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CACFP RoundUp Newsletter

OCTOBER 2021

Free & Reduced-Price Meal Information for CACFP 2021-2022 - CHECK YOUR EMAIL!

Enrollment forms (including income eligibility) along with the letter to households need to be distributed annually. The best way to do this is by providing each family the letter to households along with the enrollment form (both documents are included below). While distributing your enrollment forms this year – please encourage families to fill out the racial and ethnic data information – as per USDA guidance as of May 2021, visual identification is no longer an acceptable way to provide racial ethnic data – instead it is encouraged that the individual families self-report this information.

**NOTE: Enrollment forms are good for ONE year from the date of receiving them, so if you have already completed this process, you do not need to obtain these forms again.

Application and Information for Free and Reduced-Price Meals:

Free & Recued Price Application with Enrollment Form 2021-2022 

Letter to Households – No Charge 2021-2022 

Income Information for Determining Applications

Income Eligibility guidelines 2021-22 

For Help: Inquire at dpicnfd@nd.gov

**This reminder, along with the applicable documents are being sent via email. Please check your inbox for this information in an email from Stacie Morowski.

Starting October 1, 2021 - Grains to be credited using "Grain Ounce Equivalents"

This may be overwhelming – however this implementation date has been pushed back a couple of years, as the initial role out was to be in 2019….so it is not something to be surprised about (unless you are new to the CACFP!).

CACFP operators must ensure that they are offering the minimum required serving size of creditable grains in ounce equivalents for each age group….so instead of ½ slice or serving, its changing the verbiage to ½ ounce, which is not a big difference, it may in some grain items be the same serving size, and in others may be slightly larger. This is aligning CACFP to the School Nutrition Programs, so that child nutrition programs as a whole use grain ounce equivalents. 

There are also many webinars available through USDA and Team Nutrition. Check out the USDA website for multiple links and resources: CACFP Grains Ounce Equivalents Resources | USDA-FNS

During our Annual Foodservice Training presentation we went through this more in depth. Below are the most user-friendly resources to refer to when you are verifying if your menu is offering enough, based on grain ounce equivalents.

Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (azureedge.net)

Exhibit A (usda.gov)

Here are a few examples that we walked through during the presentation:

If you have questions on how to convert or ensure your current menu is using grain ounce equivalents, or have questions on how to credit grains, please reach out to our office and we can help! Send us an email at dpicnfd@nd.gov and let us know you would like some assistance and we will be in contact with you!

Did You Miss Our Annual Trainings or Want to Re-Watch?

**NOTE: If you have not had a representative from your facility take part in the Annual Trainings, you have already been contacted to watch our recordings and take a short quiz for your records to be updated that your facility has attended the training. If you took part in our live version, or have since been in communication with us regarding watching the training, you do not need to watch it again.

You can share these links with others in your centers that may be interested in watching all or part of the training.

Admin Training Link:

https://youtu.be/zGSRaBuVYGM

Foodservice Training Link:

https://youtu.be/xe1rJA1LFSM  

We had some great conversation and feedback in our Q&A from the Foodservice session – here are resources that were discussed in the training:

• Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (azureedge.net)
• pdf (azureedge.net)
• USDA Standardize Recipes - Institute of Child Nutrition (theicn.org)

LOOKING TO USE UP THE APPLE HARVEST WITH AN

APPLE CRUNCH?

Reminder! 

All Lead Foodservice Workers (LFSW) need to have a sanitation training on file!

New LFSW – need to take the initial Sanitation Training – which can be found here:

Simply create a profile with The Institute of Child Nutrition ICN E-learning (docebosaas.com) These are all able to be “stopped & started”, if unable to sit down and complete at one time. The specific training needed is “Food Safety in Child Care". Send us your completed certificate to dpicnfd@nd.gov and we will update your training in NDFoods.

Once the LFSW has completed the initial sanitation training, it is good for five (5) years! After the initial expires, then a Sanitation Update needs to be taken.

If you are in need of a sanitation update, NDDPI has a recorded version here:   https://youtu.be/MdhuzS_tlhM  To earn credit: email us at dpicnfd@nd.gov to let us know you have watched the recording and we send you a post quiz and will update NDFoods to reflect your new training!

Looking for a fun game to incorporate more fruits and vegetables?

Print out these flash cards and plan to purchase a few of the vegetables or fruits discussed! You may want to use these with older children – as some of these might be harder for younger children to identify. Consider using the description, known associates or “wanted for” sections and have children guess what the item is – or make up your own way of how you will use these cards. This could be an opportunity for you to introduce a new fruit/vegetable to the children in your care. The full game and description can be found here: The Great Garden Detective Adventure (azureedge.net)

Other activities can be found in the Kids’ Corner Kids' Corner | Nutrition.gov as there are items such as MyPlate Bingo (azureedge.net), or Kids Food Critic Activity (azureedge.net) are fun and quick printable activities!

CONTACT OUR OFFICE:

NDDPI Child Nutrition and Food Distribution

Main Office:

600 E. Boulevard Ave, Dept 201

Bismarck, ND 58505  

PHONE: 701-328-2294 or 888-338-3663

FAX: 701-328-9566

Email: dpicnfd@nd.gov

Mayville Office:

14 Main St E, Mayville, ND 58257

PHONE: 701-788-8901 or 888-788-8901

Website: www.nd.gov/dpi/SchoolStaff/ChildNutritionFoodDistribution