Optional Best Practices

Title	Date added	Date modified	Download
Optional Best Practices Assessments	May 08, 2026	May 08, 2026	Download
Optional Best Practices Instructor's Manual	May 08, 2026	May 08, 2026	Download
Optional Best Practices Participants Workbook	May 08, 2026	May 08, 2026	Download
Optional Best Practices PPT Web Version	May 22, 2026	June 01, 2026	Download

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*HealthierUS School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms
*Nutrition 101: A Taste of Food and Fitness - 4th Edition
*Utilizing the Cafeteria as a Classroom
*Orientation to School Nutrition Management
*Basic Culinary Math for School Nutrition Professionals
*Financial Management: A Course for School Nutrition Directors 2nd Edition
*Financial Management: A Course for School Nutrition Managers
*Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs
*Inventory Management and Tracking
*Mock Health Inspection
*Designing and Delivering Training Programs (formerly Foundations for Training Excellence)
*Healthy Cuisine for Kids - Fifth Edition
*Food Purchasing for Child Care
*Healthy Me! The Preschoolers Guide
*Norovirus Resources
*USDA Recipes for Healthy Kids
*Child and Adult Care Resources
**Family Child Care FUNdamentals
**Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care Settings
**Food Safety in Child Care
**Child Care Mini-Posters
**Menus for Child Care
**Ready Set Go!
**USDA Recipes for Child Care
**CACFP Training Resource Checklist
**CACFP Meal Pattern Resources
***Optional Best Practices Training
***Infant Meal Pattern Requirements Training
***CACFP Meal Pattern Posters and Infographics
***CACFP Meal Pattern Tip Cards
***CACFP Fact Sheets/Tip Sheets
**Child and Adult Meal Pattern Requirements Training
**Grab in 5
**Menu Planning Basics: A Guide for CACFP Operators in Child Care
**Cycle Menus for Child Care- Preschoolers
*Financial Management Information System
*Food Safety Resources
**Norovirus in Schools
**Employee Health and Personal Hygiene for Child Care
**Writing, Updating, and Revising a HACCP-Based Food Safety Plan for Schools Workshop
**Handwashing Posters
**Family Child Care Food Safety Kit
**Recursos en Español
**CARE Connections: Food Safety
**Food Safety SOP Resources
**Food Safety SOP Logs
**Food Safety Fact Sheets
**Food Safety Mini-Posters
**Food Safety in Schools
**Water Emergency Preparedness
**Food Safety for Summer Meals
**Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures
**Manager’s Corner
**Food Safety Videos
***A Flash of Food Safety - Spanish
***A Flash of Food Safety - English
***Proper Glove Use
**Food Safety Basics
**Responding to a Food Recall
**Employee Health and Personal Hygiene
**Cool It! Methods for Cooling Foods Safely
**Seguridad de alimentos en las escuelas
*Produce Safety
**Produce Safety University Graduate Training Resources
**The Produce Lab Videos - Culinary Techniques
**The Produce Lab Videos - Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS)
**The Produce Lab Videos - Quality and Condition
**Produce Safety Videos - What Went Right and What Went Wrong
**Commodity Specific Fact Sheets
**Produce Safety Best Practices Fact Sheets
**Produce Safety Printable Posters
*Research Documents
**Research Related to Child Nutrition Programs
**Serving the Nutritional Needs of Pre-Kindergarten Children in the Public School Setting Best Practices
**Secondary Analysis of the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Data Base A Two Part Study
**School Wellness Policy Readiness of Principals to Implement Changes
**School Nutrition Program Utilization of the NFSMI FUNDamentals Financial Management Software
**School Nutrition Professionals’ Involvement in the Equipment Purchasing and Facility Design Process
**School Nutrition Professionals' Perceptions Regarding Their Role in Supporting and Contributing to School Wellness
**School Nutrition Experiences for Dietetics Students
**Sustaining and Strengthening Local Wellness Initiatives
**Steps to Nutrition Success Checklist A Program Self-Assessment Checklist for Family Day Care Home and Child Care Center Providers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
**Ready, Set, Go! Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the CACFP
**Practices and Perceptions of School Nutrition Professionals Toward Obtaining the HealthierUS School Challenge Award
**Overcoming Barriers to Participation in the Summer Food Service Program - An Identification of Best Practice Solutions
**Nutrition Information at Point of Selection in High Schools Does it Affect Entree Choices?
**Nutrition and Wellness in Child Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
**NFSMI Research Agenda Conference 2013 Linking Research to Practice
**National Survey of School Nutrition Directors' Web-Based Training Needs
**Middle/Junior High School Participation and Non-Participation Survey Guide Internal Benchmarking for School Nutrition Programs
**Job Functions/Duties, Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Sponsor Monitors Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Effective School Nutrition Directors
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for Chefs Working in School Nutrition Programs
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Effective School Nutrition Assistants/Technicians
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers
**Determining the Job Functions of Child Care Providers in CACFP Operations
**Procurement Practices Influencing Programs Operating Within the Guidelines of the Child and Adult Care Food Program: A Review of Literature
**Training and Educational Resource Needs of Child Care Professionals Participating in the CACFP
**Management Issues Impacting Family Day Care Homes Operating Within the Child and Adult Care Food Program Guidelines- A Review of Literature
**Marketing the School Nutrition Program Resource Guide for School Nutrition Professionals
**Identification of Available Training Resources Appropriate for Family Day Care Home Providers
**Determining the Job Functions of Child Care Providers in CACFP Operations
**Afterschool Care Program NSLP Snack Service
**Unpublished Dissertations and Theses in Child Nutrition Programs and School Aged Children
**Training and Educational Resource Needs of Child Care Professionals Participating in the CACFP
**Team Nutrition Local Wellness Demonstration Project
**Sustainability of School Wellness Policy Initiatives
**Succession Planning for Management Level Staff in the School Nutrition Programs
**Development of Middle/Jr. High School Student Surveys to Measure Factors that Impact Participation in and Satisfaction with the National School Lunch Program
**Farm to School Identifying Applied Research and Operational Resource Needs and Issues of Farm to School Programs
**Exploring the Uniqueness of Child Nutrition Programs in Large School Districts
**Exploring the Impact of Productions and Equipment Decisions on the Operation of School Nutrition Programs
**Exploring Standard Child Nutrition Key Performance Indicators
**Exploring School Nutrition Professionals Preferences of USDA Recipes and R4HK Competition Recipes for Meeting New USDA Meal Pattern Requirements
**Exploring Nutrition Literacy and Knowledge Among School Nutrition Managers
**Examining Diversity in the School Nutrition Workforce
**Emergency Preparedness
**Financial Management Benchmarks for School Nutrition
**Determining the Perceptions, Practices, and the Perceived Barriers Associated with School Professionals Serving the Nutritional Needs of the Pre-K Child in the Public School Setting
**Determining Factors Impacting the Decision of Middle/Junior High School Students to Participate in the National School Lunch Program
**Wellness for Child and Adult Care Food Programs
**Cost Variables Associated with Producing and Serving a Reimbursable National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Snack for Children in Afterschool Care Programs, 2006
**Competency-Based Performance Appraisals for School Nutrition Managers and Assistants/Technicians
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers - Phase II
**Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers - Phase I
**CKS for District-Level School Nutrition Professionals
**Identification of Issues Associated with Operating School Nutrition Programs in Districts with Less Than 30,000 Student Enrollment
**Knowledge and Skills Needed for State Agency Child Nutrition professionals in the 21st Century
**Job Functions and Training Needs of State Agency Child Nutrition Professionals
**Job Description Template for CNP Director/Supervisor/Administrator
**Investigation of the Job Functions and Training Needs of State Agency Child Nutrition Professionals
**Investigation of School Professionals' Perceptions and Practices Regarding Issues Influencing Recess Placement in Elementary Schools
**Investigation of Factors Impacting Participation of High School Students in the National School Lunch Program
**In Classroom Breakfast Programs Best Practices
**Implementation of HACCP-based Food Safety Programs in School Nutrition Programs
**CKS for Child Care Providers in CACFP
**ICN Best Practices for Serving Students with Special Food and/or Nutrition Needs In School Nutrition Programs
**Increasing Middle/Junior High School Student Participation and Satisfaction
**ICN Applied Research Division SNA ANC 2016 Poster Session
**Developing and Sustaining Green/Environmental Conservation Practices
**Got Milk! Exploring How Student Preferences Impact Their Milk Selection in Schools
**Focus Group Discussions with Elementary School Foodservice Directors, Teachers, and Parents Regarding the School Breakfast Program
**Financial Management Issues and Practices in School Nutrition Programs
*Standardized Child Nutrition Programs Key Terms
*Basics at a Glance
*Buy American: U.S. Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meals
*USDA Recipes for Schools
*Videos
*Applied Research Division Publications
**Manuscripts
**Poster Sessions
**Research Briefs
**Other Resources
**Technical Reports
***Perceptions and Practices of Incorporating Student-Centered Menu Items in School Meals
***Meeting the Challenges of Serving Scratch-Prepared Foods in Schools
*ICN's Impact
*No Time To Train:Short Lessons for School Nutrition Assistants
*Non-Resource PDFs
*Mealtime Memos
**2018 Mealtime Memos
**2025 Mealtime Memo
**2024 Mealtime Memo
**2026 Mealtime Memo
**New category 4
**2020 Mealtime Memos
**2019 Mealtime Memos
**2017 Mealtime Memos
**2016 Mealtime Memos
*Connect: The Cafeteria to The Classroom
*School Meal Recipe Workshop: From Concept to Standardization
*Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
*Ground Rules for Training Mini-Posters
*Tools and Tips for Trainers
**Communication
**Environmentally Friendly Meetings
**Food Service Management Skills
**Ground Rules for Training Mini Posters
**Meals and Breaks During Training
**Meeting Accessibility for People with Disabilities
**Nutrition Fact Sheets and Activities
**Physical Activity During Training
**Presentation Development
**Training Techniques
*Social Media Marketing for School Nutrition Programs
*Marketing Your School Nutrition Program
*Key Performance Indicators
*S.T.A.R.
**June 2018
**July 2018
**August 2018
**September 2018
**October 2018
**January 2019
**February 2019
**March 2019
**April 2019
**STAR August 2019
**STAR September 2019
**Para Directores en Espanol
*School Nutrition Mini Posters
*eLearning How-To Documents
*ARD Tools and Templates
**Middle/Junior High School Student Survey Guide and Tools
**High School Student Survey Guide and Tools
*Team Up For School Nutrtion
**May 2017
**August 2016
**March 2018
**January 2018
**November 2017
**February 2018
**October 2017
**September 2017
**August 2017
**July 2017
**June 2017
**January 2016
**April 2017
**March 2017
**February 2017
**September 2016
**March 2016
**July 2016
**February 2016
**June 2016
**April 2016
**May 2016
*Food Waste Resources and Tools
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers
*Overview of USDA Child Nutrition Programs Online Course & Presentations
*Portions
*Spanish
**Cuidado de niños (Child Care)
***Mini-Cartels generals (General Posters)
**Nutrición escolar (School Nutrition)
***Mini-Cartels sobre seguridad de alimentos (Food Safety Posters)
***Capacitación (Trainings)
***Ficha técnica sobre seguridad de los alimentos (Food safety fact sheets)
***Mini-cartels generals (General Posters)
**Mealtime Memos en Español (Mealtime Memos)
***2008 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2009 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2010 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2011 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2012 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2016 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
***2015 Issues of Mealtime Memo in Spanish
**Comidas escolares reembolsables
**Centros de Cuidado Infantil - Guía de Seguridad Alimentaria
*Weights and Measures
*Emergency Readiness Plan: Guide and Forms for the School Foodservice Operation
*Inventory Management and Tracking
*ARD A-Z
**Marketing for School Nutrition Programs
**CQI for the School Nutrition Environment
**Data Driven Decision Making
**Developing and Sustaining Green Practices
**Increasing Middle/Jr High Student participation
**Checklist for Implementing or Assessing Recess
**Sustaining and Strengthening Local Wellness Initiaives
**School Nutrition Experiences for Dietetic
**Environmental Scan and Formative Research of Student Engagement Practices in Support of School Meal Programs - Phase I
**Exploratory Investigation of the Roles, Responsibilities, and Impact of Chefs Working in School Nutrition Programs
**Evaluation of ICN Training Program: Nutrition 101 (Online Mode)
**The Impact of ICN's Nutrition 101: Voices of Participants
**Rapid Response Survey #3: Determining the Training Needs of Child Nutrition Professionals
**Research at a Glance
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for Child Care Provers in CACFP
* Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for District-Level School Nutrition Professionals
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for State Agency Child Nutrition Professionals
*Food Allergies Resources
**Food Allergy Fact Sheets
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition Managers and Staff
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition Directors
**Food Allergies Child Care Resources
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition Directors - Managing Food Allergies
**Adult Day Care Food Allergy Fact Sheets
**Food Allergies in the CACFP
**Food Allergies for School Nutrition
**School Food Allergy Fact Sheets
*Food Allergies Post
*Job Description Template
*S.T.A.R. Resources
*Cooperative Purchasing for State Agency
*STAR Digital Binder
**STAR Initiative Overview
**Meal Preparation Module
**Procurement and Inventory Module
**Nutrition and Menu Management
**Manager's Corner Curriculum
**Strategies
**Templates
**Action Plans
**Facilitation
**Resources
**VILT
*Procurement of Foods: Cooperative Purchasing Groups
*Got Milk! How Student Preferences Impact Their Milk Selection in Schools
*Foundations For Training Excellence 4 hour
*E-STAR
*Food Preparation Tools
*State Agency
*A Manager's Guide - Strategies for Leading Effective Teams
*Essential Key Performance Indicators for School Nutrition Success
**STAR Webinar Resources
***STAR April 2020
***STAR May 2020
***STAR June 2020
***STAR July 2020
***STAR August 2020
***STAR September 2020
*ICN internal documents
*CNAAT agenda
*Manager's Corner
**Nutrition
**Operations
**Communications/Marketing
**Spanish
***Comunicación_Mercadotecnia
***Nutrición
*COVID-19 Resources
*Manager's Corner Spanish
*School Nutrition Staff: You Are A Team
*NAAC
*Steps for Emergency Preparedness
*CACFP Grab and Go Lessons
**Administration
**Procurement
**Compliance
**Health and Safety
**Nutrition and Meal Management
**Education and Training
*Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership
**USDA Lessons
**Assessments
**PowerPoint Slide Decks
*RFPs
*Focus on the Customer for Directors and Managers
*Capacitacion del cajero: comidas escolares reembolsables
*USDA OFS's COVID-19 Webinar Series Resources
*Training and Professional Development Needs Assessment for State Agency Child Nutrition Programs Who Work Primarily with School Nutrition Programs
*Key Performance Indicators Mini Series
*Food Varieties Galore
*CICN Spice Blend Posters
*ESTAR Resources
**Manager's Corner
*Child Nutrition Wellness Initiative
*Adult Day Stay Fact Sheets and Supplemental Resources
*Child Care Center Food Allergy Fact Sheets
*Shaking it up landing page
**Procuring Lower-Sodium Products and Ingredients
***worksheets
**Sodium Reduction in School Meals
***worksheets
**Other Resources
***other resources
****videos
***CICN Herbs and Spices Posters
**Worksheet Series Hyperlink Addresses
**Planning Lower-Sodium Meals
***worksheets
**Student Acceptance of New Lower-Sodium Menu Items
***Worksheets
**Using Speed-Scratch Food Preparation to Reduce Sodium
***Worksheets
**Culinary Approaches to Reduce Sodium
***Worksheets
*Documenting Last-Minute Substitutions to School Meal Menus
*CACFP iTrain Simple Lesson Plans
**iTrain Slides
**iTrain PDFs
*Family Child Care Food Allergy Fact Sheets
*Emergency Response Pocket Guide
*Designing an Emergency Preparedness Templates
*STAR Back to School Tools and Strategies To Address Supply Chain Challenges
*Spanish Family Child Care Food Safety Kit
*ICN's Leadership Academy
*Food Safety Spotlight
*Reimbursable School Meals from Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership
*Native American Advisory Committee Newsletter
*Leaderhsip Academy
*Child Nutrition Programs, Fall 2021: Challenges Faced and Solutions Found
*Job Aid Series
*Strategies for Addressing Labor Shortages Infographics
*State Agency 2022
*2022 Strategic Planning Documents
*Menus of Flavor
*Child Care Center Food Safety Guide
*CNRB Screenshot
*2023 RFP #725
*Assembling and Managing a Student Nutrition Advisory Council
*Cafeteria Gardens
*2025 April CICN Webinar Files
*The Child Nutrition Community
*Inspire, Influence, Innovate: Leadership Essentials
*Onboarding for School Nutrition Chefs
*Shaking it up landing page - Proof
**Sodium Reduction in School Meals
***worksheets
**Student Acceptance of New Lower-Sodium Menu Items
***Worksheets
**Culinary Approaches to Reduce Sodium
***Worksheets
*Planning Reimbursable School Meals for Menu Planners
*iLearn How To
*2023 - State Agency Presentations/Files
**12/04/2023 - Monday
***1.Opening General Session and USDA and ICN Updates
***8.Community Eligibility Provisions Work Session MidYear Implementation & Preparing for SY 2024-25
***2.Supporting FNS Programs Through Clear and Effective Messaging
***6.Physical Safety in Summer Meal Programs,
***7.FNS’s Approach to Grant Funding
***9.Summer EBT Panel with State Agencies
***4.Innovative Menu Planning for Summer Meals
***3.USDA Food 101
***5.Child Nutrition Schools are the Nutrition and Local Food Hub of the Community
**12/05/2023 - Tuesday
***5.Procurement
***10.Integrity Rule Overview
***1.State Agency Funding
***9.Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative Spread the News
***6.Healthy School Meals for All Best Practices & Strategies
***2.Who’s Responsible Managing Sponsors with Unaffiliated Childcare
***4.Capital Expenditures
***7.Conducting Reviews in the CACFP 101
***8.Best Practices for Non-Congregate Summer Meals
***3.Data Visualization
**12/06/2023 - Wednesday
***3.Making the Grade Best Practices for Co-Mingled Meal Service in School
***1.Serious Deficiency Guidance Best Practices
***2.How to Determine if an Entity is in Good Standing
***5.Streamlining Between Different Programs and Closing General Session
***4.SFSP Streamlining
*ICN CACFP National Advisory Council
*CACFP Sample Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
*CACFP Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Sample Logs
*School Meal Pattern Mini-Posters
*School Lunch Hero Day
*Step-by-Step Recipe Standardization Guide for the CACFP
*Designing an Emergency Preparedness Plan Templates for Child Care
*Applied Research Brief
*Sugar Reduction for Schools Fact Sheets
*Sodium Reduction VILT Series
**Identifying Low-Sodium Food Products and Menu Planning Strategies to Meet Meal Pattern Requirements
**Maintaining Student Acceptability of Lower-Sodium Meals
**Procurement of Lower-Sodium Foods
**Staff Training and Engagement for Sodium Reduction Success
*ICN's Leadership Academy - Proof
*Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of School Nutrition Assistants/Technicians
*Strategies, Training, Action Plans, Resources (STAR) Webinar Fact Sheets
*The Family Child Care Mentorship Program
*Save ICN
*Identifying Reimbursable School Meals

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