Sheila Farnan Leadership Award nominations due Mon., July 8
Sheila Farnan was a public health nutritionist, long-term MDH employee, and a passionate advocate for the nutrition needs of mothers and children. She died in 2004. The Minnesota WIC program honors her work and our memory of her with this award. The award is presented to an individual (or WIC local agency) who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the Minnesota WIC program. The Minnesota WIC Director will present the award during the 2024 Minnesota WIC Conference in September.
For eligibility, selection criteria, and the nomination link for the 2024 award, please refer to our WIC Local Agencies webpage and look for Shelia Farnan under the Recognition and Achievements section.
Years of service survey – deadline June 15.
The WIC and CSFP service awards honor individuals with significant years of service working in those programs to improve the nutrition status and health of mothers, infants, and children, and seniors.
WIC Coordinators – for a link to the survey and additional details refer to our MN WIC 2024 Training Conference webpage under years of service submission.
Please complete the survey even if you don’t have staff eligible for a service award. This will help us ensure all agencies are accounted for. Thank you.
Free summer meals for kids resource
Please consider sharing this information with WIC families. Hunger Impact Partners is promoting free summer meals for Minnesota kids and the SUN Bucks summer EBT program as the school year ends.
- Families can download the Free Meals for Kids mobile app to find free food serving sites across the state. The app is powered by GPS and shows locations of schools and community sites providing meals, with days and hours of operation, and provide distance and directions from the user’s location. The app is updated regularly.
- The Summer EBT program, SUN Bucks, provides $40/month for families with school-aged children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
The resources are linked in the Food and Nutrition section of the Additional Support for WIC Families webpage.
Families First of Minnesota - resource in southern MN
For over 40 years, Families First of Minnesota (formerly Child Care Resource & Referral) has been a non-profit organization working as a resource for parents, childcare programs, and community members in all areas of early childhood. The family, friend, and neighbor program at Families First of Minnesota supports caregivers by providing free health and safety training CPR/ First Aid, early learning kits for age birth to 5 and health and safety items to have safe and healthy environment for children in their care
For more information, please check out their website. Families First of Southern MN - Positive Start For Children
New resource for WIC families
There is a new podcast for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics called “Healthy Children”. Listen in as the podcast host, pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, speaks with fellow pediatric health experts about all things parents are already asking about and more! The podcast is available on Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you and your WIC families get podcasts. Learn more at Healthy Children Podcast.
We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Since the opening of the first clinic in 1974, WIC has been committed to improving maternal and child outcomes.
The June WIC 50th Anniversary Partner Toolkit (PDF) is ready and includes a The Role of Advocacy video, social media graphics, and sample social media post language.
Check out the WIC 50th Anniversary webpage for additional resources.
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Local agency staff should talk to their supervisor for approval before registering for training.
Register today for: “Improving the Health of WIC Participants through the Nutrition Assessment: Enhancing Nutrition Assessment Skills”
Webinar Date: Friday, June 21: 8:30-10 a.m.
Description: Building off our previous webinar, Improving the Health of WIC Participants through the Nutrition Assessment: Practical Applications, this presentation is a deep dive into elevating CPA proficiency in conducting comprehensive nutrition assessments. Our speaker, Melissa Nelson, will continue to explore the intricacies of the nutrition assessment, equipping staff with the knowledge and tools necessary to perform nutrition assessments that ensure the highest quality of care for WIC participants.
Objectives:
- Tailor nutrition assessment questions to the unique needs of each participant.
- Identify when and how to appropriately discuss growth with participants.
- Use the nutrition assessment to gain an understanding of a participant’s typical eating behaviors and patterns.
- Effectively use tools available to conduct quality nutrition assessments.
Register by clicking the link below:
Improving the Health of WIC Participants through the Nutrition Assessment: Enhancing Nutrition Assessment Skills
NOTE: You may need to enable cookies to reach the Microsoft Teams Webinar registration link. If it doesn’t work in your primary browser, please try another (Foxfire, Edge, or Chrome).
The Week Ahead
Check out upcoming trainings and meetings: Local Agency WIC Calendar
Find new job opportunities on the WIC Job Postings webpage. This week includes:
Submit job postings using the WIC Job Postings survey.
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