2022 NCNC
Operational Strategies for Afterschool Meals and Summer Food Service
Food insecurity for children in the United States is on the rise, and research has proven that hungry children cannot learn. Become part of the solution by offering an innovative summer feeding program and adding supper to your school year program. Hunger doesn’t take a vacation, so these out-of-school time meal service opportunities are critical in most areas across the country. Learn how to get stakeholder buy-in, what staffing and logistics requirements look like, which menus work best, and ways to reach a rural community.
Read MoreLessons Learned: Partnerships to Address Food Insecurity
Hear about this national project aimed to foster collaboration within state systems, including CACFP providers, early care educators, and pediatricians to improve food insecurity screening, referral, and resource delivery to families. Take away strategies to build partnerships addressing food insecurity in your community.
Read MoreSummer Meals: Outreach and Promotion During the Pandemic
Gain an understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the SFSP. Review the lessons we learned from collecting data and interviewing state agencies, sponsors, and families so you can apply them to your program. Discuss ideas on how to capitalize on current opportunities to improve families participation and access to healthy meals.
Read MoreLeveraging Free Technology for CACFP
Looking for ways to spend more time on your mission and less time worrying about paperwork? Learn how to use free, commonly used technology to store reports and records digitally, the basics of PDFs and spreadsheets, and how to communicate with providers virtually. Gain the knowledge to improve your recordkeeping processes and minimize reporting errors so you can focus on recruitment and training!
Read MoreOffering Comfort, Resilience and Hope During Challenging Times
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to help all children grow Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder. During these times where children, families, service providers, and educators are experiencing constant uncertainty and change, there is an ongoing need to offer ways to foster well-being, in mind and body. Sesame Street in Communities at ssic.org, offers resources and professional development to support health habits, resilience, and ways to mitigate the effects of a global pandemic. Engaging children and grownups alike, our model tackles the difficult challenges while offering comfort and hope for the future. Join Dr. Betancourt, Senior Vice President for U.S. Social Impact, in discovering how familiar Sesame Street friends and free bilingual resources can be part of the every day moments between service providers, educators, and trainers meeting the needs of our youngest children and their families.
Read MoreArts Integration and the Health of the Whole Child
First Lady Mrs. Donna Edwards and Louisiana First Foundation Teach MAM (Music, Arts, and Movement) Ambassador Teachers, share the vital role and importance the Arts play in education. Explore how arts education can provide enrichment and positive impacts on the health and wellness of the whole child. Learn how to implement fun activities related to music, art and movement.
Read MoreStatewide Collaboration: Developing Guidance for Meal Quality
Learn how representatives from three state agencies collaborated to develop consistent messaging for Arizona’s ECE staff and technical assistance providers. The outcome was an attractive meal quality infographic outlining state licensing and CACFP regulatory foundations along with best practices informed by Caring for Our Children, Go NAPSACC, and USDA Team Nutrition.
Read MoreMore on Meal Patterns
We’re here to clarify your meal pattern questions! We’ll answer commonly asked questions, show how to access training from USDA Team Nutrition, and explore additional resources.
Read MoreIdentifying Whole Grain-Rich
Serving whole grain-rich (WGR) grains is an important element of the meal pattern. Learn how to identify which products meet the whole grain-rich regulations. Trainers can use this workshop to support CACFP participants.
Read MoreCACFP Creditable Resources for Professionals
Learn about the nutrition education resources which are available free-of-charge, including the guides for Identifying Whole Grain-Rich, determining sugar content in cereals and yogurt, and which milk to serve in the CACFP. Create your own toolkit of meal pattern materials and nutrition education flyers to use in your program and share with your community.
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