Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Announcements from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Bureau of School Nutrition
- Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Updates from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Bureau of School Nutrition (BSN)
- Other Updates and Information
Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Team Nutrition Updates
Team Nutrition’s resources support U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ guiding principle to “Strengthen strategies to encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families.” We are pleased to share new and updated resources to support school menu planning and a healthy school environment.
Watch New Trainings for Successful School Menu Planning
Team Nutrition added seven short trainings to The Road to Successful Menu Planning for School Meals training series. These on-demand webinars help schools plan and implement menus that meet school nutrition standards and meal pattern requirements:
Menu Planning
Reducing Added Sugars
Each training can count toward USDA Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs – Key Area 1000: Nutrition and Training Topic 1100: Menu Planning. They are available now in the Institute of Child Nutrition’s iLearn Portal and USDA’s Professional Standards Trainings and Tracker Tool.
Download New and Revised Resources for School Breakfast
- Today’s Breakfast Poster (New): School nutrition professionals can use this poster to display daily breakfast menu options and remind students to eat a variety of foods.
- MyPlate Guide to School Breakfast for Families (Revised): This infographic highlights healthy foods that are part of a balanced school breakfast and shows parents and caregivers how they can help their child eat a healthy school breakfast.
Look for New Food Yields in the Food Buying Guide
New food yields were added to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-Based Tool and the FBG Mobile App! The following new foods are now available: Crushed pineapple, pineapple chunks, pineapple tidbits, dried mango, açai puree, dragon fruit (pitaya), and chopped romaine lettuce.
Stay tuned for additional yield data releases soon!
Order Team Nutrition Materials in Print
State agencies, program operators, and sponsoring organizations that participate in the USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs can request free print copies of our materials, such as the following, while supplies last:
For School Year (SY) 2025-26
Visit our Online Order Form for more resources!
Updates from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Bureau of School Nutrition (BSN)
Verification Workshop
Verification, which involves confirming student eligibility from a sample of approved applications, is a Child Nutrition Program requirement designed to maintain program integrity. From diving into the Verifying Official’s role, reviewing verification steps, and taking a comprehensive walkthrough of the Verification Collection Report, this class will prepare you to confidently complete verification this school year.
- Thursday, September 18, from 1-3:00 PM
- Tuesday, September 23, from 10 -12:00 PM
Register for Verification Today!
Administrative Review (AR) and You Workshop
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the AR, including insights into utilizing the SNACS software. For SFAs with an AR scheduled this school year, attendance is highly recommended.
- Tuesday, September 30 from 1:30-3:30 PM
National School Lunch Week (NSLW)
Mark your calendars, as National School Lunch Week is just around the corner and will be held the week of October 13-17, 2025! Now is the perfect time to start planning a week full of global tastes, educational fun, and lunchroom excitement!
Visit the NSLP Website to learn more and access a variety of resources.
Other Updates and Information
Join Free Training Webinars from the Institute of Child Nutrition
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) offers free trainings on a broad range of topics for child nutrition professionals working in school nutrition and child care settings.
Don’t miss these upcoming training courses:
- Thursday, September 25, 2025: School Nutrition Strategies, Trainings, Action Plans, and Resources (STAR) Webinar – Farm to School: Tips for Increasing Locally Grown or Raised Food Options
- Thursday, October 2, 2025: Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) Webinar – Streamlining Food Production: How to Create Operational Efficiencies to Allow for More Scratch and Speed Scratch Food Production
- Thursday, October 30, 2025: STAR Webinar – Best Practices for Crafting Cycle Menus
To receive webinar and registration information for upcoming webinars, Please Subscribe to the ICN newsletter. A link to register will be sent to subscribers one week before the webinar date.
Can't make it to a live webinar? View past webinars and learn anytime, anywhere on ICN's online learning management system, iLearn.
Apply to be Part of The School Nutrition Essentials: Foundations Bundle Cohort
Deadline: Friday, September 12, 2025
The School Nutrition Essentials: Foundations Bundle cohort is a Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) created in partnership between the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) and the School Nutrition Association (SNA). The program is designed to foster professional growth and combines structured learning with peer-support cohort model.
Offered at no cost to participants, the cohort program will begin in Fall 2025 and continue through Spring 2026. By completing both fall and spring courses, participants will be eligible to earn their Level 1 Certificate in School Nutrition, the first step in SNA's four-level Certificate Program.
ICN and SNA recognize the commitment required to complete professional learning, so we have designed this two-course bundle, multi-session experience. This format makes earning the Level 1 Certificate more accessible, flexible and engaging.
Important Information:
- This is peer-support cohort experience designed for school nutrition professionals pursuing SNA Level 1 Certificate. This cohort opportunity is provided at no cost to participants.
- Active participation is required during the live sessions to receive your certificate.
- Participation is limited to 100 committed applicants (a waitlist will be available once the cohort is full).
- Notifications of acceptance will be sent following the application review process.
- Bundle Course 2: Nutrition 101 will be held in Spring 2026, dates forthcoming.
We look forward to reviewing your application and hope you will join us in this exciting cohort opportunity!