CACFP Updates for February 20, 2024: Mealtime and Recipe Best Practices, USDA Updates, Family Style Meals Memo, Vitamin ABCs and CACFP Week

February 20, 2024

Updates from the State Agency

Organization Highlight: Mealtime and Recipe Best Practices

Kids Korner Day Care Center in Clarion utilizes USDA Team Nutrition recipes and mealtime best practices to encourage healthy eating habits. They offer a wide variety of colors, textures, fresh, frozen and both familiar and unfamiliar foods. Staff sit at the tables with children during meals and snacks and engage in pleasant mealtime conversation. The center cook Jerri Gobeli uses CACFP resources for inspiration for new snack and meal ideas. She also keeps up on her CACFP training so that she knows what foods are creditable and their portion sizes. When Jerri plans her monthly menu, she starts by adding at least one whole grain rich item every day, that way she knows that requirement has been met.

Pictured below are two center favorites, "Breakfast for Lunch" and Chicken Fried Rice. Jerri uses the USDA Standardized Fried Rice Recipe and adds more vegetables and diced chicken for extra protein to meet all requirements. It is delicious, give it a try!

Updates from the USDA

healthy eating myplate for preschoolers handout

Healthy Eating for Preschoolers Resource

Explore ways to encourage healthy eating among preschoolers with this USDA resource.

The following tips can be done in a child care setting or at home:

Offer a variety of healthy foods.
Be mindful of sweet drinks and other foods.
Focus on the meal and each other.
Be patient.

New Features and Yields in the Food Buying Guide

Team Nutrition is excited to announce new tools and food yields in the Food Buying Guide (FBG) for Child Nutrition Programs Interactive Web-based Tool!

·Interactive flow chart on using the preparation yield walks users through when to use the Preparation Yield factor in the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW).

·An Ounces to Pounds Calculator allows users to easily convert ounces to pounds and pounds to ounces to make converting units a breeze!

·New foods are available in the FBG! New additions consist of USDA Foods frozen mixed vegetables and a variety of meat items.

Team Nutrition appreciates receiving your comments on the FBG and works continuously to enhance the user experience.

Explore the Food Buying Guide today!

Updates from the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN)

February Mealtime Memo

Family Style Meal Service is a way to enhance the enjoyment of mealtime in the child care setting. It not only benefits the children, but the child care program as well. It encourages a pleasant eating environment that promotes mealtime as a learning experience. This Mealtime Memo reviews the benefits of serving meals family style and provides tips to implement it successfully.

Updates from the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA)

Age-Appropriate Kitchen Tasks

Did you know February is Bake for Family Fun Month? Although you may not be related to those in your care, they likely think of you as family.  Take this opportunity to get your kids involved in the kitchen! Kids can help out in the kitchen as early as 2 years old. Get Your Kids Excited to Learn New Skills

Vitamin ABCs

Vitamins are important for children’s proper growth. Their body needs a certain amount of vitamins each and every day. Teach kids what vitamins are in the food they eat with our Vitamin ABCs activity sheet. Eat the ABCs

Reminder: March 10-16 is CACFP Week!

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. The CACFP brings healthy foods to tables across the country for children in child care centers, homes, and afterschool programs as well as adults in day care.

Ann Parker, MHS, RDN, LD
CACFP Training Coordinator/Consultant
Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
515-205-4704
ann.parker@iowa.gov

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (Revised 5-5-22)

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-9410; or
Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Iowa Nondiscrimination Statement (Revised 3-21-16)

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 number 515-281-4121 or 800-457-4416; website: https://icrc.iowa.gov/.