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

Helpful Tools: Data Exports in CNPweb

To export information from CNPweb as an excel file, click Reports on the purple ribbon in CNPweb (not the Reports tab in the Sponsor Summary) and select Data File Export. This will open a list of reports that can be exported for the selected program year. You can retrieve data from previous years by selecting a past program year. Available reports include several Food Distribution Program summary reports, a State Match Allocation report, options for claims payment totals, as well as Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) site information, if applicable.

Important Updates

Team Nutrition (TN) Virtual Training Update 

TN virtual training is still available for school nutrition directors, assistant directors, dietitians, managers, and frontline staff. All 40 hours of TN virtual training are available for managers and directors in Moodle, in addition to all eight hours of training for frontline staff. The first 250 food service directors and 250 kitchen managers who complete the 40 hours of training will be rewarded $500. The first 250 frontline staff that complete the eight hours of training will be rewarded $100. There are still incentive spots left.  Please inform frontline staff who may benefit that the eight hour training is now available in both Spanish and Hakha Chin. Read through the updated FAQ and contact the TN Training Grant team with additional questions.

Farm to School

Indiana Grown for School Listening Session

The next Indiana Grown for Schools virtual listening session is on Wednesday, April 3, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET, and will focus on several areas including the current landscape of Farm to School initiatives, successes and challenges, existing resources, and the vision for the future of Farm to School Indiana. We would love the input of school nutrition professionals. Sign up here and email Indiana Grown for Schools Partner, Tashi Teuschler, with any questions. 

USDA Foods

End of School Year Tasks

Schools should evaluate the volume of all USDA Foods currently at their state assigned warehouses (Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Food Service and Wabash Foods), at the processors and any Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program funds available in the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS). USDA Foods allocations into school food authority (SFA) inventories in CNPweb will end on Tuesday, April 30. State assigned warehouse deliveries will end on or before Sunday, June 30. SFAs should remove all USDA Foods from their state assigned warehouse, processors and utilize DoD Fresh Program funds by Sunday, June 30. It is highly recommended that SFAs cross-reference their delivery periods under the "Orders" tab in CNPweb with school calendars. Any unordered direct delivery (brown box) USDA Foods will be swept from all SFA inventories after Sunday, June 30.

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. Learn more 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  Encourage students to eat those frozen apricot cups by trying Porter Township Schools’ Apricot Parfait recipe. Use your other USDA canned or frozen fruit in these fruit cups. These recipes must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.

Training and Webinar Opportunities

Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership (ISNL)

Due to restrictions from the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), IDOE will offer one in-person ISNL training opportunity this summer, from Monday, June 24, through Friday, June 28, at Greenfield-Central Educational Services Center. ISNL is intended for new school nutrition program directors and provides an overview of school nutrition programs, defines the role and responsibilities of a director, and reviews the relationship between local policies and state/federal regulations. Because this session will be capped at 40 participants, we ask that only those with three or fewer years of director/program management experience, and who have never attended ISNL training, register to attend. Register here.

Food Service Director (FSD) 101

IDOE will provide training to new school nutrition program directors with five years or less experience through FSD 101. This series of live webinars will discuss the director’s role, meal pattern and crediting, wellness policies, special dietary needs, USDA foods, and more. We ask that participants plan to attend all sessions. Learn more and register here by Friday, May 24.

ICN March STAR Webinar

ICN’s March STAR webinar on Thursday, March 28, at 3 p.m. ET, will highlight effective tools for menu planning in school nutrition programs. This session is designed to equip school nutrition professionals with tried-and-true tips for crafting innovative menus that are appealing and inclusive to students. School nutrition professionals will gain insight and practical tools for implementing a systematic approach to menu planning that caters to students' preferences, enhances their dining experience, and promotes overall well-being. Register here.

Reminders

Indiana SUN Bucks - Summer EBT Many children lose free and reduced-price meals during the summer and their caregivers may need help putting meals on the table. Funded by USDA and the State of Indiana, Indiana SUN Bucks is a new and permanent benefit program that provides families $120 per eligible school-aged child to buy groceries while school is out for the summer. Student eligibility information will be collected from from National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operating schools through Data Exchange (DEX), but IDOE needs your help to communicate with families about this new program.  If you did not attend the Indiana SUN Bucks informational session last week, please plan to have someone from your school attend one of the remaining sessions.  Thursday, March 28, at 3 p.m. ET. Register here.

National School Breakfast Week Scrapbook

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos for the 2024 National School Breakfast Week Indiana scrapbook! View the photos here.

Upcoming Dates

Additional Resources

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

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Department News

• 03/20/24 Indiana Provides Educators A Free Opportunity to Earn a Literacy Endorsement