School Nutrition Toolbox Course Descriptions

1.0 Hours of Continuing Education Credit

SFAs must complete and submit the Chid Nutrition Financial Report (CNFR) to the State Agency (SA) annually. This module guides you through the process of filling out the report.

2.5 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches the user how to determine if a student is eligible for a free or reduced-price school meal. Topics include determination methods of eligibility (including categorical versus income eligibility), using the eligibility from a prior year, computation exercises, timelines, and recordkeeping and notification requirements.

1.5 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches the user how to accurately count, record, and claim the number of school meals served by each category (i.e. free, reduced price, or full price). Since federal and state reimbursement is provided for each school meal served, establishing an acceptable system for meal counting is extremely important. Topics include Eligibility Documentation, Collection Procedures, Point of Service Meal Counts, Reports, Claims for Reimbursement, and Internal Controls.

2.5 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches the user how and why to confirm eligibility for free and reduced priced school meals. Topics include how to identify error-prone applications, which sampling method to use, timelines, the process of notifying households that have been selected for Verification, exceptions from Verification requirements, and more.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course is designed for employees of Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) who serve meals to children. The course includes ten topics which cover Accessing/Using CN PEARS, Determining Eligibility, Verification, Meal Counting and Claiming, Civil Rights, Food Safety Recalls, Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods/Local Wellness Policy, Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act: Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, Procurement, and Professional Standards for School Nutrition Personnel.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course is designed for employees of sponsors of the School Nutrition Program. Users will learn about Accessing/Using CN PEARS, Determining Eligibility, Verification, Meal Counting and Claiming, Civil Rights, Certificate of Compliance for RCCIs, Food Safety Recalls, Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods/Local Wellness Policy, Paid Lunch Equity (PLE), Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, and Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course will educate and inspire the user to implement or expand a School Breakfast Program. Topics include the benefits of school breakfast, alternative delivery systems (e.g. Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab 'n Go Breakfast), promoting school breakfast, and overcoming school breakfast challenges.

1.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course fulfills mandatory annual training requirements for members of school food service in the topic of Civil Rights. The user will learn some of the history of Civil Rights, learn about protected classes, learn the proper way to manage complaints of Civil Rights discrimination, and learn how to make accommodations for persons with disabilities.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course will teach users how to properly credit foods used in menus to ensure that meals meet the reimbursable meal pattern requirements. Topics include CN labels, whole grain-rich requirements, allowable forms of foods, and minimum serving sizes.

3.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches the user how to minimize the risks in Farm to School programs. This includes not just sourcing food from local producers, but also school gardens, nutrition and agriculture classroom lessons, field trips to local farms, and taste testing of local products. Most of the information in this lesson is based on recommendations from the USDA's Produce Safety University.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches the user how to forecast in order to efficiently procure items for the school meal program. The importance of cycle menus, standardized recipes, production records, and recording current inventory is stressed and exercises are included which help the user accurately predict what goods are needed in a given program.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches users about Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in Pennsylvania. Topics include the selection criteria for acceptance into the program, requirements for compliance with the program, and strategies for success. It is intended for use by Pennsylvania schools that have been awarded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants, as well as schools which may be interested in applying for the program.

1.0 Continuing Education Credits

Today's School Nutrition Program faces a lot of competition. This course will teach the user how to succeed in the face of this competition by identifying and overcoming obstacles with effective marketing strategies.

1.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches users the requirements of The National School Lunch Afterschool Snack Program (ASP). This is an extension of The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) which provides reimbursement for nutritious snacks served to students in afterschool programs that include enrichment and learning activities. Topics include eligibility, meal pattern, and monitoring/recordkeeping.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

OVS is an effective means of combating food waste. This course teaches the user the requirements of OVS and how to ensure that students choose the components needed to constitute a reimbursable school meal, at breakfast or lunch, at all age levels.

1.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course gives the user an overview of School Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Afterschool Snack Program (ASP), Special Milk Program (SMP), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

1.5 Continuing Education Credits

This course will teach the user about Procurement in the School Nutrition Program in order to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. Topics include the necessity of full and open competition, the need for a separate fund for the SNP, types of procurement (e.g. micro-purchase, informal bid, formal bid), local procurement, and much more.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

Production Records are the bedrock upon which a sound school meal program is based. They are required for effective forecasting as well as to ensure your program receives reimbursement for meals served. This course teaches the benefits and requirements of Production Records, using Standardized Recipes and Usage Recipes and includes hands-on activities to help the user become familiar with how to keep accurate Production Records.

1.5 Continuing Education Credits

This course will teach the user the requirements for a reimbursable school breakfast. Topics include general meal pattern requirements, the limits on offering juice, the options for offering meat and meat alternates, how components credit in smoothies at breakfast, grain and milk requirements, and more. In addition to this, the user will learn the Offer Versus Serve (OVS) and Nutrition Standard requirements of school breakfast.

1.5 Continuing Education Credits

This course teaches the user about the Meal Pattern in the National School Lunch Program. The user will learn about component requirements of a reimbursable school lunch, the age/grade groups for lunch, allowable and unallowable items within each group, and requirements for minimum weekly grains, whole-grain rich items, meat and meat alternates, milk, and fruit and vegetables. In addition to this, Offer Versus Serve (OVS) and Nutrition Standards are covered.

3.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course will teach the user the purpose of the Administrative Review as well as what to expect during an Off-site Assessment and On-site Review. The user will learn the frequency of reviews, the areas addressed, and deadlines for submission of documentation and information.

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) aim to provide all participating children with the nutritious meals they need to be healthy. In order to operate these Programs, school food authorities (SFAs) in Pennsylvania enter into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

While this module focuses primarily on reasonable modifications in the NSLP and SBP, the information also applies to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), the Special Milk Program (SMP), the afterschool snack component of the NSLP, and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO). Although the school food service is specifically responsible for providing the necessary meal modifications for children participating in the School Meal Programs, the overall responsibility for accommodating children with disabilities rests with the local education agency (LEA).

2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This course explains the nutrition standards imposed upon all foods and beverages sold outside of the federal child nutrition programs in schools. The user will learn the situations under which Smart Snacks regulations do and do not apply, as well as regulations for school fundraisers.

1.0 Hour of Continuing Education Credit

Topics covered:
• Requirements for a Nonprofit School Food Service Account (NSFSA)
• Allowable/Unallowable Costs
• Direct and Indirect Costs
• Indirect Cost Rates

1.0 Hour of Continuing Education Credit

Nonprogram foods are foods and beverages purchased with funds from the Nonprofit School Food Service Account (NSFSA), then sold in participating schools other than reimbursable meals.

2.0 Hours of Continuing Education Credit

Topics covered:
• Definition, Benefits, and Process
• Soliciting Recipes from the School Community
• Recipe Verification Phase
• Product Evaluation Phase
• Quantity Adjustment Phase
• School Meal Service Pilot

2.0 Hours of Continuing Education Credit

Pennsylvania-Student Eligibility System (PA-SES) powered by PrimeroEdge is a web-based software program provided free-of-charge to School Food Authorities (SFAs) by PDE, DFN. PA-SES includes PA's official Direct Certification (DC) matching system.

Manual, DC-only users
• Use the system to perform Direct Certification only.
• Manually upload student files.

2.0 Hours of Continuing Education Credit

Pennsylvania-Student Eligibility System (PA-SES) powered by PrimeroEdge is a web-based software program provided free-of-charge to School Food Authorities (SFAs) by PDE, DFN. PA-SES includes PA's official Direct Certification (DC) matching system.

Full, Automated users
• Use the system to perform Direct Certification, but also ...
• Automate processes such as: file uploads, online Household Applications for Free and Reduced Price Meals, notification letters, and more.