December, 2019

December 2019

Happy Holidays!

The CACFP Team Nutrition monthly newsletter provides information on nutrition and physical activity for young children, trainings and funding opportunities, resources, and success stories from Iowa CACFP programs working to support healthy habits.

Stay Connected! Iowa Department of Education - Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services

Facebook: @IowaCACFP Email: patti.delger@iowa.gov

NEW CACFP Trainer's Tools: Feeding Infants

Enhance your next training by using the new CACFP Trainer’s Tools: Feeding Infants Kit.

This training brings hot topics to life from the Feeding Infants in the CACFP guide, including:

A trainer’s guide,
Presentation slides and trainer notes,
Videos, and
Digital interactive games.

Spanish and print versions will be available at a later date.

Learn more about the CACFP Trainer’s Tools: Feeding Infants kit and one State’s experience with piloting the materials on Team Nutrition's next CACFP Trainers’ Circle webinar on Thursday, December 12th from 1:30-2:30 pm. Register here!

Brain Breaks

Children need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day to support overall health. Most children fall short of this goal. Lack of physical activity can impact a child's ability to learn.

A 3-5 minute "brain break" can help children be more active. Download this booklet for 50+ classroom brain breaks that can help the children in your care become more physically active while having fun!

Team Up for CACFP Success

Team Up for CACFP Success training will be held March 12th at Polk County ISU Extension and Outreach, 1625 Adventureland Dr in Altoona, and will include:

Tailored technical assistance to directors/managers/cooks that want to maintain a healthy childcare environment
Mentors will offer creative solutions for menu planning and family-style meals
The breakout sessions will group participants with mentors to provide effective peer-to-peer mentoring
Each participant will have a plan of action for moving forward and a new support person to contact for assistance

Mileage, sub-pay, and $300 sub-grants will be offered to all training participants. Contact patti.delger@iowa.gov if you are interested in being a mentor or participant.

CACFP Shopper Update

The CACFP Shopper was recently updated to include the newly creditable foods including hominy, coconut, corn masa, masa harina, tempheh, imitation crab, popcorn, and dried meat products. The new version of the app is now available. The app is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

NEW CACFP Participation in Iowa Story Map

Provides information about CACFP participation, food access, and family poverty to help users understand disparities and opportunities. Scroll through the story map to see child care programs, both participating and not participating in CACFP, by type of program in the context of food deserts and families who are likely eligible for CACFP. Scroll down to the last map, to turn layers on and off and zoom-in to communities to better understand the needs of children and families in those areas. Use the maps to outreach to childcare centers and homes who would benefit from healthy meal reimbursement and CACFP participation.

CACFP Week is March 15-21, 2020

CACFP Week is a national education and information campaign sponsored annually the third week of March by the National CACFP Sponsors Association. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of how the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger.

It's not too early to prepare! Check out many great resources to celebrate CACFP Week with your children and families.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter ad- dressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the com- plaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
Fax: (202) 690-7442
Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Iowa Nondiscrimination Statement

It is the policy of this CNP provider not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or religion in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code section 216.6, 216.7, and 216.9. If you have questions or grievances related to compliance with this policy by this CNP Provider, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E 14th St, Des Moines, IA 50319-1004; phone numbers 515-281-4121 or 800-457-4416; website: https://icrc.iowa.gov/.