• Home »
• SBE Home »
• Commissions & Committees »
• Child Nutrition Advisory Council

CNAC Meeting Minutes for December 16, 2010

Child Nutrition Advisory Council

An Advisory Body to the State Board Of Education
Meeting Minutes

December 16, 2010
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

California Department of Education
Nutrition Services Division
560 J Street, Suite 270
Sacramento, California  95814

Members Present

Guests

Members Absent

Call to Order

Diane Grooms, filling in for the Child Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC) Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance followed.

Public Comment

There was no public comment.

Approval of Agenda and Meeting Minutes

The meeting minutes from June 3, 2010 were approved by unanimous vote. The agenda for the December 16, 2010 meeting was approved.

DSA White Paper—School Kitchens

Lowell Shields, a consultant with the Department of General Services, Office of the State Architect (OSA), presented his recommendations for construction and provisions for school kitchens, specifically with energy saving and green concepts in mind. Mr. Shields and the Council members had a comprehensive discussion about ways to make the OSA’s recommendations more practical for school nutrition programs. One of the main conclusions was that when any new construction or renovation of food service facilities is planned, business officials and nutrition staff need to be included.

2010/11 Election of CNAC Officers

The Council Members unanimously elected Diane Grooms as Chair and Molly O’Kane as Vice-Chair.

Recruitment of the Advisory Business Official and Physical Education Activity Positions

Council members agreed to invite candidates to apply for positions on the Council, including School Business Official, After School Representative, and Physical Education Activity Representative. The Council will meet in February to review applications and decide which applicants to invite for interviews. The council will meet again in March to interview candidates.

TENA-Training and Education Needs Assessment

Mandeep Punia and Shannan Young from the NSD’s Education and Nutrition Policy Unit shared their plans for the Division’s comprehensive training and education needs assessment. The NSD’s first phase of TENA is to establish an advisory group to assist in identifying training needs for School Nutrition Directors and staff. This is especially important in light of the mandate in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requiring “education, training, and certification for all school food service directors…” This group will assist them in providing a comprehensive plan for education and training for school nutrition staff. Another effort to identify and implement training needs for child and adult care programs will begin in fall of 2011.

HealthierUS School Challenge Update

Elizabeth Moreno reported on the progress of HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC), a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program which provides financial awards to schools which meet specific nutrition requirements for lunches, provide nutrition education, physical education, and opportunities for physical activity. Schools can apply for Gold of Distinction, Gold, Silver or Bronze awards with $2,000, $1500, $1000, and $500 awards respectively.

Since March 2010, seven school districts (86 schools) have applied for HUSSC awards in California. El Monte City School District was awarded 14 Silver HUSSC awards and $14,000 at a special press event in October 2010. El Monte City School District joins Manteca Unified (awarded 7 Gold awards in May 2009) as California’s only HUSSC districts.

The Nutrition Services Division’s (NSD) goal is to add 300 more HUSSC schools in 2011, so NSD is hopeful CNAC members will help spread the word. Please contact Elizabeth Moreno, Nutrition Education Consultant by e-mail at EMoreno@cde.ca.gov, or by telephone at 916-324-9749 for any questions about the HUSSC application process.

Improving Compliance with Meal Claim Regulations and Nutrition Standards

Louise Casias from the Education and Nutrition Policy Unit shared information regarding the USDA Administrative Review and Training Method II training grant. The NSD received a grant for $500,000 to develop and conduct training for agencies on the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs in the areas of meal patterns and meal counting. The training will consist of 16 one-day on-site training on meal planning, nine webinars on various topics, and a three college semester unit course on menu planning for child nutrition managers. The training for food service staff will occur February 2012 through September 2012.

Nutrition Services Update

Phyllis Bramson shared changes in the Child Nutrition Programs with the Congressional reauthorization, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010:

• Expands the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) afterschool meals for at risk children to all states
• Requires the USDA to establish regulations for local wellness policies and to provide technical assistance to states/schools
• Requires Local Education Agency (LEA) (over time) to charge students for paid meals at a price that is  equal to the free meal reimbursement
• Requires states to review all school food authorities on a 3-year cycle
• Requires the USDA to identify the types of costs that are reasonable and necessary to provide school meals and to issue guidance

The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m.