Reimbursement Rates for the 2023-2024 School Year were announced on July 7, 2023.
MEAL |
FREE |
REDUCED |
PAID |
Breakfast |
$2.28 |
$1.98 |
$0.38 |
Lunch
(*includes the $0.08 meal certification premium)
|
$4.33 |
$3.93 |
$0.48 |
Snack |
$1.17 |
$0.58 |
$0.10 |
Senate Bill 2284 was passed as an appropriation to the Department of Public Instruction, as Grants for Free Meals. The purpose is to provide grants to school districts to defray the expenses of providing meals, free of charge, for all students enrolled in public or nonpublic schools at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2025. This means that Families who qualify based on the expanded income (earning up to 200% poverty level) will not need to pay for breakfast or lunch.
Our office hosted a webinar on State Free 200, in case you missed it, you may watch it here: State Free 200 Webinar 6.15.2023 - YouTube
We also have a lengthy, yet helpful Q&A section on our website to assist you with frequently asked questions (under the North Dakota Legislation for the 2023-2024 SY section, click on State Free 200 Meals (Senate Bill 2284) FAQ). Child Nutrition and Food Distribution | North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Due to the amount of information, we are directing you to our website to find all applicable information related to Free and Reduced-Price (& State Free 200) School Meals. For more information, please visit our website (SNP Free & Reduced Price Information | North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (nd.gov)).
As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to our office at dpicnfd@nd.gov, 701-328-2294.
Master the Menu - Incentivized Training - Registration Still Open!
North Dakota was awarded a Team Nutrition Grant for School Nutrition Professional Readiness and Retention. This grant is to support building and retaining a strong school nutrition workforce that is empowered to provide nutritious meals that meet National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) meal requirements and weekly dietary specifications.
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We held our Grant Kickoff on Wednesday May 31st as a pre-conference session to the NDSNA Conference and had great attendance and heard positive feedback from those that attended.
Our 8-Hour Track: Meal Pattern Breakdown is still open to Food Service Frontline Staff (open to those that work in the kitchen and need to know about the meal pattern!)
- Receive $100 bonus if completed within 6 months
- Registration will be open until training has reached 650 participants!
- Attend a 7 hour 'Meal Pattern Breakdown' Course & pick one more hour* (example: Join a KCC starting in August or attend BTSW 2023) to complete your 8 hours.
- *Full listing of approved hours will be sent to attendees
- Register HERE
All attendees taking part in our Master the Menu Training need to attend a 7-hour Meal Pattern Breakdown Training Day (virtual or in-person). We have been diligently getting these sessions set up and have MOST scheduled. You can start signing up for these NOW! This registration form will be updated as we have more information.
Sign up here for the 7-hour Meal Pattern Breakdown Training Day around the State: https://forms.office.com/g/LTs6uPRxH6
Sub-grants will also be available in two categories: 1) equipment and 2) personnel expense reimbursement. Application information provided to those that are taking part in our training tracks.
If you have questions about this training program, please reach out to Amy Nelson, Project Director at amylnelson@nd.gov or Emily Karel, Project Coordinator at ekarel@nd.gov
For those taking our 40-hour Track: A Manager's View - We have updated our Course Guide. You can view it HERE.
Will you have new school managers or cooks this summer? Want to prepare them for the upcoming year ahead? NDDPI is hosting its annual New Kitchen Manager Training where we will go through menu requirements, production records and more to help new staff understand the details of School Foodservice.
Our New Kitchen Manager Training is a time to get to know your State Agency Staff! Come to complete the Initial 8 Hour Sanitation Training, then come back the next day to learn about program operation and receive assistance from your State Agency Staff on your production records!
This training is provided by NDDPI at no cost to you!
Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of the Workshop Days. Registration links are provided below.
We hope to see you there!
Hopefully your summer is going well. I found this grant opportunity and think it would be very beneficial for us here in North Dakota. But hurry the deadline is July 21!
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Green Our Planet Grant Programs Now Open Deadline: July 21, 2023 Applications are now being accepted for the Green Our Planet GardenConnect and HydroConnect grant programs. The GardenConnect program provides schools support and guidance from the educators at Green Our Planet as they develop or expand their school garden. This program is valued at $3,500, and Green Our Planet will cover the full cost of the program for up to 100 schools. The HydroConnect program provides schools with equipment to install a hydroponic garden system and offers support and guidance from the educators at Green Our Planet. This program is valued at $10,000, and Green Our Planet will cover 80% of the costs of the program for up to 300 schools. Schools are responsible for $2,000 in total. Schools must apply by July 21, 2023 to be considered. Learn more and apply for both grants here.
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Another grant opportunity-> If you’re interested in totes (called roundtrip totes) to use in your school/ECE garden please let Amanda Olson know by July 28. See contact information below. These totes can be used to bring produce from garden to cafeteria/classroom, or for producers to deliver their products to you, or even to hold produce waste while preparing food. These totes will be available from North Dakota Department of Agriculture for FREE, but I need to know how many of you are interested to order. Please contact me with questions.
Be sure to sign up for the Back To School Workshops in August. There will be lots of materials, resources, and information to share with you about Farm to School. We are going to have a fun year and I can’t wait for you to learn all about how you can participate.
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You can find NDSU Extension Guide to Using Local Produce and Farm to School Toolkit now on our website! Please check those out at the link below.
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If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 701-328-0817 or amolson@nd.gov
Thank you and have a fun summer!
Amanda Olson, Farm to School Specialist
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Schools across the state did some neat things, such as presentations from ranchers talking to kids about interesting facts and the nutrition of beef. And many schools celebrated local beef on their trays too! Here are some highlights:
Terri Morgel is the new Foodservice Director at Bowbells Public School, and has put a lot of time and effort into serving up great food with a side portion of nutrition education to the kids and staff. During their beef celebration they had a few fun facts:
- Grace Ones of Kenmare, ND holds the role of '2023 North Dakota Angus Princess'. She shared her role and involvement in promoting Angus breeds at beef-related functions throughout the State.
- Sunset Meats provides local beef to Bowbells Public School.
- Sloppy Joes are called 'Slush Burgers' in the Western side of North Dakota!
Please join us on Tuesday, August 15, 2 p.m. CST as we provide the annual cashier training. As always, this webinar will be recorded and posted to our website for later viewing!
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s (FNS) Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids is offering Recognition Awards to celebrate SFAs that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their school meals. The Recognition Awards will spotlight innovative practices, student and community engagement activities, and strategies schools have used to provide meals that are consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The Recognition Awards application portal and helpful resources to complete the application are available at https://healthymealsincentives.org/recognition-awards/. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 30, 2025. Applicants will be notified of their results within two months of submission by email and the application status will also be posted on the portal.
Recognition Award Categories: There are a total of eight Recognition Awards:
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1. Breakfast Trailblazer Award
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2. Small and/or Rural SFA Breakfast Trailblazer Award
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3. Lunch Trailblazer Award
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4. Small and/or Rural SFA Lunch Trailblazer Award
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5. Innovative School Lunch Makeover Award
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6. Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals Award
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7. Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award
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8. Innovation in Nutrition Education Award
The annual NDSNA Conference was held at the beautiful Bismarck State College. A great conference put on 'by the people, for the people'; a reminder that any school nutrition professional who is a member of the association can volunteer to help in its planning and success! This year was sure a success. Many hours of learning, inspiration to meet the theme this year to 'Nourish the Nourisher'.
A huge shout out to the industry committee for including so many equipment and software representatives this year. The food show was FABULOUS!
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Pictured here (left side) is PrimeroEdge - they have been great to work with as they are updating their online application process to meet our State Free 200, as well offering menu building/production records - FREE compliments of DPI.
Below are snapshots from group sessions on Farm to Child Nutrition, Meal Planning Tips & Tricks as well as a peak into the vendor show.
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