Articles in the October 2008 Issue

• A Note from Sandra
• 2008 October Data Survey
• 2008 Verification of Applications for School Meal Benefits
• National School Lunch Week Reminder
• HealthierUS School Challenge Requirements are Changing
• Building for the Future with the CACFP
• Crediting for Kelloggs Bread Equivalents
• Food Safety
• Power Panther Tours South Dakota
• Professional Development
• Kids in the Kitchen
• Kids on the Move
• USDA Listening Session
• Reflections on Physical Activity

My note today is B# (b sharp).

I can be sharp and open the blinds so I can see out my window...and the view has changed because Child & Adult Nutrition Services has moved. Two down, one to go. Thanks to an efficient staff in the office as well as movers, there was a minimum of disruption. Continue to use the 800 Governors Drive mailing address. The fax and phone numbers also remained the same. Will we be sharp to take off our blinds so we can see what's changing?

Child Nutrition employees and concerned citizens can be sharp and submit their comments on Reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs. Reauthorization of the programs should come before Congress this year. If you have comments about how they can be changed or improved, you can submit your comments to Senators Johnson or Thune, or Representative Herseth-Sandlin. You can also submit your comments to US Department of Agriculture. Child & Adult Nutrition Services can help you with contact information if you need that.

As I think about "be sharp", it points up the different uses in our language. While we want to be sharp (as in "alert or on our toes") in our work, we do not want to be sharp (as in harsh or irritable) with the customers we serve. A pleasant tone, a smile, and caring about those we provide nutrition to and those we work with on a daily basis can go a long ways to increasing their self worth as well as ours. Remember, a smile will increase your face value.

Enjoy all the happenings in October!

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2008 October Data Survey

This year’s October Data Survey memo was dated September 24, 2008. There have been no changes made to the October Data Survey process. The survey must be returned to CANS by November 10th to assure the October claim for reimbursement will be processed without any delays.

South Dakota Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS) gathers data each October which is a compilation of numbers for the month of October only. The information from this survey is used for many purposes and is required by federal regulation. The information is used for selecting sites to be visited during the school food authority’s review, determines site eligibility for the School Breakfast Program severe need option, Summer Food Service Program, and Daycare Home tier level. It is also used for reporting prices paid by children in our state for breakfast and lunch in the annual report to the American School Food Service Association, for data in response to questions by Congress and USDA, and reporting site eligibility to the National Center for Education Statistics for the core summary data. Several programs use the data including determination of e-rate and need for various title programs and grants.

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2008 Verification of Applications for School Meal Benefits

Memo NSLP 51.3 is the most recent reference for the annual verification process. The memo is available on the CANS website under Quick Links at http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/nslp/index.asp. All SFAs must complete the 742SD Summary Form which can be found on the last page of NSLP Memo #51.3. CANS plans to do a DDN training, planned for a date in November, for completing the summary form which will be due to CANS by February 1st. Schools are encouraged to send in their summary form immediately following the verification process which ends by November 15th.

NSLP 51.3 requires local education agencies (LEAs) to use the Basic verification method unless they meet criteria for Alternate method. While LEAs should verify questionable applications, they cannot choose to verify 100% of the applications on file. Be sure to use the updated Verification Summary Report form 742SD which can be found as the last page of NSLP 51.3 when reporting the required data to CANS.

October 1st is the date schools must know how many applications they have on file for the free and reduced meal benefits. Please refer to the dates that the LEA submitted to CANS in the annual Child Nutrition Program Agreement, Attachment E, to be sure the verification process is completed by the deadline of November 15th. Refer to NSLP 51.3 for proper procedures and prototype letters and forms to send to families.

What is the purpose of the verification process? State agencies must report the SFA level data to the USDA Food and Nutrition Services. Submission of the SFA data will enable State agencies and Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) to better understand certification errors and to improve oversight activities. This will help ensure that free and reduced price subsidized meals are provided only to eligible children.

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National School Lunch Week Reminder

The week of October 13th to the 17th is National School Lunch Week. Don’t forget that students still have time to take an active part in the national celebration by submitting their vote for who they would like to see be selected as the winner the 2008 Presidential school lunch entrée.

Pete Pizza (2006 winner) and Biff Burger (2007 winner) are competing for the Presidency against the 3 winning entries from the 2007 Design a Candidate Contest: Gloria Grilled Cheese, Larry Lasagna and Petunia Pita Pocket.

Voting can take place at the following website: www.VoteForSchoolLunch.org. The last day to submit their vote will be on Friday October 17th which is at the end of the National School Lunch Week. The winner will be announced on Friday October 24, 2008.

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HealthierUS School Challenge Requirements are Changing

The requirements for the HealthierUS School Challenge are being updated and the new requirements go into effect January 1, 2009. The HealthierUS School Challenge began in 2004 as a recognition program for schools that were taking a leadership role in helping children make healthy food and beverage choices and be physically active. The new requirements bring the Challenge more into line with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

Some of the changes to the criteria include:

• The school’s wellness policy must be submitted

• Foods should be avoided as fundraisers, however if foods are sold as fundraisers they must meet the guidelines for competitive foods

• Structured physical education must be provided

  • average of 150 min/wk throughout the school year for Gold Award of Distinction

  • average of 90 min/wk throughout the school year for Gold Award

  • average of 45 min/wk. throughout the school year for Silver/Bronze Award

• The school must demonstrate a commitment to prohibit use of food as a reward

• School must neither deny nor require use of physical activity as a means of punishment

• The school must provide all children with daily access to unstructured physical activity time such as recess

• Additional criteria has been added for competitive and a la carte foods

The menu portion of the challenge has also changed a little bit. For example, no longer must schools show that they are meeting iron and vitamin C requirements. To learn more or to download the application, please visit: http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/HealthierUS/index.html.

Building for the Future with the CACFP

Grains and Breads Quiz Show:

In an attempt to help you avoid the most common errors we see during CACFP reviews we are using this as a way to educate agencies on the breads/grains requirements that are most commonly found as errors during program reviews.

Did you know?

• In the CACFP – sweet treats (cookies, cinnamon rolls, pop tarts, etc) are only creditable as a grain/bread component for breakfast or snacks. If they are served for lunch they are “extras.

Check back next month for more Quiz Show learning.

Crediting for Kelloggs Bread Equivalents

All reimbursable meals offered under food-based menu planning in the National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program must include grains/breads food product(s). A reimbursable school breakfast in the School Breakfast Program and a reimbursable supplement in the Child and Adult Care Food Program or an Afterschool Snack may contain a grains/breads component.

Foods that qualify as grains/breads in the Child Nutrition Programs are enriched or whole-grain or are made from enriched or whole-grain meal and/or flour. In the USDA Food and Consumer Service Instruction 783-1, Revision 2 for Grains/Breads Requirement for the Food-Based Menu Planning Alternatives in the Child Nutrition Programs dated November 2001, a product must either fulfill the weight requirement or use the crediting equivalency of at least 14.75 grams enriched or whole-grain meal or flour as well as bran and/or germ per serving.

Based on this instruction, Kelloggs has listed the grains/breads equivalents for a variety of their products including pop-tarts, toaster pastries, ready to eat cereals, etc on their website. The link to these items is http://www.fafh.com/segments/school/. You may use these charts to document your grains/breads serving for the Child Nutrition Programs.

Food Safety

Food safety is always a concern to child nutrition programs. There is a lot of information about food safety on the web, but two sites have information available specific to child nutrition programs. USDA Food & Nutrition Service and National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) provide reliable and timely information. You may access the sites by clicking on each of the links below.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/food_safety.htm

http://www.nfsmi.org/

NFSMI has recently updated its website. The site is useful not only for food safety information, but has lots and lots of information on child nutrition programs in general. You may also register and create a profile on the site if you wish but it is not mandatory.

Power Panther Tours South Dakota

For the last month, the Power Panther (a big blue mascot from USDA) has been visiting schools, child care centers, and outside of school time programs across South Dakota. He has been leading young children and school age students in assemblies to teach them to Move More, Sit Less; Eat Smart. Play Hard; and Power Up with Breakfast. Many of the assemblies included fun aerobic activity incorporating an imaginary trip across the nation and overseas. These trips included physical activities such as flying (flapping your arms), swimming (faster there is a shark!), rowing a boat, climbing over mountains, jumping over creeks, and stopping at a garden to pull weeds and pick healthy snacks. Additionally, the students participated in physical activity set to music such as hopping like a frog, jumping jacks, cross country and down hill skiing, punching in the air, running in place, dance moves, and stretching.

The Power Panther also made appearances at recess —in Spearfish the children followed Power Panther all over the playground including even up and down 3 playground slides.

The messages of the Eat Smart. Play Hard. Campaign (ESPH) were reinforced in various ways—at some locations the students had a shouting contest to see which side could yell the ESPH messages louder (Eat Smart. Play Hard., Power Up with Breakfast, and Move More Sit Less). The Power Panther got up early and joined students for breakfast at a few locations as well as lunch at other locations.

If your agency didn’t participate and would like the Power Panther to visit your location, you can order the Power Panther costume to be delivered directly to your school from USDA. The costume is free and so is shipping. There are lots of supporting materials you can use with the Power Panther costume to teach and motivate children. Your local SDSU Cooperative Extension office may be available to help lead a session with the Power Panther—it is worth calling them to ask.

For more information about the Power Panther, the Eat. Smart. Play Hard Campaign, or to request the Power Panther costume from USDA, please visit the following link: www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardeducators/

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Kids in the Kitchen

Oat Bran Muffins
Source: Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children

• 2 ¼ cups oat bran

• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon baking soda

• 1 mashed banana

• ¾ cup applesauce

• 2 tablespoons raisins, dates, or other dried fruit

• 1 egg

• ½ cup orange juice

• ¾ cup skim milk

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the first four dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix the egg with the orange juice, milk, and oil. Mix fruit and blend with dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry. Mix until moist. Spray muffin tin with a non-stick coating. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove muffins from pan after 10 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serving size is one muffin. Makes 12 muffins.

Provides 1 grain/bread for CACFP Snack for 1-5 year olds.
Calories, 119; Fiber 3.4 g; Total Fat, 3.9 g, Saturated Fat, .7 g.

Snack Idea (1-5 year olds):

• 1 muffin

• ½ cup skim milk

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Kids on the Move

Animal Walks
Source: Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children

Arrange the children on a long line facing you.

Ask the children “who can show me how a/an (insert animal name) walks?” If a child volunteers allow them to demonstrate. If what the child does is close to the description, have the other children copy. If the demonstration is not close, demonstrate another way to show how that animal might walk. You can also demonstrate or cue by using the descriptions below. Repeat with the animals running, with each child selecting their favorite, adding their own animals and so forth.

• Kangaroo (jumping while holding hands near chest with fingers forward)

• Monkey (walking with hand on ground)

• Pony (galloping or trotting with all fours)

• Giraffe (lift arms above head pretending this is the neck and head, then slide to move across the area)

• Squirrel (running, darting and dodging, quick head movements during short stops)

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USDA Listening Session

Sandra had the opportunity to attend the USDA Listening Session in Denver Colorado in September. There were over 100 in attendance and about thirty people offered verbal comments on school nutrition programs, child care food program, and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). Comments that were raised more than once covered child nutrition centered around raising reimbursement rates, offering healthy meal choices, nutrition education, and wellness policies. The comments from this Listening Session and others held around the country as well as those submitted in writing will be consolidated and USDA will determine their priorities, which may or may not be the same as what Congress sees as their priorities. We are so fortunate to live in a country where our voice can be raised and heard.

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Reflections on Physical Activity

The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck!  ~Author Unknown

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.  ~Carol Welch

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