Parents' Perception and Attitudes to the School Meal Service Program(SMSP) in Kindergarten

Lee, Youngmee; Oh, Yu Jin

Abstract

This Study investigated kindergarten parents' attitude, satisfaction and demand in the school meal service programs (SMSP). The subjects were 2450 parents that their child attended at kindergarten's SMSP from 16 provinces. To compared children's eating habits according to their parent age group and residence area, the percentage of regularly breakfast eating were lower in 'below 30 years old' group and large city residence than 'above 30 years old' group and middle and small city residence. And taking breakfast item was partially different pattern according parent age, 'below 30 years old' group and large city child ate more bread and milk as breakfast than Korean style breakfast with steamed rice and soup and side dish. In the prefer types of school meal service, most prefer types of meal service was fully meal service at kindergarten, 79.1% subjects wanted this type. But 'below 30 years old' group's parent answered 'lunch box brings from home' ratio was higher than 'above 30 years old' group. Most parents accepted the present meal cost and 63.8% of subjects was willing to pay more money to improve the quality of SMSP. Twenty-six precent parents was responded that no improvement children's eating habit through SMSP. And they answered the key point of SMSP management was 'cooking sanitation' (65.1%) and 'nutrition' (50.0%) and they answered the urgent improvement point at SMSP was 'improvement taste and quality of meal' (62.6%). Kindergarten parents' attitude about catering service as SMSP was not to prefer, but 10.4% of subjects answered that catering service is ideal meal service type in kindergarten and they expected the advantage of catering service was 'convenience of foodservice'(40.7%) and 'support foodservice facilities and labor'(32.4%) and they also pointed out disadvantage was 'lower in meal freshness'(53.9%) and 'sanitation problem'(51.9%).