SchoolCafe Information

Monitor student meal accounts by visiting SchoolCafé.

Apply for meal benefits (free and reduced)
Check status of meal benefits application and view/print meal benefit notifications
View Menus with nutrient and allergen information
View your child's account balance anytime.
See exactly what a la carte items are being purchased.
Set limits on a la carte purchases.
Do all this by setting up a user name and password via registration on SchoolCafé.

To Register for an Account

Select 'Create a new account'.
Select "I’m a Parent" and select Next.
Enter your name and contact information, then select Next.
Create a username and password you will easily remember, and confirm the password.
Set up a security question and answer (in case you forget your login credentials) and select Next.
Read and accept the Terms & Conditions, then select Create Account.

Password Reset*

Contact Info

Phone: 855.PAY-2-EAT - (855) 729-2328
Email: customercare@schoolcafe.com

*Note: For security purposes, you may be asked to verify your contact info, including your security answer, when you request help.

To Add a Student:

At the top of your Dashboard, select 'Add a new Student'.
Enter your student’s information as requested.
Select Find Student.
Verify the student found is accurate and select Add Student.

How to Apply for Meal Benefits on School Cafe

Sign in to your SchoolCafe Account
On the left menu, click Eligibility Benefits and then click Apply
Select your preferred language.
Begin the application for Free & Reduced Meals by certifying your information is correct or by editing the information.
Enter Household & Student Information
Add Students to Your Application - Add each student who will be included in the meal application.
Add Additional Household Members- Include all household members
Enter Additional Details - Provide information such as income, foster status, or homelessness status if applicable. Income amounts can be adjusted as needed.
Provide Assistance Information - Enter any information about financial assistance you receive. Enter case numbers where required.
Navigate Through the Application. You may return to previous steps at any time to make corrections.
Review & Certify Your Information - Review household info, assistance info, and selected students. Certify that all information is correct.
Enter the last four digits of your Social Security number if required.
Submit your completed application.
Digitally sign the application.
Submit Your Application
After submission, you will receive a copy you can print or download.
After Submission You can view:

Previous applications
Submitted applications
Application results
Submission dates
Notification letters about your application
Eligibility status letters from the district

How To Set Up Low Balance Alerts

Sign into your SchoolCafe account
From your Dashboard, locate an individual student and select the blue text next to "Low Balance Alert" (it will say either "Not Set" or "Set for ...").
Enter a balance threshold. This tells SchoolCafé how low the student’s balance must be before a low balance alert is sent to you.
Enter how often you would like to receive a reminder that the student’s balance is below the threshold.
Select Save.

How to View Account Balances and Purchases

Sign into your SchoolCafe account. Your students must be linked to your account. See To Add a Student above.
From your Dashboard, locate an individual student. Account Balance for the student will show under the student's name. Select Purchase History.
Select how many days you wish to view - Last 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, or custom

How to set Restrictions for ala carte purchases

Sign into your SchoolCafe account. Your students must be linked to your account. See To Add a Student above.
On the left side menu bar, under payments, select Purchase Restrictions.
Indicate the days that you do not want your child to purchase ala carte with cash in their hand.
Indicate the days that you do not want your child to purchase ala carte with their account.
Indicate the maximum number of ala carte items your child can purchase each day.
Indicate the maximum dollar amount that your child can purchase ala carte daily, weekly or monthly. This amount is in addition to the school meal.
Click Save these restrictions.

Example: Purchase Restrictions:

If you have clicked Tuesday and Thursday, this means your child cannot purchase ala carte items on these days.
If you have indicated $1.00 daily spending limit, your child will be able to purchase a school meal and $1.00 of ala carte daily.

How to restrict your child from buying any ala carte from the cafeteria

Sign into your SchoolCafe account. Your students must be linked to your account. See To Add a Student above.
On the left side menu bar, under payments, select Purchase Restrictions.
Under purchase restrictions, click all boxes.
Under maximum number of ala carte purchased per day list 0.
Under daily, weekly and monthly spending list 0 in each.
Click Save these restrictions.

How to restrict your child from buying any item (meals and ala carte) from the cafeteria

Contact the Student Nutrition Services office at (913) 993-9710 or email - studentnutrition@smsd.org

How to view/print a monthly menu from SchoolCafe

Sign into your SchoolCafe account or select View Menus (as a guest) on the log in screen
The log in screen also offers different language options in the upper right hand corner.
On the Menu screen, look for the Monthly option above the dates.
On the Monthly screen, select school and select the meal type.
Next, select the categories you would like to view. Categories are: Entrees, Entree Options, Grains, Vegetable, Fruits, Milk, Condiments
Next, click the print button which is on the upper right of the monthly calendar view.

How to view menus with Nutrients

Sign into your School Cafe account or select View Menus (as a guest) on the log in screen.
The log in screen also offers different language options in the upper right hand corner.
On the school menus page, you can check out upcoming menus from a daily, weekly or monthly view. Select the date for the menu to view.
Menus may be filtered by school, meal type, and allergies. Click on a school from the dropdown list and select a meal type (breakfast or lunch).
Menu items are listed alphabetically by type of item. To see additional nutritional information about specific menu items, you can click on an item’s name to bring up a variety of information such as ingredient or calorie content.
When viewing menus by weekly or monthly view, the default shows only entrée. Click the categories to see all menu items.
Toggle the ‘show nutrients’ button to see nutrients for each item.

How to view menus with Allergens

Sign into your School Cafe account or select View Menus (as a guest) on the log in screen.
The log in screen also offers different language options in the upper right hand corner.
On the school menus page, you can check out upcoming menus from a daily, weekly or monthly view. Select the date for the menu to view.
Menus may be filtered by school, meal type, and allergies. Click on a school from the dropdown list and select a meal type (breakfast or lunch).
To filter by allergens, click the ‘Allergens’ button on the right side of page. Click the allergens you want to omit from the menu, then click the ‘filter’ button. The menu is displayed without the specified allergens. (Milk is all dairy/milk.)
Pork-containing items are designated on the menus with a ^ symbol in the menu item name. Could also click Pork under Additional Allergens, then click Filter to display menu without pork containing items.

Nutritional Data Disclaimer - Attention Parents/Students, The nutritional data contained on School Cafe is based on labels and formulation statements provided by the manufacturers. Manufacturers may, and do, change their products and/or products formulation ingredients without our knowledge prior to delivery. Therefore, ingredients and menu items are subject to change or substitution without notice. For assistance, please call the Student Nutrition Services office at 913-993-9710.