Reminder – aid for school and kindergarten meals changes from September

Riga City Council reminds that from 1 September, municipal co-financing for meals in schools and kindergartens in the capital will be granted only to children declared in Riga.

There is an exception for pupils in grades 1-4, whose catering costs are fully covered by the state and municipal budgets – meaning that all children attending an educational establishment in Riga in this grade group do not have to pay for meals regardless of their declaration.

The municipality also supports a wide range of social groups in Riga by reimbursing 100% of meals for Honorary Families (Family Card 3+), the low-income, the poor, those listed in the Riga Family Support Register, orphans, the disabled and children whose parents do not fulfil their care obligations.

The maximum cost of meals in schools, which includes one meal – lunch – is EUR 3.09, co-financed by the municipality at EUR 1.47, the rest is covered by the parent. However, the cost of meals in pre-schools, which includes three meals – breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack – is EUR 4.30, with the municipality co-financing EUR 2.15.

The municipality reminds parents to cancel meals by 7.00 a.m. for the period during which the child will not eat (due to illness or other reasons) in order to calculate the actual cost of the catering service and to save resources.

If during the term of the agreement the pupil's declared address of residence is changed to the administrative territory of the City of Riga, in order to receive co-financing from the City of Riga for the catering service, it is obligatory to verify the data in the child's account on Mily.lv or inform the catering service provider about the change.

In case of questions or issues regarding the contracts, please see the information on Mily.lv or contact the caterer of your school.

It has already been reported that in 2023 changes were made to the binding regulations of Riga Municipality “Procedures for co-financing of catering services for pupils by the Riga State Municipality”, which provide that the municipality primarily supports pupils of certain social groups and pupils declared in the administrative territory of the municipality (including pupils of public and private educational establishments).

Information was prepared by: Sindija Grāvere, Project Coordinator of the External Communication Division of the Communication Department of the Riga local government, e-mail: sindija.gravere@riga.lv.