Articles in the April 2007 Issue
A Note From Sandra:
April - no fooling! This is the last full month for many schools. Regardless of whether it is the last month or just another month of operation, it is time to think about doing some evaluation of your goals for this year. What did you want to accomplish? What did you learn about the topic? Did you make some changes to meet the goals? How did that go - was it successful or did you hit some bumps? What lessons did you learn about the implementation? How can you get over some of those bumps? Who can help you with this? This success or bumps can tell you where to focus your efforts for next year.
Most likely you are considering purchasing for next year - if you have not done so already. What questions are you asking the vendors? Are you looking for lower fat and lower sodium products? Are you asking for items that are whole grain? (remember the 51%...) Are you going out for bid or getting quotes from vendors? Remember that this is a federally funded program and spending that money requires making decisions based on dollars. Schools and agencies should all have the books "First Choice" and "Choice Plus" for guidance in purchasing.
Have you talked to the business office about the budget for next year? If you have changes to make in addition to the cost of food always increasing, they need to know about this so they can take information to the Board in late spring or summer to establish meal prices for next year.
Stan Garnett, Director of Food and Nutrition Services in the US Department of Agriculture spoke to us at the recent School Nutrition Association Legislative Action Conference. The revisions to the meal patterns based on the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will come out in proposed regulation, probably in fall 2007. Proposed regulations do not require an immediate change. They will have an extensive comment period, the comments must be evaluated, and then the proposed regulations revised based upon the comments. I expect it will be fall 2008 before we will be required to implement the changes. The Dietary guidelines recommended for all of us that we increase the amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, increase legumes, and increase whole grains. Schools are already taking steps to incorporate these food items into the menus. That will make transition to the requirements much easier. Share your success stories and recipes with us.
Remember to check out www.healthysd.gov for ideas on fitness and nutrition. There are sections for a wide variety of folks - not just children.
Jump into Good Nutrition with
Certification Institute
The time is fast approaching for Certification Institute at
Augustana. If you haven’t registered yet, please do so soon as the
early bird deadline is April 27th and the deadline for regular
registration is May11, 2007.
For more information about Certification Institute, please click
here. While CANS prefers that people take tracks 1-4 before taking tracks
5 and 6, we realize that there may be times when it would be
inappropriate for people to take tracks 1-4. An example would be if
the school’s authorized representative wanted to take a management
or wellness promotion class. Additionally, CANS may make an
exception for those with prior education, training and management
experience if those individuals want to request that they not be
required to take tracks 1-4 before taking tracks 5 or 6. Decisions
will be on a case by case basis.
Be sure to pack your athletic shoes! Both the volleyball court and
the tennis courts will be available for use while we are there.
Walking is also always a good activity too.
Summer Food Service Operational
Workshops Offered
It’s time to attend the Summer Food Service Operational Workshops.
The workshop is not mandatory, but if you have any personnel that
would like to attend please register for one of the dates indicated
below. While the workshop is not mandatory, it is necessary that
site personnel be trained. Please note that all SFSP sponsors must
have the site personnel trained before meals can be claimed for
reimbursement in the SFSP. This is an excellent opportunity for that
training. Each session will start at 8:30 am and run till 4:30 pm
CST.
The local agency will be responsible to ensure that training is
provided to each site prior to the start date of operation of the
SFSP if they have not attended the Operational Workshops.
The dates and locations of the training are as follows:
- May 8 – Sioux Falls – Department of Transportation – 5316 W. 60th St. N (HWY 38)
- May 16 – Rapid City – Youth & Family Services – 120 E. Adams Street
- May 24 – Pierre – South Dakota State Library – 800 Governors Drive
If you would like to register for one of these workshops, indicate the names of the attendees and the date they would like to attend in a letter or e-mail to the contact information listed below. Let’s all have a great summer!
Department of Education
Child and Adult Nutrition Services
c/o Cassandra Pope
800 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2235
Cassandra.pope@state.sd.us
(605) 773-3110 phone
(605) 773-6846 fax
Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation
Week
May 7-11, 2007 is Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation week. The
School Nutrition Association has designated this one week each year
to honor child nutrition employees. Be sure to set aside some time
to celebrate just how special these employees are and let them know
you’re thinking of them.
Certificates of appreciation are available from Child and Adult Nutrition Services for long-term employees to be honored or those that are retiring. Certificates can be requested at 10 years and at 5-year intervals after that (15 years, 20 years, etc.) Certificates for retirees can be requested at any time. You can request a certificate of appreciation for the employee by providing the name, years of service, and school/agency where they are employed. You can include years of food service at other schools or agencies, also. Be sure to note who the request should be sent back to and if you need it by a certain date such as for a retirement party.
Written requests should be submitted so we are sure the spelling is correct. Submit the request to CANS by April 15. Send the request to the attention of Shar by email to shar.venjohn@state.sd.us or fax 605-773-6846 or use our mailing address of 800 Governors Drive, Pierre SD 57501-2235.
CACFP Basics
Off-Site Meal Requests in the Child and Adult Care Food Program –
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reimburses centers and
homes for serving nutritious meals to the children or adults in
their care. Many different facilities operate the CACFP, all sharing
the common goal of bringing nutritious meals and snacks to
participants (Child Care Centers, Family Child Care Homes,
After-School Care Programs, Shelters, and Adult Day Care Centers).
Our CACFP Basics topic this month is Off-Site Meal Requests.
Any time a site (or group of children from a site) will be eating a
meal at any location outside of the center an off-site meal request
must be sent to CANS, at least one week in advance, for approval to
claim the meal. Once approved, these forms are returned to the local
agency to indicate that the meal is approved and may be claimed for
reimbursement. These approved forms must be maintained on file. The
off-site meal request form can be found in SD Numbered Memo CACFP –
25.1.
Building for the Future with the CACFP
Upcoming Training Events –
“CACFP Plus!” Workshops
April 5, 2007 – Aberdeen Catholic Schools – Aberdeen
April 17, 2007 – Augustana College –Sioux Falls
April 24, 2007 – Capitol Lake Visitor’s Center – Pierre
May 2, 2007 – Lake Area Technical Institute – Watertown
May 9, 2007 – Youth & Family Services – Rapid City
These workshops are designed for veteran staff that have a solid
understanding of Program requirements. Pre-registration is required.
For more information please contact Melissa Halling at (605)
773-3566 or by email at
melissa.halling@state.sd.us.
MyPyramid Corner: Walking the Talk
Are you setting a good example for your co-workers? How about for
your students? Do you know that you are a role model for others? You
have more power to influence how others think about healthy foods
and healthy beverages and about being physically active than you
realize. People do notice. So do the students.
If students were to write down what they saw you doing--what would
they write down? Drinking water? Eating fruits and veggies? Going
for a walk during break time or rollerblading on Saturday? Take a
look around your school or child care site. More than likely about
1/3 of the students at your site are carrying more weight than is
considered healthy. Now—take a look around at the staff at your
school or your child care agency—probably about 2/3 of the adults
are overweight or obese as that is the percent of South Dakota
adults who are overweight or obese.
Take a look at the students again—if the trends continue, 2/3 or
more of the students in your school will become overweight or obese
adults. You can’t tell by looking at them now which ones it will be,
but think about a group photo of the students and imagine that at
random a mark is placed over 2/3 of the children. Now imagine that a
mark is placed on those that will develop Type II diabetes and have
to start taking insulin shots, those who begin having joint
problems, and clogged arteries. Think it isn’t happening? Think
again. The rate of children getting diabetes from being overweight
is sky rocketing and overweight children at your school are building
up plaque on their arteries that will very likely mean that some of
them will have heart attacks and quadruple bypass surgery as they
get older. You may even outlive a few of the students that will get
diet related diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
What is causing this? The vast majority of students and adults
aren’t following the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid
recommendations to limit sugar, fat and portion sizes. They aren’t
eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, whole
grains, lean meat, legumes and drinking skim or 1% milk. Instead
they are eating French fries, large portion sizes, beverages with
added sugar, candy, desserts, high fat dairy products, buttered
popcorn, sweet rolls, high fat muffins, bacon, donuts, chocolate,
fried chicken, chips, pancakes with loads of butter and syrup, and
on and on….does this mean you can’t ever have any of these foods
again? Of course not, but Americans and people the world over are
going to have to start living differently and have these foods only
very occasionally and then in small portion sizes. Otherwise, life
expectancy will start dropping as it is predicted will happen.
Why are kids, teens and adults not following the Dietary Guidelines
and MyPyramid? There are lots of reasons including simple lack of
knowledge about what is healthy and how many calories are actually
in many of the foods we eat and how much food we can put in our body
without gaining weight. Many students and adults likely don’t know
that they only have about 200 calories extra for the entire day for
“extra” things such as a cookie, or a larger piece of steak, or sour
cream on their baked potato. Another big factor is that if something
yummy is offered to us, most of us will take it because it is too
tempting to turn down—and if a plate or bowl of something like candy
sits near us or we walk past a vending machine with tempting foods,
many of us will choose to eat something that we wouldn’t have eaten
if we had had to go a lot further away to get it.
Research shows that eliminating the availability of high fat and
high sugar items in the whole school environment (vending machines,
reimbursable meal, a la carte, school store, fundraisers, etc) helps
students make better choices. Research shows that most students when
given a choice between high fat and high sugar items versus
healthier items will choose the less healthy item. Let’s think about
this from our own perspective--a brownie versus an apple…most of us
will pick the brownie every time or perhaps eat both. If you
wouldn’t, you are one of the few exceptions.
A third influence is the suggestibility factor—we notice someone
else doing something and they look like they are enjoying themselves
so much, that we think, hmmm…I think I will try that—it must be
good. Remember Mikey from television ads years ago—his older
brothers would give something to Mikey first to try it and if he
liked it, then they would try it too. This is where role modeling
can come into play. So make it a game, make it fun and make it cool.
Let the students see you drinking water, drinking skim milk, eating
your fruits and vegetables and let them see you getting some
physical activity. And talk it up to your co-workers—maybe they will
decide that you are having so much fun at the gym in your aerobics
class that they will want to join you. Being a good role model is
cool, it is hip and you are demonstrating the Power of One to
influence many. And if it ever seems like no one notices or
appreciates your efforts, remember your efforts aren’t
wasted—sometimes it takes a while, but eventually you will see
others chewing on carrot sticks and riding their bike with a big
smile on their face too. And the students will have more adults that
are providing a positive role model which will help them make better
choices too.
For more information about how what you should eat, how much you
should eat and how much physical activity you should get each day,
visit the MyPyramid at
www.mypyramid.gov.
Am I certified – or what?
“Certification” can mean so many things – certified that you have
passed a course or have demonstrated knowledge or ability in a
certain area. You might be certified to do CPR, to be a lifeguard,
to operate a childcare center, to be a teacher, and, of course, in
child nutrition programs it might mean that you have attended
“certification” institute or you have passed the ServSafe test. It
is helpful if we specify which kind of certification we are
discussing.
A question that has been confusing is certification and
recertification regarding ServSafe. Part of the reason is that rules
apply a little differently for licensed food service establishments
(such as restaurants) than for schools (which are not licensed).
Other confusing parts are the number of hours and expiration date.
A brochure was developed which explains the ServSafe certification
and recertification process. You can find it on the SD State
University Cooperative Extension website at
http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/ExEx14106.pdf.
Note that the last four questions relate specifically to school
foodservice and help clarify how this applies to schools.
Some School Nutrition Association members (SNA) want certification
through SNA. That means they have taken a certain number of
education hours related to school nutrition. SNA requires 10 hours
of education on food safety for level 1 and level 2. That is why we
use 10 hours to teach ServSafe at Institute. Members who would like
level 3 SNA certification must take 10 additional hours.
Kids in the Kitchen
Homemade Salsa
From Food, Family and Fun: A Seasonal Guide to Healthy Eating, as
published in Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young
Children; Team Nutrition Iowa;
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
½ cup corn, fresh or frozen
½ cup onion, diced
1 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno peppers (optional) or ½ cup chopped green
or red bell peppers
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely diced
1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Chill and serve.
CONDIMENT – Serving Suggestions:
Use as a filler in wrap-ups or as a dip with bread sticks (see
Nutrition Bulletin March 2006), homemade tortilla chips (see
Nutrition Bulletin April 2005), or fresh vegetables.
Kids on the Move
Fitness March
Adapted from Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young
Children; Team Nutrition Iowa;
Need: Marching Music
Arrange the children in 1-2 lines facing you (i.e. the children
should be in a line as if waiting to walk in line somewhere).
Play the music and march. Encourage high steps with the knees lifted
up on each step. Encourage moving the arms vigorously in a pattern
opposite to the legs. Begin with you as the leader. March around the
area in various patterns (lines, zing zags, circles, etc). Then
allow a child to be the leader. Switch leaders often.
Turn off the TV Week
Nutrition and physical activity are both addressed in our wellness
policies. To promote physical activity (through less sitting at
computers and TV's), Turn off the TV Week promotion is scheduled for
April 23 - 29. Now - that doesn't mean turn off the computer for
work or school work - but addresses what we do with our free time.
Can you meet that challenge? Check it out at
www.healthysd.gov on
the main page and the parents page.
Special Needs in Child Nutrition Programs
Satellite Seminar Presented by NFSMI
April 25, 2007, 2-3 pm Central Time
Are you looking for practical strategies for serving children with
special needs? The National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI)
is offering a free web cast on April 25, 2007 that will cover common
issues impacting child nutrition programs. The emphasis is on being
a team player within the school setting as well as offering
practical strategies for working with special diets. To register,
please go to www.nfsmi.org. You must pre-register to watch the web
cast on April 25. Handouts will be emailed to you approximately 2
weeks prior to the satellite seminar air date.
On the day of the event, you will be able to watch the seminar
directly on your computer screen. The majority of schools in South
Dakota do not have a satellite dish to download this presentation,
so it is likely that the web cast is the only way you can view this
session. However, if there are a lot of you at one site, you might
want to check with your tech coordinator to find out if they have
any way to link the web cast off of your computer through the DDN
system at your school. The web cast will be stored on the NFSMI
website afterwards so even if you don’t watch it that day, you
should still be able to watch it at a later time.
Food Safety During Easter and Passover
Holidays
The Easter and Passover holidays brings groups together for large
meals - and raises again our awareness of the need for food safety.
If we follow the rules of clean, separate, cook, and chill; we
should be in good shape. For additional information check out the
USDA website at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_032607_01/index.asp
Win an apron with the new Fruits and
Veggies-More Matters logo on it!
We are looking for success stories and kid tested/kid approved
recipes (and teenager tested/teenager approved) recipes for fruits
and vegetable including legumes (dried beans). How does your school
get kids/teens to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables? Have you
started something new that is working well? Have you found a
quantity food recipe that has become a big hit? Let us know and you
might win an apron with the new Fruits and Veggies--More Matters
logo on it!
Legumes (kidney beans, pinto beans, soy beans, garbanzo beans, navy
beans, dried peas etc) seem to be a hard sell at some schools in
South Dakota, but with nutrition education, kid tested recipes and
some good advertising/marketing strategies, we are thinking that
maybe the impossible can be done and those schools can find a way to
get kids/teens to eat the mighty legume. We want to hear from those
of you who are having success with this--have you found a way to get
kids or teens to eat legumes? Some of you may have been getting kids
to do this for a long time with foods such as chili, refried beans
or baked beans and not thought about the fact that they are already
eating legumes. Others may have tried a creative strategy such as
having the Mighty Legume Caped Superhero visit your cafeteria to
talk up legumes to the first and second graders or put legumes on
your salad bar at the high school. There isn’t a Mighty Legume
costume design yet as this is just an idea, but it or something like
it could be done. Remember Popeye? He was a hero that ate spinach to
be strong.
Start writing down what you have found that works. You might want to
post a piece of paper at your school or child care site and ask all
your employees to write down success stories and recipes that your
site uses for getting kids and teens to eat more fruits and
vegetables and legumes. We will be collecting stories for the next
few months and then we will put together all the success stories and
put them on our website. Those who submit a success story or a
recipe will be entered to win an apron with the new Fruits and
Veggies-More Matters logo on it. We will announce the winners at
Certification Institute. We have 10 aprons to give away, so your
chances of winning are good! To see what you will win, please click
on this link:
http://www.pbhcatalog.com/acatalog/Aprons.html.
To enter the contest, please send an email to
amy.richards@state.sd.us
and include your name, telephone number, school name and age of
students at your school as well as what you have been doing that has
been working.
Fruits and Veggies—More Matters
Remember 5 a Day? Well, in case you haven’t heard, it is not called
that anymore—it has changed its name to Fruits and Veggies—More
Matters and it has a new logo. For more info, please go to their
website at http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.
