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 March 26, 2024, at 2 p.m. During the Town Hall, we will share highlights of recent policy guidance, funding and training opportunities, and best practices for operating Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs).
Please scroll to the end of this communication for additional resources and links shared during the February 27, 2024, 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 (ca.gov) (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 California Department of Education (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, March 26, 2024
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
- Training Topic: Program Management (3200) - Learning Objective: Manage staff work including scheduling (3210)
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 February 27, 2024
The following 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.
- Child Nutrition Consultant assignments are available in CNIPS, Download Forms section > Form ID: Caseload > Directory of Staff County Assignments.
- Check out the National Nutrition Month, Beyond the Table resources available on eatright.org.
- For National School Breakfast Week resources , visit the School Nutrition Association’s website.
- Learn more about Heaven’s Windows farm to school efforts on the Heaven’s Windows website.
- Read the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) newsletter, The Dirt, Volume 10 , to learn more about Heaven’s Windows farm to school efforts.
- For questions related to Kitchen Infrastructure Training (KIT) and Freshly Prepared Onsite Meals reach out to our KIT team at KITfunds@cde.ca.gov.
- Review the USDA Guidance on the Food Donation Program in CNPs available on the USDA website.
- Review the California Department of Education (CDE) Leftover Food Donation in the School Nutrition Programs web page.
- Check out CalRecycle’s Resources for Local Educational Agencies (LEAs): K-12 Public Schools and School Districts web page to view various resources including the Senate Bill (SB) 1383 for LEAs presentation.
- If you have questions regarding SB 1383, contact the CalReycle staff at Schools@calrecycle.ca.gov.
- If you have questions regarding Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, contact CalRecycle staff at slcp.organics@calrecycle.ca.gov.
- Use the USDA Rural Designation interactive mapping tool , available on the USDA website, to determine if a proposed site may be designated as rural for Summer Meal Programs.
- For school food authority Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) questions, please reach out to Summer EBT staff via email at SummerEBT@cde.ca.gov.
- Direct your procurement questions to the Procurement Resources Unit by email at NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov.
- Read CDE’s Unpaid Meal Charges and Excess Account Balances SNP-04-2023 Management Bulletin (MB),available on the CDE NSD MB web page.
- Direct your cafeteria funds questions to CDE staff at SNPCafeFundQuestions@cde.ca.gov.
- Review the CDE Nonprogram Food - Consolidated Guidance SNP-03-2024 MB available on the CDE NSD MB web page.
- For questions about nonprogram foods, please reach out to the Resource Management Unit at snpcafefundquestions@cde.ca.gov.
- For sponsor instructions on how to submit a late claim, visit the CDE School Nutrition Program Late Claims web page.
- For additional information on claim submission deadlines, refer to the CDE SNP Claim Submission Deadlines web page.
- Learn more about the Local Food for Schools (LFS) grant on the CDE’s LFS web page.
- Any questions related to the Commercial Dishwasher Grant (CDG), contact CDG team by email at cdg@cde.ca.gov.
- For more information about the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Summer Meals Program (SMP) grants and eligibility requirements, visit the CDE SBP and SMP Start-up and Expansion Grants web page.
- The online grant application package and instructions are available on the CDE SBP and SMP Grant Request for Applications web page.
- Questions regarding the SBP or SMP grants, contact the Breakfast Grant team by email at breakfastgrant@cde.ca.gov.
- No Kid Hungry (NKH) California grants to schools and community organizations that are serving rural communities by providing non-congregate feeding models as part of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or Seamless Summer Option (SSO): 2024 Summer Grant online inquiry form
- Email questions regarding the NKH California 2024 Summer Grant to NoKidHungryCA@strength.org.
- Learn more about the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program on the CDFA, California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program webpage.
- Send your questions regarding the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program to CDFA staff at cafarmtoschool@cdfa.ca.gov.
- Use the USDA’s Verifying Farm to Food Safety web page to help assess produce handling and food safety practices.
- School Nutrition Department Vacancy Turnover Rate survey questions can be sent to Beth Katz by email at beth@foodinsightgroup.com.
- For more information on school staffing, read the Gaps in California’s School Nutrition Services Staffing, Findings from the California School Nutrition Services Department Vacancy Turnover Rates Survey School Year 2022-2023 report published by the Association of California School Administrators.
- Find the most current Quick Reference Guides in the CNIPS Download Forms section of the website.
- Register for the USDA Healthy Meals Incentives Webinar, March 6, 2024 from 12:30-1:30 p.m., USDA Healthy Meals Incentives Quarter 3 Recognition Awards Informational Webinar registration .
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.