Webinar: Tuesdays at 2 School Nutrition Town Hall

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Join us for the next California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Tuesday @ 2 Town Hall, scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 2 p.m. During the Town Hall we will share an overview of federal and state policies, funding and training opportunities, and best practices for operating Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs).

This month’s Town Hall will feature Jennifer Davis, the Director of Nutrition Services at Kern High School District (KHSD) who will share how nutrition services at KHSD successfully created meaningful engagement to support their district’s local school wellness policy.

Draft webinar slides will be available by 10 a.m. on the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) web page on the date of the Town Hall.

Important Operational Dates: Next 30 to 90 days

• March 1, 2025: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Preplanner Surveys are due to the Food Distribution Program:
  
  
  • For agencies participating in a state co-op or as an advance order agency, preplanners are completed through the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) system.
    
    
  • Large direct ship agencies and the lead districts of private co-ops receive and submit their preplanners through their ordering coordinator.
    
    
• March 3, 2025, at 4 p.m.: School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Summer Meals Program (SMP) Start-up and Expansion Grant applications are due.

Town Hall Webinar PowerPoint

Use the following steps to access slides on the CNIPS web page after 10 a.m. on the morning of the Town Hall:

• For School Food Authorities (SFA): Select Applications and Download Forms.
  
  
• For Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operators: In the SFSP Module, select Applications and Download Forms.

The Town Hall slides in CNIPS are marked “Draft” and are subject to change. If updates are needed, the CDE will upload the revised slides in the same location following the Town Hall.

After the Town Hall, the CDE posts the final Town Hall PowerPoint slides on the CDE Food Service Staff Education and Training web page under the Town Halls tab.

Background

The Tuesday @ 2 Virtual Town Hall events typically occur on the fourth Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise noted. The Town Halls provide an opportunity for schools to learn about policy guidance, program requirements, and best practices for operating CNPs. The desired audience includes CNP Program Operators and Food Service Directors.

Participation Information

Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Registration and Cost

This town hall is free to attend. Register in advance for this webinar .

After registering, you will see a screen that says Webinar Registration Approved with a link to the webinar. You will also receive several emails with information about joining the webinar: First, you will receive confirmation the day you register and then you will receive two reminder emails one day and one hour prior to the webinar. If you cannot find the email confirmation, or do not receive the reminders, you can always reregister.

Tip for Attendees

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Zoom.

• Visit the Zoom test link .
  
  
• If you experience issues, visit the Zoom Help Center web page for assistance.

If you receive an error message that the host has declined your webinar registration, try using an alternate email address. While not ideal, you may also join by phone if you have technical issues logging in from your computer.

Professional Standards Crediting Information

• Key Area: Administration (3000)
  
  
• Training Topic: Program Management (3200)
  
  
• Learning Objective: Manage Staff Work Including Scheduling (3210)
  
  
• Instructional Hours: 1.5 hours
  

Reasonable Accommodation

Pursuant to state and federal statutes, individuals with a disability may request reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in the Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall. Send direct requests for reasonable accommodations to the CDE by email to NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov, no later than seven days prior to the event. Live captioning will be available during the webinar.

Town Hall Informational Links and Resources Provided on September 24, 2024

The following resources were shared in the chat during the recent town hall:

• A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the CDE School Nutrition Programs Specialist Directory - School Nutrition web page or SNP staff can be reached via email at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov​.
  
  
• Find your assigned Child Nutrition Assistant or Consultant information by visiting the CNIPS web page in the Applications Download Forms section and using the Form ID Caseload.
  
  
• Find more information on the CDE Disaster Guidance for CNPs web page.
  
  
• View January’s Featured Standardized Recipe on the CNIPS web page in the Applications Download Forms section under NSD Town Hall Recipes.
  
  
• Find the CDE Waiver for Non-congregate Meals During Ramadan Opt-in Survey.
  
  
• Review the Federal Register: Request for Information: Grain-Based Desserts and High-Protein Yogurt Crediting in Child Nutrition Programs . Send your comments electronically to the Federal eRulemaking Portal or send your written comments to USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.
  
  
• Review the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) resource, “Use of the Term Healthy on Food Labeling” on the FDA website.
  
  
• View the Creating Your Road Map to School Menu Planning Success webinar and the 15-Minute On-Demand Trainings on the USDA Team Nutrition’s The Road to Successful Menu Planning for School Meals Training Series web page .
  
  
• Check out the USDA resource Offering Meats and Meat Alternates at School Breakfast training guide on the USDA website.
  
  
• View the recorded Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition’s How to Transition to Scratch Cooking in Schools – First Steps webinar which originally aired on February 6, 2025.
  
  
• The CDE School Year (SY) 2024–25 Administrative Review (AR) schedule.
  
  
• If you have questions regarding your upcoming AR date you may call 800-952-5609.
  
  
• Read the press release, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Sponsors Senate Bill 48 to Keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement Off of School Campuses, Protecting School Attendance and Funding Amid Deportation Threats.
  
  
• Review the Office of the Attorney General’s guidance Promoting a Safe and Secure Learning Environment for All: Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s K-12 Schools in Responding to Immigration Issues (PDF).
  
  
• For a full list of the USDA Foods Available, please visit the USDA Foods Available List for SY 2026 webpage .
  
  
• Review the SY 2025–26 USDA Foods Available List and Pricing listserv on the CDE Nutrition What’s New web page.
  
  
• Complete the USDA Foods in Schools Product Information Sheet and USDA Foods Database Survey . If you have questions regarding this subject, please contact the USDA by email at USDAFoods@usda.gov.
  
  
• If you have questions regarding this subject, please email the team at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.
  
  
• Send your questions regarding the Local Food for Schools (LFS) grant to the LFS team at LFSGrant@cde.ca.gov.
  
  
• For more information about the SBP and SMP grants, eligibility requirements and the link for the online application, visit the CDE School Breakfast and Summer Meal Grants web page. If you have questions, please contact the Breakfast Grant team by email at breakfastgrant@cde.ca.gov.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.