Use Scratch and Speed Scratch Cooking to Save on Food Costs
The Jay School Corporation has a selection of items they prepare using scratch or speed scratch cooking methods, including a student breakfast favorite: cinnamon rolls! They proof, bake, and ice the cinnamon rolls in-house which has led to a drop in food costs. The January breakfast per meal food cost was just $1.07 per meal.
Interested in scratch cooking? Check out the websites below for recipe options designed specifically for school nutrition professionals. Standardized recipes must be tested in the local kitchen to ensure accuracy based on the equipment available.
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Final Rule for School Nutrition Standards
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has released the final rule for long-term school nutrition standards after listening to public feedback and following recommendations from the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The rule is effective Monday, July 1, but USDA is gradually phasing in the requirements over time. The earliest that program operators will have to make changes to planned menus is school year (SY) 2025-2026. Visit the Final Rule webpage for additional information and resources. Register here for UDSA’s Final Rule informational webinar for School Food Authorities (SFAs) on Thursday, May 9, at 2 p.m. ET. IDOE will release more information and local resources in the coming weeks.
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Friday, May 3, is School Lunch Hero Day!
A heartfelt thank you to all the school lunch heroes out there making the day better for every student they serve!
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Equipment Grant Application Now Available
Applications for the 2023 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant will be accepted today, Wednesday, May 1, through Friday, May 31. Instructions and application can be found here. Frequently asked questions can be found here. Contact SCNFinance@doe.in.gov with questions regarding this funding opportunity. Please include your sponsor number and “Equipment Grant” in the subject line.
SUN Bucks Office Hours
IDOE will host SUN Bucks office hours for school employees on Friday, May 3, at 10 a.m. ET to review common questions and answer any new questions. Click here to join.
SUN Bucks Data Collection - Share with Data Teams
IDOE will gather data for Indiana SUN Bucks card distribution from school enrollment reports submitted through DEX. Please make sure DEX Enrollment Reports are updated and pushed to IDOE by the end of the day today, Wednesday, May 1. This will capture updates to the system before the first round of cards are issued.
SUN Bucks Application Now Available
The online SUN Bucks application is now open. IDOE will accept and process these applications at the state level. Please keep in mind the following when directing households to the online application:
- Only those who are not qualified for free or reduced price meal benefits need to submit the online SUN Bucks application.
- Please ensure those that you have as qualified for free or reduced status know they should not complete the online application. We are seeing many applications for households who appear to already be automatically enrolled.
- This qualification is based on current year information. For Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) students, either a current year direct certification (DC) status or an approved alternate income application will qualify them to be automatically eligible for SUN Bucks.
SUN Bucks Contact
Please designate a SUN Bucks contact for your school/corporation. This person does not have to be the food service director, but needs to be reasonably available throughout the summer in the event that questions surrounding eligibility, enrollment, or custody arrangement situations arise. Complete contact designation form here.
End of School Year Reminders Video
This video shares reminders about tasks that need to be completed before summer break. IDOE will sweep all Direct Delivery (Brown Box) USDA Foods remaining in school inventories in CNPweb as of Monday, July 1.
SY 2024-2025 USDA Foods Direct Delivery Warehouses
IDOE has executed new contracts with two warehouses for SY 2024-2025. Dilgard Frozen Foods will cover the counties in northeastern region and Stanz-Troyers Foodservice will cover the remaining counties in the state. Click here for a map and list of county and regional assignments.
USDA Foods Recipes
Use your 100396 raisins in these Nutty Cocoa Chew Bars. This recipe can be made with USDA Foods and must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.
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Back to School Training: IN the Mix, Prepped for Success
IDOE is happy to announce the return of in-person back to school training. All food service personnel are invited to attend this day-long session in preparation for the 2024-2025 school year.
- When: Wednesday, July 10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Renaissance Indianapolis North Hotel, Carmel, Indiana
- Additional Details: This training is free to attend and the cost of travel to the training is an allowable expenditure of food service funds. View a draft of the agenda, with learning tracks by job duties, here. Attendees will receive credit toward annual professional standards training hours. Lunch will be provided for attendees through the support of the American Dairy Association, Indiana.
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Register here. Please ensure each attendee has registered.
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) will present pre-conference training opportunity for managers and directors on Tuesday, July 9. Managing Personalities and Conflict will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET at the Carmel-Clay Education Service Center. Learn more and register here.
Spring Webinars from IDOE
- Wellness Policies: Join us to discuss the ins and outs of wellness policies with tips on outreach and organizing a wellness committee for the next school year. Thursday, May 16, at 2 p.m. ET - register here
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Rescheduled - Professional Standards: This webinar will cover best practices for annual professional standards training requirements for all school nutrition professionals and discuss hiring standards for new school nutrition program directors. Thursday, May 23, at 2 p.m. ET - register here.
- This webinar was rescheduled to allow schools to attend the USDA Final Rule webinar on Thursday, May 9.
Comment Period Extended: Summer EBT and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs Interim Final Rule
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is extending the public comment period on the interim final rule, “Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs,’’ published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2023. This action extends the public comment deadline from Monday, April 29, to Tuesday, August 27, to give the public additional time to prepare and submit comments.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 requires the Secretary of Agriculture to make available to states an option to provide summer meals for non-congregate meal service in rural areas with no congregate meal service and to establish a permanent summer electronic benefits transfer for children program (Summer EBT) for the purpose of ensuring continued access to food when school is not in session for the summer.
This interim final rule amends the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program’s Seamless Summer Option (SSO) regulations to codify the flexibility for rural program operators to provide non-congregate meal service in the SFSP and SSO, collectively referred to as the summer meal programs. This rule also establishes regulations and codifies the Summer EBT Program in the Code of Federal Regulations.
USDA’s FNS invites interested persons to submit written comments on this interim final rule. Comments may be submitted in writing by one of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
- Mail: Send comments to Community Meals Policy Division, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.
All written comments submitted in response to this interim final rule will be included in the record and will be made available to the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments will be subject to public disclosure. USDA will make the written comments publicly available here.
Youth Adolescent Physical Activity (YAPA) Grant Application Now Open
The Indiana Department of Health’s (IDOH) Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) has released the 2024-2025 YAPA grant application. This one-year grant is focused on providing physical activity and physical education opportunities for youth and adolescents six through 17 years of age, kindergarten through grade 12, in the classroom, school, and before or after school program settings. Schools and youth-serving organizations are eligible to apply by Friday, May 17, at 5 p.m. ET. Please contact IDOH’s Emma Smythe with any questions.
Upcoming Dates |
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Wednesday, May 1, at 5 p.m. ET
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Food Education Fellowship Office Hour
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Thursday, May 2, at 1 p.m. ET
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End of Year Updates and Reminders
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Friday, May 3
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School Lunch Hero Day
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Friday, May 3 at 10 a.m. ET
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SUN Bucks Office Hours
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Thursday, May 9, at 2 p.m. ET
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USDA's Final Rule Information Webinar for SFAs
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Thursday, May 16, at 2 p.m. ET
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Wellness Policies
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Thursday, May 23, at 2 p.m. ET
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Professional Standards (Rescheduled)
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Monday, May 27
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Food Education Fellowship Application Deadline
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Friday, May 31
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2023 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant Application Deadline
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Tuesday, June 18, and Wednesday, June 19
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Farm to School and ECE Symposium
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Wednesday, July 10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
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IN the Mix: Back to School Training
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Tuesday, August 27
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Summer EBT Final Rule Comments Extended Deadline
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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