Nutrition Learning Tools

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Nutrition Programs

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Schools

Webinars & Trainings

School Nutrition Training Modules

School Nutrition Training Modules are available on Iowa Learning Online Professional Development.

A certificate of completion will be issued when all assessment requirements are met. The topics and number of professional standards hours include:

  • Civil Rights (1.0)
  • Culinary (1.0)
  • Food Bars (0.5)
  • Food Labels (0.5)
  • Food Production Records (0.5)
  • Food Safety (2.0)
  • Introduction to Procurement (2.0)
  • Meal Counting (1.0)
  • Meal Pattern (1.5)
  • Offer Versus Serve (1.5)
  • Preschool Meal Pattern (1.5)
  • School Wellness Policy (1.0)
  • Standardized Recipes (1.0)
  • Smart Snacks in School (1.0)

Farm to School and CACFP Training Modules

Farm to School Training Modules are available on Iowa Learning Online Professional Development.

A certificate of completion of 3 hours will be issued when all assessment requirements are met. 

  • Origin of Farm to School and Early Care in Iowa
  • Incorporating Farm to School/CACFP in your program
  • Procuring local foods
  • Writing product specifications
  • Processing local foods
  • Food safety
  • Product seasonality
  • Menu ideas
  • Yield percentages
  • Promotion
  • Sustainability
  • Meal pattern contribution

USDA Menu Planner for School Meals A comprehensive guide designed to help school nutrition professionals plan, prepare, provide, and market great tasting, nutritious, and safe meals that meet the nutrition standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. 

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CACFP

Webinars & Trainings

CACFP Food Shopper App - A free downloadable application to assists CACFP participants in making purchases to comply with the USDA meal pattern. To download, use your application store for your device and search for "CACFP Shopper."

  • CACFP Shopper - Covers the overall features on using the app for crediting meal pattern components in CACFP.
  • CACFP Shopper App Foods For Infants - Demonstrates new feature on how to use the Foods for Infants section of the CACFP Shopper App to help determine if meals served to infants are credible and reimbursable.

CACFP At-Risk Site Staff Training Video (36 minutes) - Recorded 9-9-20
This video provides an overview of the CACFP for At-Risk site staff who supervise or assist with CACFP meals, CACFP food requirements, meal service options, recordkeeping requirements, special provisions for the At-Risk program, and important health and safety practices are discussed. Links to the handouts and resources referenced in the video are included in Iowa CACFP Steps to Success Module 16.

CACFP Adult Meal Pattern Training (38 minutes) - Recorded 9-24-19
This webinar reviews adult meal pattern requirements and creditable foods in CACFP. The webinar also reviews the meal service options including offer versus serve, pre-plated, and family style meal service; recording meals at the point of service; and adult feeding techniques. Links to the handouts and resources referenced in the webinar are included below.

CACFP Center Staff Training (52 minutes) - Recorded 3-15-19
Designed to provide an overview of the Child and Adult Care Food Program for center staff with CACFP duties. Topics covered include CACFP food requirements, meal service options, record keeping requirements, making mealtimes successful, and important health and safety practices.

CACFP School Age Program Staff Training (33 minutes) - Recorded 3-15-19 and edited for school age programs 5-27-21.
Video developed to provide Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) training for staff in school age programs. It provides an overview of the program and covers CACFP food requirements, meal service options, record keeping requirements, and important health and safety practices.

CACFP Infant Room Staff Training (51 minutes) - Recorded 1-10-19
This video covers CACFP topics staff responsible for infant feeding and record keeping need to know, including CACFP infant meal pattern requirements, creditable infant foods, record keeping procedures, other CACFP requirements and best practices. 

USDA Team Nutrition Webinars and Training - Learn about hot topics in child nutrition with Team Nutrition's popular webinars. CACFP Halftime Thirty on Thursdays, Trainer's Circle for CACFP and Crediting Updates for Child Nutrition Programs; Be in the Know! webinars are listed on iPower for providers to track their contact hours.

CACFP Trainer's Tools: Feeding Infants - Content from the Feeding Infants in the Child Adult Care Food Program guide is brought to life in these in-person training resources, including slide presentations, trainer's notes, pre and post test, and videos. Trainers can order an Infant Feeding Guide for all participants.

CACFP Culinary Snack Demonstration Videos

In these videos, Chef Brenda Windmuller shows how to prepare two healthy and delicious snack recipes for CACFP. The videos demonstrate how to get children involved in making their own snack and allows you to serve fresh vegetables in CACFP.

Greek Pizza Culinary Demonstration

Vegetable Quesadilla Culinary Demonstration

Resources

Go NAP SACC - An online tool that can assess childcare wellness environment practices, assist with setting action plans, and provide access to online resources and trainings. If you do not have an account, you will need to register for an account and contact Erin Olson at erin.olson@idph.iowa.gov to obtain the registration code. Self-assessments are available for both centers and family childcare homes, for Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding; Child Nutrition; Infant and Child Physical Activity; Outdoor Play and Learning; Farm to Early Care and Education: Screen Time; and Oral Health.

Family Style Meal Service

Civil Rights Training for Participating Organizations in Child Nutrition Programs

Lead - Water Testing - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) grant awarded the Iowa Department of Education funds to support public schools and child care centers in voluntary testing of drinking water for lead. This grant program is designed to reduce lead exposure for children, who are most vulnerable, at schools and child care programs. Grant funding will be used to supplement and enhance existing resources. 

Food Cost Calculator Instructions

The Iowa Food Cost Calculator is a tool to calculate the cost of the program meals in an average week and, if desired, use that information to calculate nonprogram meal costs. It has features to identify and document additional nonprogram food costs and ultimately calculate an annual nonprogram food cost. The annual nonprogram food cost is included when completing the Nonprogram Revenue Tool required by USDA. In Iowa, the Nonprogram Revenue Tool is part of the Financial Report. Nonpublic SFAs and RCCIs report the nonprogram food costs on the Financial Report on IowaCNP. Public schools report the nonprogram food costs on the Certified Annual Report and the information flows to the Financial Report on IowaCNP. 

Food Cost Calculator – This tool is located on the Iowa Education Portal accessed with an A&A account. 

Videos

CACFP Online Trainings

How Do I Access the Online Trainings?

Certificates of Completion

  • Certificates are available to download and/or print after the participant successfully completes a module (80% score required).
  • If completed on a mobile device, screenshot the certificate as documentation.

DHS Credit

CACFP Iowa Learning Online Professional Development training is automatically tracked on the DHS Iowa’s Early Childhood and School Age Professional Workforce Registry (i-PoWeR) when you have a linked DHS ID. Contact trhelp@dhs.state.ia.us for assistance with i-PoWeR.

Joining the CACFP

Joining the CACFP provides training and step by step guidance on how to apply for CACFP for home providers and center staff. The 3 lessons include:

  • CACFP Overview and Benefits provides an overview of the CACFP and describes the benefits of participating. This lesson answers common, frequently asked questions.
  • New Organization Eligibility provides a description of CACFP eligibility requirements for centers. 
  • New Organization Application Process - How to Apply for the CACFP explains the steps to apply to participate in the CACFP.

The course provides 1 hour DHS credit hour for center staff. Family child care home providers only need to complete lesson one and are not eligible to earn credit hours for completion of this informational lesson.

Steps to Success

The Steps to Success Online Training Modules covers basic CACFP administration. The CACFP authorized representative must complete all modules applicable to their organization. Other staff may register for one or more sessions. At least one person from new centers (the owner of for-profit organizations and authorized representative for all organizations) must complete all modules of the core workshop and any additional modules that pertain to the center. A test must be completed over each module with a score of 80% or higher in order to receive a certificate.

Below are some of the modules available:

  • Menu Planning (3 training credit hours)
  • Food Production Records (2 training credit hours)
  • Income Applications (2 training credit hours)
  • Civil Rights (0.5 training credit hour)
  • Infant Feeding and Recordkeeping (1 training credit hour)
  • Feeding Infants in the CACFP Handbook (2 training credit hours)
  • Adult Care (0.5 training credit hour)

CACFP Wellness Courses

The following online training modules were developed through Team Nutrition grants for CACFP participants:

Feeding Infants in the CACFP

Pick from a variety of lessons to create a training that best fits your needs. The Feeding Infants in the CACFP modules were created using the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Feeding Infants in the CACFP guide and corresponding training tools. Each 30 minute lesson contains a webcast, practice questions, resources, and a certificate of completion. The lesson topics are listed below:

  • Lesson 1: Overview of the CACFP Infant Meal Pattern
  • Lesson 2: Identifying and Responding to Hunger and Fullness Signs
  • Lesson 3: Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Environment in a Child Care Site
  • Lesson 4: Storing and Handling Breast Milk in a Child Care Site
  • Lesson 5: Selecting, Storing, and Handling Infant Formula in a Child Care Site
  • Lesson 6: Bottle Feeding and Introducing a Cup
  • Lesson 7: Developmental Readiness for Solid Foods
  • Lesson 8: Infant Feeding Skills and Modifying Food Textures
  • Lesson 9: Creditable Infant Foods: Part 1
  • Lesson 10: Creditable Infant Foods: Part 2

Additional Courses for DHS and IQ4K Credit

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