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A yummy spin on a kid-favorite dish, try these Cheesy Broccoli tots to get more veggies in your meals.
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Farm to Table Activity Page
When kids learn about where food comes from and how it grows, they are more likely to eat it.
Use these farm to table activities, including a fun coloring sheet, to get kids excited about food.
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ABC Flash Cards
The National CACFP Association (NCA)’s ABC Flash Cards teach children about a fruit or vegetable for each letter of the alphabet. This resource also contains recipes and activities that highlight these fruits and veggies.
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Native Plants & Foods Institute: Tend, Gather and Grow: Cultural Ecosystem - Camas Prairies and Food Forests
Date: May 8
National CACFP Association Webinars
Milk Alternatives Made Simple
Date: April 30
Time: 11 am
Provider Day 2026
Date: May 16
Time: 8 - 10 am
Some webinars may require membership to attend.
National CACFP Association provides webinars with subtitles in several languages.
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Meal Pattern Minute: Creditable Foods from Farmers Markets
Full of fresh colorful produce, farmers markets are a great place to purchase a variety of locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables.
View this meal pattern minute to learn about crediting food purchased at farmers markets.
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Meal Pattern Minute: Serving Nuts and Seeds
Nutty about nutrition! Nuts and seeds credit towards the meat/meat alternate component in the CACFP.
Review this meal pattern minute to learn about serving nuts and seeds as the meat/meat alternate component at breakfast, lunch, and supper.
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Meal Pattern Minute: Minimum Serving of Dried Fruits
Go craisin for dried fruit. Review this meal pattern minute to learn about crediting dried fruit in the CACFP.
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Meal Pattern Minute: Whole Grains
What makes a whole grain whole? Learn about each part of a whole grain in this meal pattern minute.
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Culinary Math
Get out your calculators and review April's mealtime memo all about culinary math.
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Harvest of the Month
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)’s Harvest of the Month resource sheets help sponsors feature seasonal, Washington-grown foods. April's Harvest of the Month is snap peas. Each sheet includes fun facts, nutrition highlights, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and activities.
Access the snap peas resource sheet on the Farm to CACFP webpage under the Harvest of the Month drop-down menu. If you don’t have access to snap peas 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.
To start a Harvest of the Month program, see this Getting Started Checklist from Montana Harvest of the Month. This resource is a step-by-step guide to implementing Harvest of the Month activities in early care settings, including menu integration, taste tests, and family engagement strategies.
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Introducing Harvest of the Season—Order a poster today!
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This summer, OSPI is launching Harvest of the Season, a new initiative that adds flexibility and tools to the Harvest of the Month materials . Funded by a USDA Farm to School grant, OSPI created these comprehensive toolkits highlighting 24 Washington-grown and -raised foods for Washington state child nutrition programs. Harvest of the Season includes tips for featuring 24 Washington-grown and -raised foods items in school meals, with activities for educators, and for kids to bring home to their families. |
Toolkits will also include posters highlighting each Harvest of the Season food item. A limited number of posters will be printed and distributed free of charge to Washington Child Nutrition Program sponsors.
To order, complete this survey by May 15. More information and additional opportunities to order materials will be shared in CNS newsletters.
Questions? Email farmtocnp@k12.wa.us.
New and Featured Resources
These resources support Farm to CACFP implementation, local food purchasing, and nutrition education:
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Find local partners near you: The National Farm to School Network has updated its interactive Partner Network Map. It features 500+ partner organizations sorted by state and organization type, a useful tool for identifying local food and Farm to CACFP connections in Washington and beyond.
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New sourcing toolkit: The Urban School Food Alliance has released a free 20-page Sourcing Locally: Regional Sourcing Materials for K12 Foodservice toolkit designed to help child nutrition programs identify and source local products, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy, with interactive information tailored to each region of the U.S.
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Celebrate National Garden Month: April is National Garden Month! Celebrate with Team Nutrition’s Grow It, Try It, Like It!, a garden-themed nutrition education resource with activities for children and tools for caregivers to teach how fruits and vegetables are grown.
Have a Farm to CACFP Success Story? We Want to Hear It!
 Is your program's garden blooming with brilliance? Did your kitchen team whip up something amazing with local ingredients? Maybe your participants partnered with a farmer to learn where their food comes from, tried a new harvest of the month, or got their hands dirty planting something spectacular!
If you've got a Farm to CACFP win—big or small—we're all ears (of corn) 🌽!
Share your story with us and help inspire CACFP programs across the state.
Send your success story to farmtocnp@k12.wa.us and celebrate the good growing on!
Local Foods in CACFP Training Opportunities
Want to bring more local foods and hands-on learning into your program this spring? Explore these upcoming opportunities and resources to support your Farm to CACFP efforts:
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Tend, Gather and Grow: Cultural Ecosystem — Camas Prairies and Food Forests: Join the Native Plants & Foods Institute in Tenino, WA to explore culturally relevant food systems, including camas prairies and food forests, and how these concepts can be adapted for early care and education settings.
Date: May 8
Time: 9:30 am – 4 pm
Location: Wolf Haven International, Tenino, WA
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Principals Advancing School Gardens: Learn how program leaders are championing and sustaining garden-based learning through the School Garden Support Organization Network (SGSO) Leadership Institute Webinar Series, featuring real-world examples and practical strategies.
Date: April 30
Time: 11 am
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Explore recorded sessions: SGSO's Growing School Gardens Summit webinar series features recorded presentations on topics like growing and preserving food, decolonizing garden education, and garden-based STEAM learning, a great on-demand resource for staff professional development.
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Free Provider Training: Join the National CACFP Association for a special celebration created for providers on Saturday, May 16. Explore easy menu ideas, playful ways to turn mealtime into learning and movement, and helpful resources designed with providers in mind. This event is free to attend; be sure to share it with providers in your network!
Date: May 16
Time: 8 – 10 am
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ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
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ADA NOTIFICATION FOR OSPI CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES EVENTS
To arrange accommodations for persons with disabilities for OSPI Child Nutrition Services events, please contact the Child Nutrition Services Team at 360-725-6200, TTY 360-664-3631, or by email, child.nutrition@k12.wa.us at least three business days before the event. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.
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