Pre-paid cards to compensate for school dinners
Some thirty thousand school children between the ages of 3 and 16 who are entitled to subsidised school meals are to receive a pre-paid card guaranteeing that right during the time they have to stay at home because of Covid-19. The subsidy, funded by the state, implemented by the Government of Catalonia and distributed by the Barcelona Education Consortium, has a value of 4 euros for each school day the child can’t attend school.
The special pre-paid card will initially have 40 euros on it to cover the first two weeks of the state of emergency and will be updated every two weeks thereafter.
How can I get a pre-paid card?
Schools or the Education Consortium will be telephoning families entitled to subsidised school dinners and offering them two options for picking up the card from their child’s school.
- a) Wait until the isolation period ends.
- b) Request an appointment to pick up the card as soon as possible, preferably the following day.
How is safety guaranteed?
A team of municipal volunteer workers will handle the distribution of the pre-paid cards at each school. To avoid build-ups of people and minimize risks, the prevention measures recommended by the Public Health Agency will be followed:
- Staggered appointments: maximum of 15 families per half hour.
- Safety distance of a metre and a half.
- Protective equipment: gloves, masks and disinfectant.
- No physical contact with staff when collecting.
How does the pre-paid card work?
Once collected, the card will be active and ready to use. Its use is restricted to food establishments with card readers.
The cards will be valid for one year.
