The days of a kid taking lunch money and spending it on candy are long gone.

Payment apps had taken care of what was once an age-old problem.

And now not only can parents make sure lunch money is actually spent on eating in the school cafeteria but they can keep tabs on what their children eat as well thanks to the MyPaymentPlus platform Manteca Unified switched to this year.

“It’s great if you need to work with your child to monitor what they eat due to dietary considerations,” noted Deputy Superintendent Roger Goatcher.

The app allows parents to check purchases as it lists the items bought and the price paid. Goatcher said if parents need to work with their students to count calories or make sure they are making selections that won’t have a negative impact on their health, the new app is an effective tool.

“It can be used to help parents teach their students about nutrition and making the right decisions when it comes to food,” MUSD Community Outreach Coordinator Victoria Brunn said.

It is part of an ongoing effort by MUSD not only to making school information easily accessible but also to plug in parents as much as possible with their child’s education.

Manteca Unified switched to MyPaymentPlus after the old point of sale operating system was no longer supported due to aging platforms.

After an account is created at www.mypaymentplus.com, parents (or guardians) can access balance information, meal purchase history, and account payment history at no cost.

Low balance notifications are also available so parents know there is always sufficient funds in their students’ school meal account.

A fee of roughly 4 cents a meal is charged by MyPaymentPlus. Payments to credit a student’s MUSD meal accounts can be made online using a credit or debit card or even an e-check.

Parents have the option to make one-time payments or create settings that automatically replenish a student’s account when it reaches a low balance.

Families can avoid the small fee by making payments in cash or check to the school site or at the MISD Nutrition Education office.

The system also helps avoid charges being stacked up when the student doesn’t have money in their accounts to purchase lunch.

The system further streamlines the lunch payment process years ago that was cumbersome and labor intense requiring the handling of money, checks, and meal punch cards. Almost all of that has been eliminated with online pay. The MyPaymentPlus system further simplifies and streamlines the process while adding the ability for parents to check the payment history and what their students purchased to eat.

The portal to set up an account can be accessed at the Manteca Unified website by going to musdnutrition.net.