3SquaresVT, Direct Certification, and Feeding Students In and Out-of-School

Instructor:  Becca Mitchell and Olivia Pena

3SquaresVT, the largest nutrition program in the state, has an important connection with the viability of school meal programs as well as the health and wellbeing of our students. Children in households receiving 3SquaresVT benefits are directly certified for free school meals. Ensuring as many students as possible are directly certified can reduce the administration burden of processing school meal applications or collecting meal program debt, increase Title I funding for schools, and helps families stretch their food budgets. Come learn about successful outreach strategies that have been implemented here in Vermont, and walk away with resources and materials that can be used in your school or district. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Friday, August 16 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

A Day in the Life of Farm to School

Instructor:  Valerie Prentiss-Reppin

We will cook a Farm to School Meal together while discussing this importance of composting, recycling, local purchasing and using USDA foods to engage, excite and educate students, staff and the community. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Acing Your Administrative Review

Instructor:  Jennifer Hutchinson

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This interactive class will set you up for success and will cover all you need to know for your upcoming Administrative Review. Perfect for Food Service Directors, Kitchen Managers, Administrative Staff, and Business Managers who are looking for a clear understanding of the complete Administrative Review process. This class is required for all School Food Authorities scheduled for a Child Nutrition Administrative Review of the school nutrition programs in the 2019-2020 school year.  This class is offered twice.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  6 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm) OR Friday, August 16 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $18

After School Snack Service vs At-Risk After School Meals Program

Instructor:  Jamie Curley and Becca Cochran

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Do you currently offer after school snack or supper in your programs? If not, here is the chance to learn about the different opportunities to offer meals and snacks to children after the school day has ended. Join this session to learn about NSLP After School Snack Service and CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program. We will discuss the requirements of each program and perform a comparison. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Allergy Mangement in School Nutrition Programs

Instructor:  Kathy Alexander

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This class will provide a strong foundation for understanding food allergies and developing a school nutrition plan for managing supports to students with food allergies.  An important class for ensuring we keep kids healthy in school. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Are You Ready? Feeding Kids and Community During a Disaster

Instructor:  Rosie Krueger

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Did you know that your child nutrition programs could help feed children, families, adults, and first-responders during a disaster? Did you know that USDA and FEMA will reimburse or refund you for foods and resources that you use during disaster feeding? Did you know that you could feed your students after a house fire, during a snow-day, or during a strike, and receive federal assistance for those meals? We’ll cover all of these scenarios and more! In this class, we will discuss the resources available to you to help cover the costs of providing emergency feeding in a disaster, how to prepare a commercial kitchen for these scenarios, and how to become part of your community’s disaster response plan. This class is relevant to a wide audience – including NSLP food service managers, SFSP sponsors, childcare center managers, school administrators, school homeless liaisons, and others in the school community who are interested in feeding their community members in emergency situations. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Baking with Whole-Grains

Instructor:  Rebecca Cochran

Serving whole grain-rich items is a requirement in SBP, NSLP and CACFP. Many operators would like to continue baking from scratch but have a difficult time making whole grain-rich items that are still palatable. Join this session to learn how to make tasty products using whole-grains! 

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Limit:  15

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Friday, August 16 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Basic Computer Skills

Instructor:  KnowledgeWave

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Child Nutrition Program Basics for Business Managers and Administrators

Instructor:  Rosie Krueger

This session is for business managers and any other administrators in the business office who are responsible for overseeing the management of the school meals programs.  The session will provide a high-level overview of each of the programs and how they operate, and then delve into what your responsibilities are.  We will cover the important dates throughout the year, how to complete the various required reports, training and hiring requirements for staff involved in the programs, the basics of how to provide “universal meals”, and where to go for additional help as questions arise throughout the year.  We will also discuss the recent changes to how the direct certification list is communicated to your school food authority, and your role in ensuring that information is disseminated. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Civil Rights in Child Nutrition Programs

Instructor:  Jamie Curley

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This session will count as the required annual Civil Rights training. At the end of this presentation you will be able to:

• Implement correct Civil Rights procedures

• Provide reasonable modifications to accommodate disabilities

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This class is offered twice.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) OR Friday, August 16 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Co-Mingled v.s. Non-Co-Mingled Pre-K

Instructor:  Becca Cochran and Jamie Curley

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Are you struggling with understanding co-mingled v.s. non-co-mingled pre-k in your program? Join this session to learn about the requirements when serving pre-k in the cafeteria versus in the classroom. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Contracting with a Food Service Management Company

Instructor:  Michael Carr

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Join this session to learn the nuances of the food service contracting process.  The VT Agency of Education provides a template a nd prescribed process for contracting food service.  We will review the new RFP documents, discuss fixed price contracts and contract management once the RFP has been awarded.   

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Defining Farm to School

Instructor:  Agency of Agriculture

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Beginning with the Financial Reports for School Year 2020, the Legislature is requiring that School Food Authorities report on the percentage of local foods purchased for school meals programs.  Neither the federal government nor the state defines local purchases, so it is up to each school food authority to define local for themselves.  However, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel!  Join this class for some hands on help from Farm to School experts on these new local reporting expectations, different ways to define local, and tools to track your local purchases once you’ve come up with a definition.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Excel Basics

Instructor:  KnowledgeWave

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This course is designed to acquaint users with Microsoft Excel concepts and functionality. Students will learn how to navigate the interface, create a spreadsheet, use formulas and format worksheets. Ultimately, students will possess the skills to put Microsoft’s powerful analytical application to work for them. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Excellence in Customer Service

Instructor:  KnowledgeWave

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In this half-day session, attendees will learn the fundamentals of providing excellent customer service and how to resolve stressful customer service situations.  

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Food Safety on the Farm

Instructor:  Abbie Nelson and Laura LaVacca

Do you wonder how fruits and vegetables are produced on a farm and how to know if the produce is safe to use and prepare? Or what the safety protocols for livestock farms who are selling meat to the public could be? Join this very experiential workshop taking place on several farms in Addison County (produce farm, beef farm, and turkey farm ) where you will learn about farm food safety, learn about farm safety in action and discuss local purchasing of these products.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  6 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Monday, August 12 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm) 

Registration Fee: $18

FFVP – Making it Work in Your School

Instructor:  Jennifer Hutchinson

This class will review the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program requirements for elementary schools that are eligible to participate in the program. The management of the federal funds, program requirements and expectations, recordkeeping, and claiming will be covered. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 14 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Free and Reduced Price Application Approval

Instructor:  Rosie Krueger

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This class is for anyone who is responsible for issuing free and reduced price benefits.  We will review how to approve or deny an application correctly, how to compile the list of directly certified students, how to communicate the required information to households, and how to maintain the correct documentation.  We will spend time practicing approving applications and work to answer all your questions about special circumstances.  This class will not address verification, so if you are the Verification Official for your school food authority, please also plan to attend the “Verification of Free & Reduced Eligibility” session on Friday. This class is offered twice.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) OR Friday, August 16 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Get “Rooted”: Simple Outreach Tools to Increase Meal Program Participation

Instructor:  Becca Mitchell and Shane Rogers

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One of the hardest parts about serving free Summer Meals or school meals showcasing fresh, local ingredients is getting the word out to the community about their availability, especially in a rural state like Vermont. However, there are some easy ways to increase participation and boost the number of meals served with some simple outreach tools and strategies. Join us for this introductory workshop that will look at wielding social media and other available tools to drive up more participation in your meals programs and celebrate those successes without taking up too much time. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Getting to Know the Food Buying Guide

Instructor:  Becca Cochran

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The Food Buying Guide has recently gone digital and has many new resources to use in your child nutrition programs. Join this hands on session for a chance to navigate the new food buying guide and learn about all the cool new features. 

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Limit:  15

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Google Sheet Basics

Instructor:  KnowledgeWave

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TBD 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

How to Constructively Engage Your Community in Your Meal Program

Instructor:  Anore Horton

Do you have parents who want you to make changes to your menus without understanding the federal rules?  Do you have teachers who unintentionally undermine your nutrition goals by bringing in sugary treats for their students?  Do you have community members concerned about investing more money in the meal program?  Do you have eager volunteers but you’re not sure how to use them?  Would you like parents or other staff to understand more about nutrition?  In this hands-on workshop, you will learn some key strategies for both educating your school/district community about, and engaging them in, your meal program in constructive ways that improve student access and nutrition.  You will be provided with some building-blocks for community presentations and communications.  You will also develop an action plan to take with you.  This workshop is suitable for both childcare providers and school staff.  Administrators also welcome!  

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 14 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Implementing Harvest of the Month in your Cafeteria

Instructor:  Rachel Huff and Maire Folan

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Learn to incorporate VT Harvest of the Month into all elements of your work with food, from menu planning marketing, and improving meal participation, to taste tests and farm to school projects. Your cafeteria is your classroom; with VT Harvest of the Month you can help kids learn to be excited about trying new fresh local foods. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

In Depth Child Nutrition Financials

Instructor:  Alisa Roman

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This workshop is all about financials in Child Nutrition.  Learn how to calculate Meals Per Worker Hour, how to correctly perform inventory and to do a true analysis of your financials for your school district.  Topics include a la carte pricing, menu cost management, and budgeting.  This workshop is for business managers, directors, or others who are involved with child nutrition finances.  Participants will be hands on working in excel and other applicable programs, as well as have presentations by PowerPoint etc. 

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Limit:  25

Credit:  12 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Monday, August  12 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm) and Tuesday, August 13 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $36

Inventory Management and Other Cost Control Strategies

Instructor:  Kathy Alexander

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Managing Inventory and Food Cost is a key part of running viable school nutrition program.  Learn some key strategies to maintain inventory and evaluate how well your inventory is used and tracked.  

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Knife Skills and Cooking Fundamentals

Instructor:  Jim Birmingham

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This workshop is intended for food service staff who are new to school food or veteran staff members looking to improve their techniques.  We will begin with a hands on knife skills workshop where we will discuss knife safety, sharpening, and practice some classic knife cuts.  We will then have a lesson and discussion about fundamental cooking techniques, focusing on how to adapt recipes to the equipment limitations we often find in a school kitchen.  The information and skills presented will ease the burden of food production, increasing efficiency and quality at the same time.   

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Limit:  12

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Leadership Through Communication

Instructor:  Anore Horton

In this hands-on workshop, you will identify your own communication strengths and challenges, understand the relationship between communication and effective leadership, and learn a couple of effective communication strategies for empowering your team to fulfill your goals.  Come prepared to work on a real-life leadership challenge you are facing!  This workshop is designed for anyone who leads a team--large or small.  School administrators; school nutrition program team leads, managers, directors; childcare/early learning providers all welcome! 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Friday, August 16 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Making Your Meal Counts Count! Meal Counting and Claiming Procedures for Alternative Delivery Service Models

Instructor:  Jennifer Hutchinson

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Grab n go, Breakfast after the bell, meals in the classroom, and meal carts; we all know that these alternative delivery models can really increase meal participation.  We also know that counting these meals accurately can be a little tricky. In this class participants will be asked to describe the successes and challenges in providing meals to students utilizing one of these alternative delivery models. As a group we will identify some common challenges with meal counting procedures and participants will leave with valuable strategies from the child nutrition staff and their peers that will help them confidently count meals to claim for reimbursement. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Meal Pattern Mania

Instructor:  Kathy Alexander

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A fun and very interactive class designed to introduce or refresh knowledge of the meal pattern requirements for school meals.  Topics covered will include Meal Pattern for Breakfast and Lunch, Portion Size, and Production Records and Accountability. 

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Limit:  24

Credit:  6 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Monday, August 12 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $18

Orientation to School Nutrition Management

Instructor:  Institute of Child Nutrition

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This session provides an overview of the management components of school nutrition programs. The target audience includes school nutrition program staff with fewer than 5 years’ experience as a director or those who may aspire to be a director, as well as state agency staff, specialists, and trainers. This class is essential for all new food service managers. Lesson topics:  

• Program Accountability, Integrity and the Role of the School Nutrition Director

• Food Production and Operation Management

• USDA Foods

• Meal Pattern/HealthierUS School Challenge

• Special Needs

• Customer Service, Merchandising and Food Presentation 

• Federal Regulations

• Farm to School: An Introduction for New School Food Service Directors

• Financial Management

• Procurement and Inventory Management

• Human Resource Management

• Marketing School Nutrition Programs

• Food Safety Essentials

• Work Place Safety and Emergency Preparedness

This is a five day class.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  30 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Monday, August  12 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm) ~ Friday, August 16 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $50

Planning Cycle Menus that Rock

Instructor:  Kathy Alexander

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This class is about taking the time to create your menu for the whole year.  Participants will create a cycle menu for lunch and breakfast for their program.  Once that is done we will talk about how to customize menus, make seasonal menus, plan theme weeks and theme meals and other ways to keep your menus fresh and interesting.  

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Limit:  24

Credit:  6 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $18

Procurement Review, What to Expect

Instructor:  Michael Carr

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USDA has mandated that state agencies conduct procurement reviews in addition to their Administrative Review. A procurement review is a review of the SFA procurement activities related to school nutrition programs.  The review is intended to ensure that you follow federal, state and local procurement rules and regulations. Preparing for this review can be time-consuming and confusing. This course will review the review, what to expect, and what documents are required. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Preparing and Cooking Nutrient Dense Foods with Skill and Heart!

Instructor:  Abbie Nelson and Jim McCarthy

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In this workshop we will try different cooking techniques, learn about vitamins and health, nutrient dense and local foods and cook with them while challenging your assumptions and pleasing your palate. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Procurement 101

Instructor:  Rosie Krueger

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USDA Regulations require SFAs to follow proper procurement practices for all purchases made out of the school food service account, no matter how small.  Participants will learn what the federal, state, and local procurement regulations are, and how to conduct an informal procurement process for purchases under the small purchase threshold.  In addition, this class will address how SFAs can purchase local foods and still comply with the USDAs procurement regulations. 

This class is appropriate for school food service managers as well as administrators and business managers who assist school food service programs with purchasing. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 14 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Produce Safety in the Kitchen

Instructor:  Abbie Nelson and Laura LaVacca

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Once food safety on the farm has been taken care of, produce safety from the loading dock to the service line to storage is very important. Fun videos and handouts will be reviewed to discuss safe produce handling. Using these techniques, we will prepare some local produce for a taste test as well! 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Sensational Snacks

Instructor:  Anastasia Tsekeris

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Are you feeling like the snacks you serve each day are getting repetitive? Join this session to learn about how to serve a variety of snacks and get some hands on cooking experience and recipes to bring back to your program.

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Limit:  10

Credit:  3.75 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 12:30 pm)

Registration Fee: $50

ServSafe Food Protection Manager Class and Certification Exam

Instructor:  TBA

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This comprehensive food safety training, created by the National Restaurant Association, covers all aspects of serving food safely to reduce the risks of foodborne illness.  At the end of the class, participants will take the ServSafe Manager certification exam.  Passing this exam earns participants ServSafe Manager’s certification, a 5-year credential which is nationally recognized across the food service industry.  The registration fee for this class includes one copy of the ServSafe Manager book, and the exam fee. This class is offered three times.

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Limit:  20

Credit:  6 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Monday, August 12 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm), Thursday, August 15 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm) OR Friday, August 16 (8:30 am ~ 3:45 pm) Note: If additional time is needed for the test this class may run later than 3:45

Registration Fee: FREE- Note: Child Nutrition Programs has recieved a grant to cover the full cost of this training for all attendees.

Strategies for Increasing School Breakfast Participation

Instructor:  Tim Morgan and Jill Hussels

Do you feel like you could reach more students with breakfast, but aren't sure what steps to take?  Join us to learn more about alternative breakfast service-models like breakfast in the classroom and grab & go, and other strategies to grow student access and participation in breakfast.  Figure out how Breakfast After the Bell can work in your school, and learn some new communication strategies to get your whole school community excited & ready to take the Breakfast After the Bell Challenge.  Hear success stories from around the state and learn about grants from New England Dairy that can give your school breakfast a boost! 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Thursday, August 15 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9

Strategies to Save Food: Keep It Out of the Trash and Feed All Students

Instructor:  Anne Bijur and Emma Stuhl

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Each year in the United States, we waste $161 billion worth of food — almost 40% of all the food produced. Schools grapple with this challenge daily, spending precious funds on food that gets wasted—and then costs more money to compost or trash. In this session, you’ll learn strategies to reduce this waste and also get more of your quality leftovers to people in your community who need food. We’ll cover topics ranging from food prep to share tables to student engagement and free assistance. We’ll also touch on ways to reduce waste throughout the cafeteria, including improving recycling and compost programs. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Tuesday, August 13 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Too Good to Waste: Measuring and Preventing Edible Food Waste

Instructor:  Brenna Toman

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Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District received a grant from the EPA Healthy Communities fund to measure and reduce wasted food from school lunches during the 2018-2019 school year. This workshop will guide school staff through a tray waste audit that quickly and accurately measures wasted edible food, in addition to sharing data and food waste reduction methods that are proven to work in K-12 schools. 

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Wednesday, August 14 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm)

Registration Fee: $9

Verification of Free & Reduced Eligibility

Instructor:  Jamie Curley

Verification is the piece of the Free and Reduced Application process that confirms eligibility status for a small portion of students based on back-up documentation submitted by households. We will cover the process, timeline, and completing the Verification Report in the online system.  

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Limit:  20

Credit:  2.25 Continuing Education Credits

Day/Date:  Friday, August 16 (1:15 pm ~ 3:45 pm) 

Registration Fee: $9