MDE Supports Your Success w/Webinars, Videos

Have you taken advantage of the Minnesota Department of Education's videos and webinars to help answer your questions about running a successful food service program? Both the webinars and the videos are very informative and will help build your knowledge base.

Tuesdays @ 2 Webinars

MDE's school nutrition staff host webinars weekly on a variety of timely and important topics, including procurement, Smart Snacks, Summer Meals, the Community Eligibility Provision and USDA Administrative Reviews. Upcoming sessions that may be of interest to CKC schools are:

• February 4, 2020: Summer Meal Options for Schools

Schools have several options to offer meals to children during the summer. Which program to participate in depends on whether meals are offered to summer school students, community children or special “camps”. This session will describe the options and point you in the right direction so you can apply for the best program for your situation.

• February 18, 2020: Special Provision Options for Schools

Schools with high populations of students in economic need may be able to participate in a special provision option that allows meals to be provided to all students at no charge. Reimbursements for special provision programs differ depending on the program and the percentage of high economic need students enrolled. Join us for a discussion of the options that are available.

• March 3, 2020: Spring Break Dialogue with Deb

Winter is almost over and spring is on the way. Join us for a discussion with Deb Lukkonen, Supervisor for School Nutrition programs as she updates us on program changes and school nutrition happenings in Minnesota.

• March 17, 2020: Applying for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

What is the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program? How can my elementary school participate? The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) provides funding for schools to serve fresh fruit and vegetable snacks to students during the school day. Learn if your school is eligible, how to apply, and how it can work at your elementary school.

• April 21, 2020: Completing a Community Eligibility Provision Application

The CEP can benefit schools with high populations of directly certified students. Applying for this program takes a few more steps than completing the annual application renewal process. This session will provide step by step guidance on completing the application to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision for the upcoming school year. Target audience includes those schools that have an identified student percentage, as of April 1, 2019, of at least 40% as well as schools that are at the end of their first 4 year CEP cycle and intend to reapply for CEP for another 4 year cycle.

View the full schedule and register.

Procurement Basics Webinars

If you're bidding your vended meal or food service contract for next year, we recommend you hop onto the Procurement Basics Webinar Series hosted Thursdays at 2 p.m. by the Minnesota Department of Education. The series, which began in January, covers procurement requirements for Federal Child Nutrition Programs. Upcoming topics include:

    Feb. 6: Purchasing Fundamentals for Child Nutrition Programs
    Feb. 20: Elements of a Solicitation for Goods and Services/Specification Introduction
    March 5: USDA Foods Procurement Considerations
    March 19: Micro and Small Purchase Methods for Child Nutrition Programs
    April 2: Sealed Bid, Competitive Proposals and Noncompetitive Methods for Child Nutrition Programs
    April 16: Awarding Purchases and Contracts
    April 30: Managing Contracts in Child Nutrition Programs

Each webinar is at 2 p.m. on a Thursday. More info and registration.

Video Series for New Charter Schools

MDE has also produced a series of videos to help new or expanding charter schools establish and operate a School Nutrition Program. The orientation videos are the step in a four-step application process and can be accessed through the Application Process for the School Nutrition Program. The videos include:

1. Deciding to Participate (30 minutes)
2. Meal Benefit Eligibility Basics (30 minutes)
3. Basic Meal Pattern Requirements (30 minutes)
4. Food Safety and Staffing Needs (30 minutes)
5. Professional Standards-Hiring Standards for New School Nutrition Directors (12 minutes)