National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) is NEXT week already! NSBW celebrates the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success.
Some last-minute ideas to celebrate include:
The School Nutrition Association has put together Social Media Tips for NSBW23. They can be found HERE.
We would love to feature some of your celebrations in our April 2023 Newsletter, so please send us your NSBW celebrations by emailing dpicnfd@nd.gov.
The CNFD office has a new position, our Farm to School Specialist. Amanda Olson is in this role, and she will be organizing Farm to Child Nutrition Program Projects such as: Harvest of the Month, Pride of Dakota Lunch Day, assisting with local food procurement and more! We are excited to expand our North Dakota local foods into schools and early childhood care facilities.
CNFD will sending out a survey in April to determine interest in procuring local food, to understand what schools and childcares are currently doing for local food purchasing and ways we can partner to expand farm to school activities. Stay tuned!
Don’t forget Harvest of the Month is still happening, with the focus of soybeans for the month of March. You can check out materials that ND Soybean Council provided at this link https://ndsoybean.org/educational-materials/
Visit their resources under “Simple Soy-Recipe Cards” for ways to incorporate soybeans onto your plate in March. Our favorite is the cranberry edamame salad, yum!
If you are interested in procuring local foods, please reach out to Amanda at: amolson@nd.gov or 701-328-0817
To view our full listing of the 2022-2023 SY Harvest of the Month planning information, check it out HERE!
|
|
|
Even though our North Dakota winter is still going strong, it’s never too early to start thinking about summer. Applications for the Summer Food Service Program will be open in NDFoods in April 2023. We are expecting a return to normal operations with a few flexibilities that have been set into regulation.
Starting this summer, USDA has established a permanent non-congregate meal option. The non-congregate meal service is limited to ‘rural areas with no congregate meal service’. Sites must still be determined eligible to operate SFSP according to the USDA regulations. Over a 10-day period, a child cannot be provided more meals that are allowed for the same period in the SFSP. Non-congregate meals must meet all applicable state and local health, safety, and sanitation standards, and SFSP meal pattern requirements. NDDPI will establish a process for identifying gaps and barriers to reaching needy children and will use the USDA SFSP Rural Designation Map to determine rural counties in ND that may be eligible for the non-congregate option under SFSP.
For more information about the Summer Food Service Program, contact our office or tune into the Kitchen Counter Conversations on March 21st.
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Updates
Our February KCC was changed at the last minute from hearing about the SFSP Updates to doing a session on the proposed updates. We rescheduled the SFSP Updates to our March KCC, so on Tuesday March 21st, we will hear from Melissa Anderson, SFSP Manager, as she provides updates to the 2023 Summer Food Service Program. See the section above for more information!
We hope that you join us for this Kitchen Counter Conversations as we prepare for the upcoming 2023 SFSP program year. As always, we will record this session and post it to our website after the event.
Use this link to join us on Tuesday, March 21st at 2 p.m.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Join with a video conferencing device
teams@join.nd.gov
Video Conference ID: 115 372 266 8
Alternate VTC dialing instructions
Or call in (audio only)
+1 701-328-0950,,282939126# United States, Fargo
Phone Conference ID: 282 939 126#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
Enjoy your meeting
Learn More | Help | Meeting options
Assistant Director Lynelle Johnson covered most of the proposed revisions to child nutrition programs during the first 19 minutes of the webinar. At minute 19:20, Amy Nelson, Child Nutrition Specialist encourages you to make comments on the proposed changes. She shows you where to find the comment submission form and adds helpful hints on how to comment. The Question and Answer session was not recorded.
If you would like to watch the recording, you can find it here: February 2023 Kitchen Counter Conversations - USDA Proposed Rule & Submitting a Public Comment - YouTube
We also published the presentation and resources including a 'highlights' of the proposed changes on our website under Kitchen Counter Conversations. Please check out the resources: Updates | North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (nd.gov)
If you have questions, you can reach out to our office at dpicnfd@nd.gov
We are already planning our Back To School Workshops (BTSW) for this summer. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend one of the Workshop Days:
- Tuesday, August 1st Fargo - Ramada Hotel
- Wednesday, August 2nd Grand Forks - Canad Inn
- Thursday, August 3rd Minot – Grand Hotel
- Wednesday and Thursday, August 9th and 10th Mandan - Baymont Hotel
*NOTES:
- Our ND Team Nutrition Training Grant "Master the Menu" will be the theme this year. Details will be provided on how attending will credit towards your incentive opportunity (see section below for more information)
- Registration fees for attending may be reimbursed through our Team Nutrition Sub-Grants
Registration information COMING VERY SOON!!
NDDPI was awarded a 2022 Team Nutrition Grant!
The Grant Kick-Off will occur at the 2023 NDSNA Conference (May 31-June 2) and run through June 2024. In-person and virtual training options will be available for professional development.
This is an incentivized training focused on all things Meal Pattern related to promote understanding and confidence in your roles. This grant will offer two tracks:
- 8-Hour Track: Meal Pattern Breakdown is open to all Food Service Frontline Staff
- Receive $100 bonus if completed within 6 months
- 40-Hour Track: A Manager's View is open for Directors and Managers
- Receive $500 bonus if completed within 6 months
Sub-grants will also be available in two categories:
- Reimbursement related to staffing costs to attend grant related trainings (such as attending our Back to School Workshop, travel costs, salary costs while attending training)
- 150 SFA's with enrollment of 500 or less may apply for up to $1,000
- 50 SFA's with enrollment more than 500 may apply for up to $2,000
- Equipment purchases related to post grant training implementation.
- We have 50 - $2,500 Grants to support SFA's purchase of equipment to promote meal pattern compliance and enhance healthful menu offerings.
Registration Link will be available APRIL 3rd in our next newsletter and on our website! Training opportunities starting May 31st!
* This training is optional but encouraged! *
If you have questions about this training program, please reach out to Amy Nelson at amylnelson@nd.gov.
|
|
National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits.
|
By participating in USDA Child Nutrition Programs, you help provide nourishing meals and snacks to North Dakota students by serving meals that meet USDA guidelines based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Students getting good nutrition will contribute to being Fuel for our Future. Help set a good example to Students by eating well-balanced meals from all the food groups and reach out to a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist if you have questions or want to learn more!
For printable activity handouts, check out the Academy’s Campaign Resources here: National Nutrition Month® Resources (eatright.org)
|