits on the Federal Income Guidelines.
- Can foster children get free meals? Yes, foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court, are eligible for free meals. Any foster child in the household is eligible for free meals regardless of income.
- Can homeless, runaway and migrant children get free meals? Yes, children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant qualify for free meals. If you have not been told your children will get free meals, please call or email Sara Higgins, 513-645-8316 to see if they qualify.
- Who can get reduced price meals? Your children can get low cost meals if your household income is within the reduced price limits on the Federal Eligibility Income Chart shown on this application.
- Should I fill out an application if I received a letter this school year saying my children are approved for free meals? Please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. Call the Sara Higgins 513-645-8316 if you have questions.
- My Child’s application was approved last year. Do I need to fill out another one? Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year.
- I get WIC. Can my child(ren) get free meals? Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please fill out an application.
- Will the information I give be checked? Yes, we may ask you to send written proof.
- If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes. You may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.
- What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application? You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Jeff Johnson, 3603 Hamilton Middletown Road, Hamilton, Ohio 45011, 513.868-6300.
- May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You or your child(ren) do not have to be a U.S. citizen to qualify for free or reduced price meals.
- Who should I include as members of my household? You must include all people living in your household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends) who share income and expenses. You must include yourself and all children who live with you. If you live with other people who are economically independent (for example, people who you do not support, who do not share income with you or your children, and who pay a pro-rated share of expenses), do not include them.
- What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.
- We are in the military, do we include our housing allowance as income? If you get an off-base housing allowance, it must be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income.
- My Spouse is deployed to a combat zone. Is her combat pay counted as income? No, if the combat pay is received in addition to her basic pay because of her deployment and it wasn’t received before she was deployed, combat pay is not counted as income. Contact your school for more information.
- Why am I being asked about giving my consent for an instructional fee waiver? Ohio public schools are required to waive the school instructional fees for children who quality for free meal benefits. School Food Service personnel must have parent consent to share student meal application if your child(ren) quality for a fee waiver. If you agree to allow your child(ren)’s meal application to be shared with school officials to see if he/she/they qualifies for a fee waiver then check “yes” in part 5. If you do not wish for that information to be shared, then check “no” in part 5. Answering no to this question will mean your child will not be able to be considered for a fee waiver. Answering this question either way will not change whether your child(ren) will get free or reduced price meals.
- My Family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for? To find out how to apply for Ohio SNAP or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office or call 877-852-0010.
Chartwells offer a variety of meals and trays for your catering needs. For your convenience, your order will be presented with napkins, plates and utensils. Other items are available upon request.
Menu Nutrition Information
CHOOSE MY PLATE
choosemyplate.gov - This website is full of nutrition information. There is information about food portion size, weight management, how to read a food label, healthy eating tips, calculator for BMI, physical activity and much more. Check it out!
USDA GUIDELINES
BREAKFAST OFFERING STATEMENT
CATERING