Prerecorded Nutrition Training

FNS regional offices, state agencies, sponsoring organizations, and CACFP program operators, including child care providers, are invited to participate.

Since October 2017, USDA’s Team Nutrition had been presenting a series of interactive, skills-building webinars on the updated Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns.

The webinar series take place on the third Thursday of each month and is offered in English from 2:00-2:30 pm ET and Spanish from 3:00-3:30 pm ET.

Previous CACFP Halftime webinars have been recorded and are available on the USDA website link below. Topics previously covered include:

• Choose Yogurts That Are Lower in Added Sugars
• Serving Milk in the CACFP
• Menu Planning for the CACFP
• Identify Whole Grain-Rich Foods
• Grain-Based Desserts in the CACFP
• Offer Versus Serve in the CACFP
• Feeding Infants 0-5 months

To access the recorded webinars, please visit the CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays Training Webinar Series page.

Child and Adult Care food program (CACFP) operators who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This on-demand, self-paced course will cover how to measure and serve grains using ounce equivalents and identify resources which will assist CACFP operators in determining the amount of grains need to meet CACFP meal pattern requirements. The CACFP requirement to measure grains using ounce equivalents will become effective on October 1, 2021.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define ounce equivalents
• Determine whether grain products meet minimum Ounce equivalent portion sizes using available resources
• Identify where to find ounce equivalent resources

Individual(s) responsible for reviewing institution menus and ensuring the CACFP meal patterns are followed including CACFP program operators and those who prepare foods for institutions.

This 30-minute webinar is geared to staff who work in child care centers or sponsored facilities who prepare menus, purchase food, and prepare meals. Participants will learn about the different and appropriate way in which combination foods can be documented in CACFP. A combination food is a food that contains two or more meal pattern components. Combination foods may be commercially prepared or made-from-scratch recipes.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify what food items qualify as combination foods
• List different ways to document combination foods
• Describe ways to locate documentation for combination foods
• Accurately describe the appropriate and required documentation for combination foods

Early childhood education staff, adult day care center staff, administrators, child care providers, and community partners.

Farm to CACFP is a growing movement among facilities. Farm to CACFP includes incorporating local foods into menus, planting gardens, taking field trips to farms and farmers markets, and much more.

Learn how experiential gardening and nutrition activities paired with eating local foods can "plant the seeds" for healthy eating habits while supporting local economies.

At the end of the webinar, you will be able to:

1. Describe Farm to CACFP and its benefits
2. Identify ideas and resources for how get started with local foods and incorporate gardening and nutrition activities in your facility
3. Learn from community partners who are implementing Farm to Early Care and Education initiatives in their communities

Improve your understanding of serving meals and snacks in the CACFP with fun, online lessons designed to help you build nutritious and creditable menus. Receive a certificate and 0.5 DCDEE credit hour for each lesson completed.

Click here to watch a 5-minute video and learn how to sign up for healthycacfp.org and navigate the website.

Individuals responsible for meals and menu planning at adult day care centers - cooks, kitchen managers, administrators, and adult day care providers.

This 50-minute webinar is geared to staff who work in adult daycare centers.  Participants will learn about changes to the new CACFP Meal Patterns which promote increased consumption of whole grains, a greater variety of fruits and vegetables, and less added sugar and saturated fats in meals and snacks served in adult daycare centers.  Participants will learn about resources available to help with successful implementation of the CACFP Meal Patterns.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify changes to the adult meal patterns
• Compare the revised adult meal patterns with the previous pattern
• Identify resources and tool available to help with successful implementation of the new meal patterns
• Implement the adult meal pattern successfully at your institution

Individuals at Sponsoring Organizations and Independent Centers who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This webinar is geared to staff who work in child care centers serving children ages 1-18 years. Participants will learn about the CACFP Child Meal Pattern that became effective on October 1, 2017. This webinar will cover changes to specific meal components and additional changes that promote healthier meals for children in child care settings, at-risk afterschool programs, and emergency shelters.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify changes to the CACFP child meal pattern
• Know where to locate child meal pattern resources
• Implement the child meal pattern successfully at your institution

Individuals at Sponsoring Organizations and Independent Centers who are responsible for menu planning, purchasing foods, and ensuring CACFP Meal Patterns are followed.

This webinar is geared to staff who work in child care centers serving infants. CACFP meal patterns have been created to ensure infants are provided the most nutritious meals throughout the day. This includes support and promotion of breastfeeding, and offering solid foods based on developmental readiness. Participants will learn about changes to the infant meal patterns effective October 1, 2017.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify changes to the CACFP infant meal patterns
• Compare the revised CACFP infant meal pattern with the previous pattern
• Implement the infant meal pattern successfully at your institution

Adult day service providers and anyone who cares for an older adult with special nutritional needs

Meeting the nutritional needs of older adults, particularly those with special feeding issues, can be complex. This webinar will address common feeding challenges, the special nutritional needs of older adults, and cultural considerations. Participants will learn creative meal planning tips and receive sample menus and other resources.

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify at least three nutritional needs unique to older adults
• Incorporate foods from various cultural backgrounds into their CACFP menus
• Access resources and recipes to use in designing menus for older adults

Learn about the new Food Buying Guide (FBG) Mobile App and FBG Interactive Web Tool via a demonstration! The link to the recording of the webinar is available on the USDA Team Nutrition Webinar page.