Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter

Indiana Department of Education sent this bulletin at 10/10/2019 03:19 PM EDT

10/10/2019

Dear Food Service Contact,

This email provides news for schools concerning the Child Nutrition Programs from the USDA and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). If you are the food service contact for your school or corporation, it is your responsibility to relay important information provided to you about the Child Nutrition Programs to other staff members.

NEW! Smart Snacks Course

  • A brand-new Smart Snacks course has been added to inTEAM. 
  • This great, new course has three different parts that you can view all together or individually. 
    • Learn about the food and beverage standards for Smart Snacks in part one.
    • In part two, viewers will cover Smart Snack exemptions.
    • And finally in part three, viewers will learn more about the Smart Snacks calculator.
    • There is also a separate tutorial on plugging exemptions in the calculator.
  • Need assistance with inTEAM? View the inTEAM User Guide here. 
  • Questions about Smart Snacks? Contact Allie Caito-Sipe at acaito@doe.in.gov or your field specialist.
  • Questions about inTEAM logins? Contact Rachel Beach at rachel@e-inteam.com.

Verification Resources

Substitution of Vegetables for Fruit at Breakfast Memo Update

  • USDA released a memo in March allowing SFAs participating in the School Breakfast Program to credit starchy vegetables, in place of fruit without including vegetables from other subgroups on the weekly menu.
  • This flexibility has been extended through Thursday, November 21.
  • To read the original memo with details on this flexibility, click here.
  • Questions? Contact your field specialist.

2019 Farm to School Census

  • The 2019 Farm to School Census is currently underway!
  • Remember, it is important that all SFAs-, (including public, charter, and private) participate to ensure the results are representative of all SFAs in the country.
  • Click here to review a worksheet that details information you will need to complete the census.
  • For additional information about the census, please review Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Your SFA’s personalized census link was sent to you by email from Abt Associates (farmtoschool@abtsurvey.com).
  • If you lost your link, need a new link sent to you, or have any questions about completing the Census, please contact the Abt study team toll-free at 855-452-5794 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, or e-mail farmtoschool@abtassoc.com.

Chef Ann Foundation Grant Opportunity

  • The Chef Ann Foundation is a national non-profit that helps schools ensure that every child can access fresh, healthy food.
  • Chef Ann Foundation is now accepting applications for Get Schools Cooking (GSC) through Monday, October 28. 
  • GSC is a three-year program that helps school districts transform their school lunch program into healthy, nutritious meals made from scratch.
  • The grant is valued at up to $267,000 per district. 
  • Schools that want to apply must meet the following criteria:
    • Be firmly committed to working towards a scratch-cooked and fresh whole foods approach in their meal programs.
    • Demonstrate support for improvement from district leadership.
    • Have a minimum district enrollment of 3,000 students and serve between four and thirty schools.
    • Run a self-operated food service program.
  • Questions? Contact the Director of Programs Emily Gallivan at emily@chefannfoundation.org

New Website and Mobile App for Free Food Programs for Families

  • FoodFinder is a nonprofit organization with a website and mobile app that shows low-income families how to get help from free food programs, such as food pantries nearby.
  • Parents are able to use the app/website to help them learn where to find food outside of school, as well.
  • Questions? Contact Jack Griffin at jack@foodfinder.us.

Last Chance to Register! Reimbursable School Meals and Special Dietary Needs Training

  • Don't forget to sign up for the Reimbursable School Meals and Special Dietary Needs Training. 
  • ICN will hold their four-hour training on reimbursable school meals in the morning followed by IDOE covering special dietary needs in the afternoon. 
    • Please note that this special dietary needs training is a more in-depth training than those held in the past.
  • Participants can register to attend one or both of the trainings.
  • Spots are still available at the training at Kankakee Valley School Corporation and Paoli Community Schools Corporation.
  • Click here for more information and to register. 
  • Questions? Contact Maggie Schabel at mschabel@doe.in.gov.

Miss a Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter? Click here to access previous newsletters!

Was the newsletter forwarded to you? Want to add other employees to receive the newsletter? Click here to be added to the contact list.

Please do not reply directly to this email. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this email, please contact Allie Caito-Sipe at acaito@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0849, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20849, or contact Ashley Heller at aheller@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0544, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20544.