School Nutrition Programs

This weekly newsletter from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is dedicated to providing education, training, and technical assistance opportunities to school nutrition professionals, helping to ensure seamless operations for those participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Child Nutrition Programs. If you are the food service contact for your school or facility, please be certain that everyone on your team has access to this important information.

Tip of the Week

Miss A Newsletter? 

Bookmark IDOE's newsletter archive page to access past School Nutrition Programs emails and refer to past newsletter guidance. 

Important Updates

National School Breakfast Week Photo Album

If you would like to share photos from your Surf’s Up adventures, please email them to Gretchen Huntzer. A 2024 scrapbook will be released in the coming weeks. 

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Application is Now Open

The school year 2024-2025 FFVP application is now open to all schools that wish to apply. FFVP is available as a reimbursable grant for K-6 grade students only. While preference is given to those with the highest free and reduced rate, all schools are welcome to apply. To learn more about program requirements, please see this presentation. Applications are due by Sunday, March 31, and each building must be submitted as a separate application. Apply here.

Farm to School

Farm to School Symposium Registration is Now Open

The Farm to School and Early Care and Education (ECE) Symposium registration is now open. Register here. The event will be held at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, June 18 and Wednesday, June 19. Participants will learn about gardening, local procurement, and agriculture education. All teaching, food service, and school administrative staff are welcome to attend. If you would like to be a presenter or a panelist, please apply here. Contact Sophie Lindley with any questions.

Local Foods for Schools (LFS) Grant Program

There is still time to sign up for the LFS Grant program. LFS offers free local produce to schools with a 50% or higher free and reduced rate. These grant funds will only last for a limited time and are a great way to get free local produce and learn more about the local food market. Please contact Brianna Goode with any questions or to sign up.

USDA Foods

American Commodity Distribution Association Conference (ACDA)

School food service staff working with the USDA Foods in Schools Program are encouraged to participate in the upcoming ACDA Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, from Sunday, April 21, through Wednesday, April 24. Members and non-members can access the $500 Member Early Bird Rate until Friday, March 22, by using code RA2024ACDA. Learn more here.

Annual Pre-Order Forecast Survey

The Annual Pre-order Forecast Survey is closed. The next annual pre-order survey will be in 2025 for school year 2025-2026. Learn more about next steps here.

Total Solar Eclipse 2024

The 2024 eclipse will be on Monday, April 8. If your school places a USDA Foods order and will not be in session, will be on break, or has an e-learning day scheduled, please ensure school staff is onsite and available to inspect, verify and accept any USDA Foods deliveries. If school staff is unavailable and it results in a missed delivery, the school food authority (SFA) may be subject to missed delivery fees, which could include transportation, handling, fuel, and restocking fees. 

USDA Foods Recipes  Celebrate St. Patty's with broccoli mac and cheese, using USDA frozen broccoli 110473 and/or frozen peas 100350. Serve a wild blueberry smoothie at breakfast, lunch, or for a powerhouse snack. These recipes must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.

Training and Webinar Opportunities

Grant Writing Webinar

Join us on Wednesday, March 20, at 2 p.m. ET, for a webinar with Megan McKinney Cooper from Jump IN for Healthy Kids to discuss preparing grant applications. Register here.

Indiana Summer EBT Informational Sessions for Schools

IDOE is hosting three informational sessions regarding the new Summer EBT program in Indiana. The sessions listed below are intended for school personnel. Each session will provide the same information with time for questions.

• Thursday, March 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Register here.
• Thursday, March 21, at 3 p.m. ET. Register here.
• Thursday, March 28, at 3 p.m. ET. Register here.

Reminders

Weight Room and Athletics Department Vending Machines

Often, school food service is unaware of the presence of athletic department vending machines. If vending machines are available to students during the school day (defined as midnight through 30 minutes after dismissal), then all items available for sale must meet Smart Snacks requirements for food or beverages. Please meet with the athletic department and coaching staff at your school to ensure Smart Snacks compliance. 

Updates from Our Partners

State Nutrition Action Committee (SNAC) Seeks Partners

SNAC is seeking school food service professionals to join their Community Advisory Board (CAB). The goal of CAB is to develop community change initiatives focused on nutrition and physical activity. There will be a recruitment info meeting on Monday, March 18, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. Click here to join.

No Kid Hungry Breakfast After the Bell Series

The No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices offered a five day video series, entitled Breakfast After the Bell (BAB), that focused on building support for, beginning, and sustaining an alternative meal service model. The recorded sessions can be accessed here. Each session is approximately 15 minutes long and topics are below:

• Day 1: How and why to start a BAB program
• Day 2: Menu planning - setting the stage for the rest of BAB program planning
• Day 3: Equipment and meal delivery
• Day 4: Training staff and the school community, and promoting your program
• Day 5: Launching and sustaining your program

Trauma Informed Nutrition (TINs) Training 

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) invites you to a training opportunity facilitated by Leah's Pantry, a national leader in trauma-informed nutrition. This unique training will bring a fresh perspective to your programs with the objective of increasing the health and resilience of your partner communities. This training counts towards professional standard training hours for school nutrition professionals.

This training opportunity is open to school nutrition and food service professionals (i.e., directors, supervisors, managers, dietitians, cashiers, and others) and Indiana School Health Services Professionals (i.e., directors, nurses, health aides/assistants, and others)

Find more information and registration here.

Upcoming Dates

Additional Resources

• School Nutrition Programs Calendar
• IDOE's Nutrition webpage
• CNPweb

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Department News

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• 02/16/24 Indiana Honors Schools Meeting the State’s 95% Literacy Goal
• 02/09/24 Indiana Department of Education Announces Recipients of High-Quality Summer Programming Grant
• 02/07/24 Indiana Department of Education Deploys Latest Round of Enhancements to the Indiana GPS Dashboard