Webinar: Tuesdays at 2 School Nutrition Town Hall

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Join us for the next California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Tuesday @ 2 Town Hall scheduled for December 12, 2023, at 2 p.m. The CDE will share highlights of recent policy guidance, funding and training opportunities, and best practices for operating Child Nutrition Programs (CNP).

Scroll to the end of this communication for resources and links shared during the October 31, 2023, Town Hall.

Town Hall Webinar PowerPoint

The day of the Town Hall, draft webinar slides will be available by 10 a.m. on the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) web page . Use the following steps to access slides in CNIPS:

For School Food Authorities: Select Applications and Download Forms
For Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) operators: In the SFSP Module, select Applications and Download Forms

The Town Hall slides in CNIPS are marked “Draft” and are subject to change. If updates are needed, the CDE will upload the revised slides in the same location following the Town Hall.

The CDE now posts the final Town Hall PowerPoint slides in their new location on the CDE Food Service Staff Education and Training web page under the Town Halls tab.

Background

The Tuesday @ 2 Virtual Town Hall events typically occur each month on the fourth Tuesday of the month, unless otherwise noted. The Town Halls provide an opportunity for schools to learn about policy guidance, program requirements, and best practices for operating CNPs. The desired audience includes CNP Program Operators and Food Service Directors.

Participation Information

Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Registration and Cost

This town hall is free to attend. Register in advance for this webinar.

After registering, you will see a screen that says Webinar Registration Approved with a link to the webinar. You will also receive several emails with information about joining the webinar. First, you will receive confirmation the day you register and then you will receive two reminder emails: one day and one hour prior to the webinar. If you cannot find the email confirmation, or do not receive the reminders, you can always reregister.

Tip for Attendees

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Zoom.

Visit the Zoom test link.
If you experience issues, visit the Zoom Help Center web page for assistance.

If you receive an error message that the host has declined your webinar registration, try using an alternate email address. While not ideal, you may also join by phone if you have technical issues logging in from your computer.

Professional Standards Crediting Information

Key Area: Administration (3000)
- Training Topic: Program Management (3200) - Learning Objective: Manage staff work including scheduling (3210)
- Instructional hours: 1.5 hours

Reasonable Accommodation

Pursuant to state and federal statutes, individuals with a disability may request reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in the Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall. Send direct requests for reasonable accommodations to the CDE by email at NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov, no later than seven days prior to the event. Please note that Live Captioning will be available during the webinar.

Town Hall Links and Resources Provided on October 31, 2023

The following links were shared in the chat during the recent 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 CNIPS , Download Forms section > Form ID: Caseload > Directory of Staff County Assignments.
Learn more about Santa Ana Unified School District’s (USD) plant-based menus and how the school district reduced their carbon footprint, 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.
Visit the USDA Farm to School Census web page for information on the USDA Farm to School Census Preparation Worksheet .
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 CNP 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 CNP: Training Resources web page.
For Spanish posters and tip sheets, check out USDA’s Offer Versus Serve Materials web page.