New! Meal Pattern Minutes Available Online
Get answers to common questions in bite sized videos. The National CACFP Association (NCA) has a new playlist of Meal Pattern Minute videos on YouTube!
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Meal Pattern Minute: Gluten-Free Whole Grains
Wheat, barley, rye, oh my! Are there gluten-free whole grain-rich grains you can serve in the CACFP? You bet! From oats and quinoa to millet.
Check out this Meal Pattern Minute from the NCA for recipes ideas and more.
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ICN is excited to announce the Family Child Care Mentorship Program. This is a specialized resource designed to support family childcare providers to strengthen their CACFP operations.
In this program, experienced mentors will lead discussions and provide peer-to-peer support so that participants leave with an action plan to create healthy nutrition environments, be financially responsible, and support the needs of children and families.
Download the Family Child Care Mentorship Program resources to work through the materials at your own pace.
The Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) offers a variety of topic-based webinars to expand your culinary skills and knowledge.
Check out the August webinar recording about incorporating fresh produce into Scratch Cooking.
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Looking for fun, easy ways to add more Washington-grown foods to your CACFP meals? OSPI has three new tools to help you bring Farm to CACFP to life!
Farm to CACFP Canvas Module
Jump into our new self-paced learning module to explore Farm to CACFP basics, local sourcing ideas, and simple tools to get started. Access the module: Log in to Canvas and open the Farm to CACFP Module. Need access? Create an account and enroll here.
Questions? Contact Ben Brown at Ben.Brown@k12.wa.us
Farm to CACFP “Getting Started” Toolkit
The Farm to CACFP "Getting Started" Toolkit is a quick guide packed with step-by-step tips, templates, and best practices to help you plan Farm to CACFP activities and feature local foods in your program.
Recorded PowerPoint Presentation
Prefer to watch and learn? This short recorded session introduces the toolkit, shares real success stories, and highlights easy ways to get started. It’s a quick, engaging way to spark ideas and get your team excited about Farm to CACFP.
We’d love to see how you’re growing Farm to CACFP in your program! Share your photos or stories with us at farmtocnp@k12.wa.us.
Harvest of the Month
OSPI’s Harvest of the Month resource sheets help sponsors feature seasonal, Washington-grown foods. For November, we’re spotlighting broccoli. Each sheet includes fun facts, nutrition highlights, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and activities you can use to promote tasting and participation.
Access the broccoli resource sheet on the Farm to CACFP webpage under “Harvest of the Month.” If you don’t have access to broccoli near you or want to feature another local food item, check out our past Harvest of the Month resource pages on the OSPI Farm to CACFP webpage under the Harvest of the Month drop-down menu.
For support sourcing Harvest of the Month items, email farmtocnp@k12.wa.us.
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How did you celebrate Farm to CACFP Week?
Did you serve local foods? Did you take a tour of a farm? Send your Farm to CACFP week celebrations to farmtocnp@k12.wa.us!
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Upcoming Events
National Farm to School Conference
Join food service professionals, educators, and community leaders from across the nation to share ideas and best practices for connecting children to local food, including a Farm to ECE Deep Dive Intensive on December 4. Learn more
Date: December 1–4, 2025
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Register here
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