October 31, 2023 Tuesday at 2 Town Hall Resources

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The California Department of Education (CDE) hosted the monthly Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar on October 31, 2023 for school food service operators, chief business officials, and community partners to provide an opportunity for schools to learn about program requirements for operating their programs and hear about best practices.

Links Shared in Chat During the Town Hall

• A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the SNP Specialist Directory web page or email SNP staff at snpinfo@cde.ca.gov​.
• Find the appropriate CDE staff under the Contacts tab on the Food Service Staff Education web page.
• Child Nutrition Consultant assignments are available in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS), Download Forms section > Form ID: Caseload > Directory of Staff County Assignments.
• If you are interested in learning more about how Santa Ana Unified School District (USD) reduced their carbon footprint and their plant-based menus read the full e-article in Civil Eats, titled “California Leads the Way in Low-Carbon School Meals .”
• Read the Food Service Director e-magazine article by Benita Gingerella “How a fellowship program is bringing more scratch-made meals to San Bernardino schools .”
• Read the Food Corps blog, “6 Amazing School Lunches from Cafeterias Around the Country .”
• Contact our Tuesday at 2 School Nutrition Town Hall guest speakers via email:
  • Erin Primer, Food Service Director, San Luis Coastal USD at eprimer@slcusd.org.
  • Bethany Markee, Director of Child Nutrition, Orcutt Union School District at bmarkee@orcutt-schools.net.
• If you have not yet received your Farm to School Census invitation, please reach out to Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com and request your invitation.
• A copy of the 2023 Farm to School Census Sample Survey is available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.
• To learn more about bills discussed during the Town Hall and others search the California Legislation Information web page.
• Learn more about the Child Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC) and the upcoming recruitment process on the CDE CNAC web page.
• For more information on flexibilities for Child Nutrition Program Operations visit:
  • USDA’s SP 01-2024, CACFP 01-2024, SFSP 01-2024 Clarification of Allowable Flexibilities for Child Nutrition Programs Experiencing Milk Supply Shortages web page.
  • USDA’s School Meal Supply Chain Issues During School Year 2022-23 resource and the CDE’s Procurement in School Nutrition Programs web page for additional information.
  • The Lunch Box’s Bulk Milk web page for information and benefits of bulk milk service.
  • Submit the CDE online SNP Meal Pattern Waiver During Natural Disaster or Other Unanticipated School Closure.
  • Direct milk carton shortage questions to the SNP inbox at SNPinfo@cde.ca.gov.
• If you have questions about the Food Distribution Program (FDP) annual meal count reconciliation for School Year (SY) 2023–24 entitlement, the annual inventory reconciliation process, the SY 2024–25 preference surveys for state distribution centers or to participate in the FDP, please contact the FDP by email at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.
• For more information about the verification process, please visit the CDE SNP Verification Materials web page.
• Visit the CDE Drinking Water for Students in Schools - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education web page for more information on fresh drinking water in the food service area.
• Review the CDE Management Bulletin SNP 05-2017, CACFP 02-2017 Availability of Potable Water and Allowable Costs web page.
• Review the SP 28-2011 USDA’s Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2010: Water Availability During National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Meal Service (PDF).
• Contact the Resource Management Unit staff by email if you have six months or more excess net cash resources by November 1, 2023 at SNPBA@cde.ca.gov. This due date has passed.
• To access the online grant application package and instructions for the 2023 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant (EAG) visit the CDE EAG Request for Applications web page.
• For questions or if you need assistance applying for the 2023 NSLP EAG, contact the EAG team by email at equipmentgrant@cde.ca.gov.
• Visit the Great Kindness Challenge website for turnkey resources and more.
• To receive more information about the Winning at Wellness webinar and resources, sign up for the CA LSWP Collaborative free newsletter .
• Learn more about the No Kid Hungry (NKH) by Share Our Strength study, “What Do Teens Really Think About School Meals? ” on the NKH web page.
• Visit the NKH website and access the Student Feedback Toolkit for School Meals .
• Read the press release on San Diego USD’s web page to learn more about the Taste of San Diego USD.
• To learn more on the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs: Training Resources web page.
• For Spanish posters and tip sheets, check out USDA’s Offer Versus Serve Materials web page.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.