Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new study from Rutgers University's Center for Women and Work. The study, authored by Dr. Mary McCain, addresses the scope of the problem in general, and then offers recommendations to fix these problems.

School lunches offer many children the only assurance that children of low-income families receive at least one well-balanced and healthy meal a day.

Despite their important work, New Jersey's public school food service workers are "struggling to support their own families," since their "pay is low, benefits are rare, and opportunities for advancement are limited."

The report found that the average hourly wage for food preparation workers in educational services was only $8.15, and revealed that many of these jobs pay no more than the NJ state minimum wage of $7.15. Many times, sick days are not provided, raising "concerns for both the health and safety of the students and the workers" when there is an "economic incentive" to "go to work while ill."

McCain's report offers specific policy recommendations, including:

1. Increase wages and benefits to a level to sustain families and to reduce reliance on state-funded safety net programs. This is key to raising workers out of poverty. Benefits, such as sick days "should be required," as "a food service worker should never have an economic incentive to go to work when ill."
2. Establish a state system for requiring and providing a "food handler permit" for food service workers: A permit, much like the ones provided by California, Oregon, and Arizona, would provide " a validation of necessary knowledge" by "ensuring that current and potential employees have certified their knowledge of food safety and nutrition."
3. Require that contracted food service workers receive training from qualified training programs: Training could include "information about regulations governing school meal programs, menu planning, and other issues in addition to food handling."