The National Child Nutrition Conference (NCNC) brings together professionals from child care centers, home providers, sponsoring organizations, school districts, afterschool programs, Head Start programs, Food Banks, tribal organizations and state agencies.
Scholarships are available to attend NCNC. Applications are due January 12, 2026.
Register here
Date: April 13–17, 2026
Location: Las Vegas, NV
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National CACFP Association has resources you can promote to help families stretch their food dollars. In partnership with Sesame Street in Communities, check out the Happy, Healthy, Hopeful activity book, and digital resources:
- Eating Well Topic Page
- Eating Well on a Budget
- Freezing is Cool
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Lend your voice and first-hand experience to improve child nutrition program operations, and inform the decision making process for future research, education and training needs of Child Nutrition professionals.
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) invites you to complete a short survey to help determine challenges associated with scratch cooking.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and responses are anonymous.
Take the survey
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Harvest of the Month
OSPI’s Harvest of the Month resource sheets help Sponsors feature seasonal, Washington-grown foods. For January, we’re spotlighting cabbage. Each sheet includes fun facts, nutrition highlights, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and activities.
Access the cabbage resource sheet on the Farm to CACFP webpage under Harvest of the Month. If you don’t have access to cabbage near you or want to feature another local food item, check out 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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Winter Planning Resources
As gardens rest for the season, winter offers a perfect opportunity to learn from Washington examples, plan for spring planting, and explore easy ways to bring local foods and food education into CACFP settings. The resources below offer practical, Washington-specific tools to support your planning.
Washington: Getting Started with Farm to ECE (English + Spanish)
A great starting point for Sponsors who are new to Farm to CACFP, this short guide introduces the basic steps for integrating food, gardening, and hands-on learning into early childhood settings. Sponsors can use it to identify small, manageable activities, such as taste tests, sensory activities, or simple cooking tasks that build confidence before expanding into larger projects.
How to use it:
- Review as a baseline orientation to Farm to ECE practices
- Share with staff during planning meetings or orientation for new team members.
- Use the activity ideas to incorporate small Farm to CACFP touches throughout the year
Washington: Starting a Garden (English + Spanish)
This step-by-step handout walks providers through starting or refreshing a small ECE garden. It breaks the process into clear steps: planning, soil preparation, planting, and maintenance. The information is adapted for Washington’s climate and ECE environments.
How to use it:
- Beginning a garden or prepare an existing garden in spring
- As a planning tool with staff or volunteers
- Align garden activities with seasonal Farm to CACFP menus
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