VenturEd Solutions
←
Back to changelog
Powered by Canny

new

improved

Educate

Educate Release Note: MN v9.18.0 May 6, 2026

🌟 New & Improved Meal Ordering Experience — Built from School Feedback
We’re excited to introduce a major upgrade to meal ordering, designed to make planning, ordering, and managing meals
simpler, clearer, and more reliable
—for families and schools alike.
These improvements are based on feedback shared by
school administrators and staff
, who advocated on behalf of families and highlighted opportunities to make the ordering experience more intuitive.
We listened—and delivered.
💬 What We Heard from Schools
Schools shared that families needed:
  • A way to
    self‑order meals
    for their children
  • Clear visibility into
    prices and meal options
  • Better
    allergen and diet information
  • Fewer ordering errors and last‑minute surprises
Schools also asked for:
  • Stronger control over
    store hours and order cutoffs
  • The ability to
    accept advance orders
  • Discount program offering to staff members
  • Consistent behavior across
    POS, Attendance, and family ordering pages
  • Reduced support questions around availability and deadlines
This release addresses all of the above.
✅ What’s New for Families
Calendar‑Based Weekly Ordering
Families can now plan meals using a clear weekly calendar:
  • See available menu items by day
  • Easily identify ordering windows and cafeteria closures
  • Past and closed days are clearly disabled
Smarter Filters
Families can filter meals by:
  • Student (single or multiple children)
  • Allergens (exclusion‑based, with clear icons)
  • Diet preferences (Vegan / Vegetarian, when available)
Menus update instantly—no page reloads.
Plan Ahead with Confidence
Families can:
  • Build orders across multiple days and weeks
  • Move between weeks without losing selections
  • See totals update in real time
Program‑Based Pricing
Pricing automatically reflects student meal programs:
  • Full Price, Reduced, or Free
  • Discounts are clearly displayed
  • Totals are validated before confirmation—no surprises
image
image
✅ What’s New for Schools
Smarter Store Scheduling & Cutoffs
Schools now have enhanced control over when orders can be placed:
  • Stores can run daily or in defined blocks
  • Start times, end times, and order due‑by cutoffs are enforced automatically
  • Late or invalid orders are prevented by design
image
Consistent Ordering Rules Everywhere
Availability rules are applied consistently across:
  • Attendance (School & Classroom)
  • Family ordering pages
This ensures families and staff only see and order what’s truly available.
Note:
The POS interface continues to allow admins and cafeteria staff to log orders for past dates when the store and item were available, providing flexibility for operational reconciliation.
Staff Discount Program Support (NEW)
Schools can now
enroll staff into discount programs
, allowing staff members to receive discounted meal pricing where applicable.
This provides greater flexibility and ensures consistent pricing rules for both students and staff.
image
Note
: State Lunch report will continue to show students data. If you specifically select Staff is when the report will include staff data.
Easier Cafeteria Closure Management (NEW)
Admins now have a
more efficient way to mark cafeteria closure days
, ensuring:
  • Closed days are clearly reflected across ordering experiences
  • Families cannot place orders on cafeteria holidays or non‑serving days
  • Menus and calendars stay accurate with minimal effort
This reduces confusion and prevents invalid orders on closed days.
image
Cleaner, More Reliable Ordering
  • Lunch ordering has been removed from
    Visual Attendance
  • Ordering is now routed through POS and family ordering flows
  • Daily internal ordering workflow from attendance remains unchanged
🎯 Why This Matters
These improvements help:
  • Families place accurate, informed orders
  • Schools reduce ordering errors and last‑minute changes
  • Schools better
    plan demand and manage supply
    through advance orders
  • Staff benefit from discount programs where applicable
  • Everyone can trust that availability, pricing, and deadlines are clear and consistent
Most importantly, this release reflects
schools advocating for families
—and our commitment to acting on that feedback.
🚀 We’re Just Getting Started
This update is part of our continued investment in making meal ordering:
  • Easier to use
  • More transparent
  • More reliable for schools and families
Thank you to the school teams who shared feedback and helped shape these improvements. Please keep it coming—we’re listening.
If you need any help adjusting the Point-of-Sale configurations, please reach out to our support team.