Articles in this issue:
A Note from Sandra
School has started, the State Fair has come and gone, and folks are pretty well back into their routine. Don’t mix a routine with a rut! Routine is serving meals daily at the scheduled time. Rut is serving the same thing every other Tuesday that you have for the past several years.
Try something new this year – take a few more steps, eat more whole grain and more fruits and vegetables, offer some new menu items, encourage children to taste something new, share information about healthy habits through your newsletter or website, add tips for healthy foods on the menus that are provided to the parents and media.
Reauthorization of the child nutrition programs is moving through Congress at the time of this writing. The programs could simply be extended and then reauthorized at a later date, or they could be reauthorized now. We can expect a number of changes when reauthorization passes. These will be provided to the respective agencies through announcements and, if needed, training or workshops.
Changes to the menu planning will be handled through separate regulations which are in the clearance process. These will likely have a comment period. We expect that they will closely mirror the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.
The new HealthierUS School Challenge requirements and program rewards were announced late last spring. We hope your school will take a look and submit an application to recognize the combined efforts of the staff and to spread the word to the students and community. Please contact Jean or Mary on the CANS staff when you are ready to work on the application so they can point you to the right tools to make the process easier.
Congratulations to those agencies which have received Team Nutrition minigrants and Fresh/Fruit Vegetable Program grants. Some with TN grants have successfully completed their activities; while others and the FFVP grant agencies are implementing activities now. Thank you for working to help teach children healthy habits.
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Training for New Kitchen Managers
Are you a new school food service kitchen manager? Those first months can be pretty overwhelming to a new kitchen manager who soon realizes their job responsibility includes a lot of paper work and reports and is more than just being sure all students are fed a reimbursable meal.
If you are a new manager who has not recently attended Child Nutrition Institute or did not have the opportunity to enroll in the New Manager’s pre-conference class at Fall Conference, you will have another opportunity to get some training.
A 1 1/2 day New Managers Training class is being planned for presentation in Pierre starting at 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 7th and continuing on Oct. 8th at the State Library Building. In addition on the morning of Oct. 1st, a half day training class “Developing a Food Safety Program” is also being planned. Participants will have the choice of attending either or both trainings.
Anyone who is new to being a school food service kitchen manager, or the person responsible for completing required paperwork pertaining to the lunch and breakfast programs within the last year or two. The training will be free of charge, however a fee of $25, to cover materials, will be billed to the school for each person who registered for the class but did not show up for class.
Be watching for further information and the registration form which will be sent to your school. Contact
Marlyce Micklos at 773-3610 for more information.
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The national School Nutrition Association has put together an overflowing tray full of fun and useful resources to help you get the most out of this year’s chosen theme: “School Lunch -- What’s on Your Tray?”
This year’s theme helps students learn that eating a healthy and nutritious school lunch is essential to help them get the most out of their action-packed day!
The highlight of the "School Lunch - What's on Your Tray?' campaign is a personality quiz that will help your students to find out how their school lunch profile stacks up and learn what foods are best to fuel you and keep healthy! The campaign to take the personality quiz runs from Aug. 2010 to Oct. 2010, culminating in National School Lunch Week, Oct. 11-15, 2010.
The April 2010 issue of School Nutrition featured the campaign launch article for “School Lunch: What’s On Your Tray?” Download the article for campaign information, menus, decorating ideas and some great tips on how to make this the best National School Lunch Week ever.
Find featured menus, tool kits to help plan your special week, information for the taking the fun personality quiz, and the participation sweepstakes survey
at this link.
CANS strongly encourages all schools to become involved with the 2010 National School Lunch Week promotion. When you get excited about school meals your students will enjoy and appreciate your efforts. If you take pictures of your NSLW promotions be sure to send some copies to share with either CANS or
Kristi Timp, SNA of SD newsletter publication editor, 605-854-3251.
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Beginning with the 2010-11 school year the local school food service departments will no longer be required to submit NSLP memo 26.1 off-site meal requests for CANS approval.
We have heard from many school and child care agencies that using the offsite meal request form was also helpful to the food service staff as it required teachers/coaches to plan these events in advance. This allowed the food service staff enough notice to plan for and prepare the alternate meals. If this is the case with your school or child care agency, we would encourage you to continue to use this form as a method of planning within your agency. Please note, however, that if your agency participates in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) you will still be required to submit an off-site meal request as this is part of the federal guidance for the SFSP.
Meals prepared for school supervised field trips may be reimbursed if they meet the meal pattern requirements and are served and consumed as part of a school related function. These functions must be part of the curriculum, as defined by the SD Department of Education, and not extracurricular events. Also keep in mind that meals served off-site should be subject to especially stringent sanitary and precautionary measures to avoid contamination and spoilage. Meals cannot be reimbursed for children to take home, such as on days the student may leave early for sickness or a doctor appointment. Production records must also be maintained for these meals in order to receive reimbursement.
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$12,000 in Prizes will be awarded to Create Nutritious School Lunch Recipes as part of the First Lady, Michelle Obama’,s Let’s Move initiative. USDA is challenging school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, parents and interested community members to create tasty, healthy, exciting new recipes for inclusion on school lunch menus across the country.
Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge teams will have the opportunity to submit original recipes that meet nutritional requirements in three categories: whole grain foods, dark green and/or orange vegetables, and dry beans and peas (legumes). Submissions must be taste tested by at least 30 students who participate in the National School Lunch Program.
There will be a grand prize chosen by the judging panel as well as a Popular Choice winner based on public voting. The judges will also choose award winners for the top two recipes in each category. Winning teams will be invited to prepare their nutrition-packed meals alongside White House chefs. To recognize and share the culinary creativity nationwide in the top ten recipes in each category will be published in a Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook to share with students and families.
The deadline for recipe submissions is December 30, 2010. For further information about the Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge, please visit the contest
web site.
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Confidentiality of free and reduced price eligibility information
The number of programs working to meet the needs of children in school grows with the beginning of the school year and is more abundant in these tough economic times. Many of them ask school personnel for a list of children eligible for free or reduced price meals. The programs might be supplying school supplies, toys for Christmas, holiday meals, or food for a weekend through the backpack program.
Schools cannot release the names of children who are eligible for free or reduced price meals to these and similar programs because they do not meet the categories specifically defined in the Eligibility Manual for School Meals (published January 2008) and USDA memos at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/ in the program policy section. SP 31-2010, CACFP 17-2010; SFSP 15-2010 on the USDA website provides a review of the requirements.
Click Here for a series of numbered memos and prototype forms from the Child & Adult Nutrition.
Remember that first of all, no one outside of the School Nutrition Programs had access to the information. Exceptions occurred after that and are limited. Some require parent approval to release the information. This confidentiality also applies to the parent letters advising them of their eligibility status. This includes back pack programs.
Please contact a CANS staff member if you have questions about this matter.
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Child & Adult Nutrition Services has changed the manner in which policy memos are transmitted to local agencies. In the past, USDA would release a policy memo which would be reformatted, numbered, and placed on DOE letterhead. It was then mailed or emailed to participating agencies.
The USDA memos, Legislation, and Regulations are now readily available to everyone on their
website. Choose the appropriate program under the area you wish to read up on. You can also sign up to receive updates to the relevant section. An announcement of a new memo will be emailed to the respective programs when they apply to the programs. Some memos apply only to state agency activity level.
Recent policy memos for the School Nutrition Programs include:
Recent Policy memos for Child & Adult Care Food Program include:
Recent policy memos for the Food Distribution program for
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Local agency staff members from all organizations are strongly encouraged to sign up for free email updates from
www.recalls.gov. This is a one-stop shop for U.S. government recalls. You can choose which types of recalls you would like to receive.
Follow these steps to subscribe:
-Log on to
www.recalls.gov
-Click on the Food tab at the top
-Click on “Sign Up for Free Recall Updates by E-Mail
This takes you to the Department of Health and Human Services signup page, where you will:
-Enter then confirm your email address; and
-Check the box titled “FoodSafety.gov Recalls and Alerts” under the FoodSafety.gov Updates section
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Child & Adult Nutrition Services staff members are planning a series of training sessions and/or conference calls through Live Meeting. This may be only a conference call or it may also involve accessing handouts through the CANS website or the Live meeting website. Announcements will be made a couple weeks prior to the event and will include instruction for how to access the information. Live meeting allows the presenter(s) to share information from their computer desktop. It may involve anywhere from two to many people.
The sessions will be recorded and placed on the CANS website so you can view them at your leisure any time after that. Some sessions will be recorded ahead of time and placed on the website. The handouts will also be placed there as well as on the Live meeting website at the time of the presentation. Questions and answers during the meeting can be tracked and put on the website as an extra handout.
The first session was held August 31 and covered the process of approving applications for meal benefits in schools as well as the October site survey. This session can currently be accessed at
http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/ under the central Quick Links box. The next session will be September 21 and will cover the verification process for free/reduced price meals.
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Mark your calendars for a Live Meeting presentation on Sept. 21, 2010. Topics of the annual verification process and collecting data for the annual Oct. Data Survey. The presentation will go over the fine points of both topics and allow for live questions and answers. Authorized representatives should be watching for an e-mail announcement regarding time and log in codes.
The Oct. Data Survey will not be mailed out this year. Instructions and report sheets by attendance centers will be posted on the CANS website and also be e-mailed to authorized representatives. The Oct. Data Survey will be due to CANS by Nov. 10, 2010.
The annual verification process can commence as of Oct. 1, 2010 will need to be completed by Oct. 31, 2010. The annual 742SD report due to CANS by Dec. 15, 2010. Be sure to reference your calendar plan that was submitted on Attachment E as part of your Child Nutrition Program agreement. NSLP numbered memo 51.3 is the reference guidance for the verification process and prototype letters. The summary report form will be posted to the CANS website and sent as an e-mail attachment to authorized representatives as it will not be mailed out.
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Amazing Body Tour - 10 Interactive Learning Stations Teaching about Good Nutrition and Physical Activity. The exhibit is available to all schools who sign up. Check it out on the Team Nutrition web site. Available 2010-2011 school year.
Family Fun Nutrition Adventure Mini Grants Coming in November. Watch the Team Nutrition web site for more information.
Move and Crunch Principals Challenge Coming in November.
Information will be posted on the Team Nutrition web site.
WE CAN! Training in July 2011. The training will look at Wellness Policies, provide curriculum to train parents, share innovative ideas to launch, and strengthen programs to prevent childhood obesity.
For more information Contact:
Mary Kirk, 605-773-4718 or Karlys Wells, 605-688-4039
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The reimbursement rates for the 10-11 program year have been announced and can be found on the
Department of Education website in each program’s section.
The Income eligibility guidelines for the 2010-11 program year are the same as for the 2009-10 school year because the poverty level index did not change. Families and households do need to reapply – their form from last year cannot be used for a second year.
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The period a SFA is required to keep recordkeeping logs specific to their food safety program has changed. The new recordkeeping rule states that: records must be kept for six months following each month’s temperature records.
What food safety records does this affect?
Refrigerator/Milk Cooler/Freezer/Storage Room temperature logs
Food temperature logs (Please note: If your SFA keeps its food temperature log on your production records or menus, you are still required to keep those documents for three years plus the current year)
Thermometer Calibration logs
Food Safety Checklists
Receiving Temperatures log
PPM (parts per million) sanitizing solution logs
Dishmachine temperature logs
What does this change mean to your SFA?
Your SFA has one of two choices. The first choice is to do nothing. You will not be penalized for keeping records longer than necessary.
If you choose to discard your logs according to the new rule, here are a couple of ideas.
August 2010 logs can be discarded on March 1, 2011. September 2010 logs can be discarded on April 1, 2011; October 2010 logs can be discarded on May 1, 2011, and so on.
If you prefer not to discard logs on a monthly basis, you may consider this. Throw away January through June logs when you come back from Christmas break. Throw away July through December logs at the end of the school year—meaning the end of June.
If you choose to make a change in the length of time you keep your logs, this information must also be changed in your standard operating procedures (SOPs) under the recordkeeping and verification section. You will also want to sign and date the SOP to reflect that you revised your SOP.
The requirement that SFAs must develop and implement a food safety program using HAACP principles was established in school year 2005-2006. Schools should have a working food safety program in place; the phased-in implementation period has passed. SFAs should now be working on reviewing and improving their food safety programs.
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The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center Library
The NCCIC Library collection contains over 20,000 summaries and availability information for published documents of interest to policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and other members of the child care community. Links to full-text publications about child care and school-age issues are provided when available.
Click here to go to the NCCIC library search page.
Mealtime Memos for Child Care
The 2010-05 issue of Mealtime Memo for Child Care, the monthly newsletter that includes menus, recipes, and activities related to child care, is now online. In this issue of Mealtime Memo you will find a list of benefits for using locally grown produce, an explanation of different ways to purchase locally grown produce, and a chart for general times fresh fruits and vegetables are in season. Recipe for Broccoli Quiche (D-08) is featured along with a week's worth of breakfast, lunch, and snack menus.
Plenty of Local Produce
In the 2010-06 issue of Mealtime Memo you will find tips for adults to follow to influence positive eating habits in young children. Recipe for Cheese Sauce (C-07A) is featured along with a week's worth of breakfast, lunch, and snack menus.
Developing Healthy Eating Habits with MyPyramid for Preschoolers
In the 2010-07 issue of Mealtime Memo you will find feature stories on 1) Meeting Meal Pattern Requirements for Snacks, 2) Serving Snacks as Mini-Meals, 3) Making Snack Time Fun, and 4) Snack Time as Teaching Time. Recipe for Bean Dip (G-02) is featured along with a week's worth of breakfast, lunch, and snack menus.
Snacks as Mini-Meals
In the 2010-08 issue of Mealtime Memo you will learn the four principles of food safety: clean, separate, cook, and chill used to provide nutritious food that is safe for young children. Recipe for Taco Salad (E-13) is featured along with a week's worth of breakfast, lunch, and snack menus.
Serving Safe Food in Child Care
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The HealthierUs School challenge was established to recognize schools that are creating healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Four levels of superior performance are awarded: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Gold of Distinction.
To qualify for the awards, a school must be a team nutrition school participating in the National School Lunch Program and submit a formal application and meet the basic criteria required by the Food and Nutrition Service. The HUSSC criteria reflect the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the Institute of Medicine published recommendations of April 2007 for foods that should be served in schools, and outside of the school lunch time.
HealthierUS Schools must also have a local school wellness policy as mandated by congress. Local school wellness policies support the HUSSC initiative and affirm that schools play a critical role in promoting student health, preventing childhood obesity, and combating problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity.
FNS encourages Schools to make these changes and has established monetary incentives to recognize schools that improve their school environment with nutritious food, physical activity, and nutrition education. Bronze level schools will receive $500. Silver level $1000. Gold $1500. Gold with Distinction $2000.
The complete application may be reviewed on the
Team Nutrition web site. Complete the attached letter of intent to indicate when we can expect to receive your application. Applications must be sent to the CANS office for review and approval and then will be forwarded to the MPRO. Contact
Mary Kirk at (605) 773-4718 or
Jean Schuurmans (605) 773-6026 regarding any questions or assistance in the application process.
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At the annual State SDSNA conference held in Huron the last week of July, a six hour workshop was offered at pre-conference to inform participants about the HealthierUS School Challenge promotion. The six hour workshop was presented by Clare Miller, a consultant with the National Food Service Management Institute.
The training was video graphed and developed into a set of six DVDs. The DVDs have just been delivered to CANS and are available for checkout. If you were not able to attend the conference workshop but would like more training and information on what the HealthierUS School Challenge is all about and how to begin the process of applying for the distinctive awards you are encouraged to call CANS and make arrangements to check out one of the sets of DVDs.
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Eligible sponsors such as non-profit organizations, schools and local governments have been working as approved low-income feeding sites or serving a group of low-income children this past summer.
We have both Summer Food Service Program and National School Lunch Seamless Summer Option summer feeding sites in South Dakota. In 2010 we had an increase in sponsors and feeding sites with 36 schools and non-profit agencies serving as sponsors of the 70 feeding locations for SFSP compared to the 30 sponsors and 59 feeding sites in 2009.
National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option decreased by two schools who chose to take part in SFSP so we have 34 instead of 36 in 2009 schools but, we have increased to 50 feeding locations this year compared to the 49 locations in 2009, thus overall the state of South Dakota experienced an increase in service rather than a decrease.
A big Thank You is extended to all the school staff who spent their summer feeding the hungry children of our state!
Summer Food Service Coordinator at Child and Adult Nutrition Services, Julie McCord
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Although some students may not be familiar with the color, taste, and texture of whole grains and whole-grain products, they can enjoy these good-for-you foods if you gradually add them to your menus.
Recognizing Whole Grains is easy! Read the ingredients statement for the products you purchase. Manufacturers must list ingredients in descending order by weight. Look for products that list whole grains first. If your students aren’t used to eating whole grains, start with products that list whole grains further down the list and make a plan to gradually offer more whole grains throughout the school year.
For many whole grains, the word “whole” usually is listed before the type of grain, such as “whole wheat flour,” “whole durum flour,” whole-grain barley,” whole cornmeal, or “whole white wheat.” Other ways to identify whole grains are:
• Some whole grains have a standard of identity and do not include the word “whole,” such as “cracked wheat,” “crushed wheat,” and “graham flour.”
• The term “berries” or “groats” indicate a whole, unrefined grain – for example, rye berries or buckwheat groats.
• Rolled oats, oatmeal, brown rice, brown rice flour, and wild rice are also whole grains.
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The Commodity Assistance Rate for schools published in the Federal Register is $ 0.2025. The rate is calculated using figures provided in the Producer Price Index, which is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Federal Register ($0.2025) plus the 12% provision funds rate that was previously added to your entitlement ($0.025) provides a total of $0.2275 cents per meal.
Click here for more details
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Please check your fax numbers for faxing to the CANS office.
If you are faxing claims into Cody Stoeser and Laurie Schumacher use 605-773-6139.
If you are faxing commodity order forms or other information please use 605-773-6846.
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