Nutrition Learning Tools

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Nutrition Programs

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Schools
CACFP

Schools

Professional Standards Documentation

A certificate is not required to document completion of a training or webinar recording. Records that list the employee name, school building, training title, topic/objective, training source, date, and total training hours are appropriate to demonstrate training completion. The following resources can assist with documentation:

Webinars/Trainings

Webinars marked with asterisks (**) were part of the News to Know monthly webinar series.

Income Eligibility and Verification

Meal Program Claims

Exception Request Form - Late Claim(s)

Menu Planning and Recipes

Preschool Meal Pattern**
Offer vs. Serve Video - LaCrosse Schools (6 minutes)
Build a Healthy Lunch Webcast (13 minutes)
Sodium in School Meals Webcast (11 minutes)
Practical Skills in School Meals Webcast (13 minutes)
Food Production Records Webcast (11 minutes)

New Manager Resources

Procurement

It's Time to Prepare for Next Year's Procurement Cycle - February 2020
What to Know Before Contracting with a Food Service Management Company
Management and Oversight of FSMC Contracts - February 2018

Professional Standards

Professional Standards and Tracking**

School Breakfast Program

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 (0.5)
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)

School Wellness and Smart Snacks

School Wellness Triennial Assessment Webinar
School Wellness and Smart Snacks Webcast (10 minutes)
Smart Snacks in School Webinar
Cafeteria Coaching Webcast (9 minutes)
Pleasant and Positive Mealtimes at School Webcast (10 minutes)

CACFP

Webinars and Training Tools

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

Greek Pizza Recipe

Vegetable Quesadilla Culinary Demonstration

Vegetable Quesadilla

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

Family Style Meal Service Video - DMACC
Family Style Meal Service with Children in the CACFP (U.S. Department of Agriculture: Food and Nutrition Service)
Mealtime Memo - Family Style Meal Service (Institute of Child Nutrition)

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.