The US school lunch program since 1946 | Spanish A2
Read in Spanish how a 1946 law created the US National School Lunch Program and how federal, state and local bodies share its work.
El programa de almuerzos escolares de 1946
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The text explains who can join the US school lunch program, its five meal components, its price categories and federal reimbursements.
Pueden participar las escuelas públicas, las escuelas privadas sin fines de lucro y algunas instituciones residenciales para niños. El programa ofrece almuerzos equilibrados, gratuitos o de bajo coste, cada día escolar.
El gobierno federal fija reglas y aporta dinero. Las agencias estatales controlan el programa en cada estado. Las autoridades escolares preparan y sirven los almuerzos a nivel local.
Para seguir el programa, las escuelas deben ofrecer cinco componentes: fruta, verduras, cereales, leche y carne o alimentos alternativos. Esos alimentos alternativos pueden incluir queso, yogur, huevos, tofu, legumbres o mantequillas de frutos secos.
El precio para cada alumno puede ser diferente. Según los ingresos y el tamaño de la familia, el almuerzo puede ser gratuito, de precio reducido o de precio completo.
Las escuelas reciben un reembolso federal por los almuerzos que sirven. La cantidad depende del tipo de almuerzo: gratuito, de precio reducido o de precio completo.
Así, el programa combina reglas y apoyo del gobierno federal con el trabajo de los estados y las escuelas. La comida llega a la mesa por medio de varias instituciones.
¿Qué componente eliges primero en tu almuerzo? ¿Te gustaría preparar un menú con los cinco componentes? ¿Qué regla pondrías para un comedor escolar?
About this article
What you'll learn
School lunch vocabulary, program administration, meal components, modal verbs and simple past forms.
The text explains who can join the US school lunch program, its five meal components, its price categories and federal reimbursements.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
sin fines de lucro
newnonprofit
Sin fines de lucro describes an organization that does not operate to distribute profits to owners.
Useful for understanding which private schools can join the program.
cada día escolar
neweach school day
Cada día escolar limits the statement to days when school is in session.
Useful for describing a regular school service.
a nivel local
newat the local level
A nivel local refers to work done by nearby school organizations rather than the national government.
Useful for comparing different levels of administration.
Según los ingresos y el tamaño de la familia
newaccording to household income and size
Según introduces the information used to decide among the price categories.
Useful for explaining how a condition changes an outcome.
agencias estatales
newstate agencies
Agencias estatales are government bodies that work at the level of a state.
Needed to understand the middle level of the program.
autoridades escolares
newschool food authorities
Autoridades escolares here refers to the local organizations responsible for operating the meal program.
Needed to identify who prepares and serves lunches locally.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Lunches
almuerzos
lunches
Almuerzos is the plural of almuerzo, the midday meal.
The central food word in the article.
Balanced
equilibrados
balanced
Equilibrados describes meals designed to include an appropriate mix of foods.
Useful for talking about the composition of a meal.
Meat alternatives
alimentos alternativos
meat alternatives
Alimentos alternativos are foods that can fill the program's meat or meat-alternate component.
Useful for understanding non-meat options in the meal pattern.
Reimbursement
reembolso
reimbursement
A reembolso is money paid back after an eligible expense or service.
Needed to understand how federal funds reach participating schools.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Passive se in se creó
El programa se creó
the program was created
Se creó presents the program as the receiver of the action; creó is singular because el programa is singular.
Useful for describing how an institution began.
Pueden plus infinitive
Pueden participar las escuelas públicas
public schools can participate
Pueden is plural because the subject comes after the verb and begins with las escuelas públicas.
Useful for stating who is eligible to join.
Deben plus infinitive
las escuelas deben ofrecer cinco componentes
schools must offer five components
Deben plus ofrecer expresses a program requirement for the plural subject las escuelas.
Useful for stating a rule or obligation.
Depender de
La cantidad depende del tipo de almuerzo
the amount depends on the type of lunch
Depende de connects the amount of reimbursement with the relevant lunch category.
Useful for explaining that one result changes according to a factor.
Present-tense question
¿Qué componente eliges primero
Which component do you choose first
Eliges is the second-person singular present form of elegir, and qué asks for the chosen component.
Useful for asking directly about a preference.
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