Communications & Training

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Communications

The Dish Newsletter - Stay Informed, Stay Connected!

Get the latest updates on child nutrition programs, policy changes, funding opportunities, training resources and more. Subscribe and view past newsletters to stay informed and ensure your program’s success.

View Past Dish Newsletters

Outreach Toolkits

The following toolkits contain templates and resources to help promote the importance and value of school and summer meals. Sponsors may tailor the materials to meet local needs.

School Wellness Outreach
- Guides and customizable resources social media posts to talk about school wellness with teachers, staff and families.
Child Nutrition Hiring Tools
- Materials to promote your open positions including recruitment videos, flyers, posters and social media posts.
Summer Meals Outreach
- Marketing tools, print ready and customizable materials to promote, communicate and inform families of nearby summer meal sites.
School Meals Outreach
- Resources and tailored messages for marketing and talking to your community about school meal programs.

Training

The School Nutrition Unit offers online, in-person and webinar training to increase school nutrition professionals' skills and knowledge in operating child nutrition programs. These trainings provide USDA Professional Standards hours and count as Continuing Education Units (CEU) for the School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) Credential. Use the Professional Standards training tracker to document participation in continuing education opportunities.

On the Menu and other Webinars

On the Menu Calls are held the fourth Thursday of each month from 2-3 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Topics reflect current happenings and required annual training and provide opportunities for networking with peers. In addition to monthly On The Menu calls, School Nutrition offers training on a variety of topics to ensure child nutrition professionals are prepared to operate healthy, efficient, and compliant programs.

Upcoming Webinars

Click on the title to register.

April 24 On the Menu: Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program
May 20: CEP Implementation
May 22 On the Menu: Direct Certification

Farm to School Listening Sessions

Register to attend one of the following sessions:

April 3 from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m.
April 29 from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m.

Recorded Webinars

March 2025 On the Menu: CEP Identified Student Percentage Reporting
March 2025: SFSP Sponsor Training
February 2025 On the Menu: Non-Congregate Summer Meals
January 2025 On the Menu: Summer-EBT
November 2024 On the Menu: Special Dietary Needs: Sponsor Panel
November 2024: Verification Collection Report
October 2024 On the Menu: School Meal Promotions
September 2024 On the Menu: Income Verification
September 2024: Local Food Program Grantees

Recorded Webinars Continued

August 2024 On the Menu: Back to School 2024
August 2024: Procurement Training
July 2024 On the Menu: Eligibility
May 2024: CEP Implementation
May 2024 On the Menu: Direct Certification
April 2024: Summer Food Service Program Sponsor Training #2
March 2024: CEP Mid-Year Implementation
February 2024 On the Menu: Farm to School
January 2024 On the Menu: 2024 Updates & School Nutrition News

In-Person Trainings

School Nutrition offers periodic in-person trainings and technical assistance via a regional model that cover a wide range of relevant topics to support effective child nutrition operations.

Upcoming In-Person Trainings

Click on the title to register.

Self-Paced Online Training

CDE School Nutrition uses the Moodle platform for all online training. To access online training and receive professional standards credit, you must have a Moodle account. Accounts are free. The enrollment key is Nutrition.

Questions?

Read Moodle User Instructions
Please contact [email protected] for questions about School Nutrition training offerings and any accessibility needs.