Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin |
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| Purpose: Beneficial Information | |
| To: Child Nutrition Sponsors |
Number: NSD-SNP-04-2011 |
| Attention: Food Service Program Directors |
Date: October 2011 |
| Subject: Funding Opportunity—Starting Right in the Child Nutrition Program |
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The California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division (NSD), in partnership with Glendale Community College (GCC), California Professional Nutrition Education and Training Center (Cal-Pro-NET) is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for California school districts and county offices of education. The GCC, in collaboration with the NSD, will select up to three California public school districts or county offices of education to participate in Phase II of the program titled, “Starting Right in the Child Nutrition Program: The Professional Education of Front-line Personnel.”
Given the upcoming changes in the federal meal requirements for the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), maintaining highly skilled child nutrition staff has never been more important. Selected school districts or county offices of education will partner with local community colleges to provide an instructional program in their regions consisting of three courses: Healthy Cuisine for Kids (HCK), Beginning Record Keeping (BRK), and Child Nutrition Program Overview (CNPO). The three-course series will carry the title “Introduction to the Child Nutrition Program” and serve as the nucleus for a certificate program for entry-level and front-line employees.
Background
The NSD implemented Phase I of the program in 2008–09 with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition funds and the participation of staff from five California public school districts and their partnering local community colleges. The school district-community college team used a two‑step, train-the-trainer approach to teach the HCK course. This hands-on nutrition/food preparation course is based upon the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as state and federal meal requirements for the SBP and the NSLP.
The main goal of the program is to provide professional education to entry-level and front-line child nutrition program personnel working in schools, childcare agencies, and after school programs to improve the nutritional integrity and quality of meals. This project is in line with nationwide efforts to reverse current childhood obesity trends such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, Chefs Move to Schools, and the Recipes for Kids Challenge.
Funding Available
Awards of up to $16,650 are available for successful applicants to support the costs for instructors to attend the train-the-trainer sessions at GCC and other costs related to the implementation of the three, one-unit courses. Funds will be awarded through an agreement with the GCC Cal-Pro-NET Center.
More Information
The application submission deadline is January 6, 2012. You may access the Request for Application documents at the GCC Cal-Pro-Net Web site at http://vision.glendale.edu/index.aspx?page=4700.
For questions regarding this instructional program, please contact Sona Donayan, GCC Cal‑Pro-NET Coordinator, by phone at 818-240-1000 extension 1114 or by e-mail at sdonayan@glendale.edu. You may also contact Grace Huppert, Nutrition Education Consultant, Nutrition Services Division, by phone at 916-322-1563 or by e-mail at ghuppert@cde.ca.gov.
