Virtual Instructor-Led Trainings (VILTs)
(December 2021, January 2022)
Topic(s):
- Food Safety Fundamentals
- Cleaning and Sanitizing
- School Food Safety Programs
- Facts About Foodborne Illness
- Keeping Food Safe
- Preventing Foodborne Illness
- Norovirus in Schools
- Norovirus in Child Care
- Food Safety Basics
- Food Safety in Child Care
- Food Allergies for School Nutrition Managers and Staff
- Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care
- Basic Culinary Math
- Financial Management for Managers
- Focus on the Customer for Directors and Managers
- Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
- Buy American U.S. Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meals
- Nutrition 101
- Utilizing the Cafeteria as a Classroom
*Registration is limited to 25 participants per session.
Training Topics
Food Safety Fundamentals
Dates and Times
Wednesday, 12/1/21
10:00 am – 11:30 am CST
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm CST
Food Safety Fundamentals
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Key Areas: 2 (Operations)
USDA Codes: 2600
Intended Audience: Everyone
Food safety is one of the basic responsibilities of all school nutrition employees. This training session will focus on basic food safety hazards that can occur in a school nutrition program and how school nutrition employees can use good food handling practices to minimize or eliminate a food safety hazard from occurring.
Following the lesson, participants will be able to:
- describe why food safety is a top priority in school nutrition programs;
- define foodborne illness and foodborne illness outbreak;
- give examples of biological, chemical, and physical hazards;
- give examples of how to prevent biological, chemical, and physical hazards; and
- state the temperatures in the temperature danger zone.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Dates and Times
Thursday, 12/2/21
10:00 am – 11:30 am CST
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm CST
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2600 – Food Safety and HACCP
Intended Audience: Everyone
This session focuses on how to maintain a clean and sanitary school nutrition facility to prevent contamination of food.
Following this lesson, participants will be able to:
- list characteristics of a food-safe facility;
- describe practices that can be used to control pests in a school nutrition facility;
- demonstrate how to mix and test chemical sanitizing solutions;
- demonstrate how to clean and sanitize;
- describe how to set up and use a three-compartment sink;
- demonstrate how to use mechanical dishwashers, including checking temperatures or sanitizing solution concentration; and
- demonstrate how to clean and sanitize large equipment.
School Food Safety Programs
Dates and Times
Friday, 12/3/21
10:00 am – 11:30 am CST
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm CST
School Food Safety Programs
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2600 – Food Safety and HACCP
Intended Audience: Everyone
This session will focus on the basic requirements for a food safety program based on HACCP principles.
A comprehensive written food safety program brings together all of these basic food safety practices that emphasize good food safety and prevention of foodborne illness. It focuses on three key areas: time and temperature control, personal hygiene, and prevention of contamination.
Following this lesson, participants will be able to:
- list components of a food safety program;
- describe the Process Approach; and
- identify menu items that fit into the three process categories: No Cook, Same Day Service, and Complex Food Preparation.
Facts About Foodborne Illness
Dates and Times
Monday, 12/6/21
10:00 am – 11:30 am CST
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm CST
Facts about Foodborne Illness
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2600 – Food Safety and HACCP
Intended Audience: Everyone
Microorganisms are everywhere in our environment. Some of them can make people sick.
It is important to know the common causes of foodborne illness and the ways that school nutrition employees can prevent growth of microorganisms. This session will focus on the basic facts about microorganisms.
Following this lesson, participants will be able to:
- list common causes of foodborne illnesses,
- list common foodborne illnesses,
- describe ways that school nutrition employees can prevent foodborne illness, and
- identify guidelines for responding to a reported foodborne illness.
Keeping Food Safe
Dates and Times
Tuesday, 12/7/21
10:00 am – 12:30 pm CST
2:30 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Keeping Food Safe
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2600 – Food Safety and HACCP
Intended Audience: Everyone
This session focuses on the process for preventing foodborne illness and keeping food safe.
It is important to follow basic food handling practices at each operational step. These operational steps include purchasing, receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, serving and holding, cooling, reheating, and transporting.
There are safe food handling practices that need to be followed at each step, including time and temperature control; employee personal hygiene; and prevention of contamination.
Following this lesson, participants will be able to:
- describe how purchasing relates to food safety;
- list food safety practices that should be followed when receiving food;
- describe safe food handling practices for dry, refrigerated, and frozen storage;
- list good food handling practices when preparing food;
- describe safe methods for thawing frozen food;
- list food safety guidelines for cooking food;
- state internal cooking temperatures for foods often prepared in schools;
- state appropriate holding temperatures for hot and cold food;
- describe food safety guidelines for serving food;
- list steps for the safe cooling of food; and
- describe the reheating process for food.
Preventing Foodborne Illness
Dates and Times
Wednesday, 12/8/21
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm CST
Preventing Foodborne Illness
Duration: 2 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2600 – Food Safety and HACCP
Intended Audience: Everyone
Food safety is one of the basic responsibilities of all school nutrition employees. Research conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that basic food safety practices need to be improved.
Active managerial control of foodborne illness risk factors was recommended by FDA. Areas identified as most in need of improvement included employee handwashing, cold holding, date marking of ready-to-eat foods, and cleaning and sanitizing of food contact surfaces.
Preventing Foodborne Illness training will focus on preventing foodborne illness.
Following this training session, participants will be able to:
- describe ways in which harmful bacteria can contaminate food,
- list good personal hygiene practices that should be followed by school nutrition employees,
- demonstrate proper handwashing procedures to minimize hand-to-food cross contamination,
- list times when school nutrition employees should wash their hands,
- describe proper glove use,
- demonstrate use of a food thermometer,
- demonstrate how to calibrate a thermometer using the ice-point method,
- describe ways to minimize food-to-food cross contamination,
- describe ways to minimize equipment-to-food cross contamination,
- list the responsibilities of school nutrition managers in preventing foodborne illness, and 24 Lesson 2 Food Safety in Schools Participant’s Workbook
- describe the types of illness and symptoms of illness that food handlers must report to their supervisors.
Norovirus in Schools
Dates and Times
Thursday, 12/9/21
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm CST
Norovirus in Schools
Duration: 2 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2000
Intended Audience: Everyone
Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness, and it is estimated that more than half of all food-related illness outbreaks are caused by norovirus. This virtual training includes participant interaction and activities.
Norovirus in Child Care
Dates and Times
Friday, 12/10/21
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm CST
Norovirus in Child Care
Duration: 2 Hours
Intended Audience: Everyone
Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness, and it is estimated that more than half of all food-related illness outbreaks are caused by norovirus. This virtual training includes participant interaction and activities.
Food Safety Basics
Dates and Times
Monday, 12/13/21
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Food Safety Basics
Duration: 4 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2000
Intended Audience: Managers and Food Service Assistants and Technicians
This virtual training provides new school nutrition managers, employees, and substitute cooks with the fundamentals for food safety. It covers the importance of food safety and why it is important, methods for training school nutrition staff on food safety, how to prevent foodborne illness, and checklists to monitor food safety.
Food Safety in Child Care
Dates and Times
Tuesday, 12/14/21
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Food Safety in Child Care
Duration: 2 Hours
Intended Audience: Everyone
This food safety training is for child care employees using the four key concepts of the USDA Fight BAC program: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill.
Food Allergies for School Nutrition Managers and Staff
Dates and Times
Wednesday, 12/15/21
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Food Allergies for School Nutrition Managers and Staff
Duration: 4 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2000
Intended Audience: Managers and Staff
Food Allergies for School Nutrition Managers and Staff is an in-depth training on managing food allergies in school nutrition programs. This virtual training includes information about food allergies, food intolerance, reading food labels, avoiding cross-contact, accommodating students with food allergies, laws regarding food allergies, and educating the school community about food allergies.
Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care
Dates and Times
Monday, 1/10/22
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care Settings
Duration: 4 Hours
Intended Audience: Child Care Staff
This training provides child care professionals with best practices for creating positive and safe mealtime environments for young children.
Basic Culinary Math
Dates and Times
Tuesday, 1/11/22
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Basic Culinary Math
Duration: 4 Hours
Key Areas: 2 (Operations) &
3 (Administration)
USDA Codes: 2000, 3000
Intended Audience: School Nutrition Assistants and Technicians
This virtual training provides participants with the opportunity to review and practice basic culinary math skills, including the basic math principles of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The remainder of the training will focus on other key skills such as measuring and converting measurements, scaling recipes, and calculating food costs.
Financial Management for Managers (2-Day Session)
Dates and Times
DAY 1 Wednesday, 1/12/22
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
DAY 2 Thursday, 1/13/22
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Financial Management for Managers
Duration: 6 Hours
Key Area: 3 (Administration)
USDA Code: 3000
Intended Audience: Managers
This virtual training was developed for site-based school nutrition managers and supervisors. Participants receive instruction on the relationship of program cost and revenue, standard security practices to protect the financial integrity, budget management, increasing productivity and decreasing waste, and staff responsibility for sound financial management practices.
Focus on the Customer for Directors and Managers (2-Day Session)
Dates and Times
DAY 1 Tuesday, 1/18/22
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
DAY 2 Wednesday, 1/19/22
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Focus on the Customer for Directors and Managers
Duration: 6 Hours
Key Area: 4 (Communications)
USDA Code: 4000
Intended Audience: Directors and Managers
This virtual training is designed to help Directors and Managers focus on their customer service. This live interactive session will help participants define the primary customer in the school nutrition program. Participants will also learn how to train staff and how to develop a customer service action plan.
Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
Dates and Times
Thursday, 1/20/22
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
Duration: 4 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2000
Intended Audience: Directors and Managers
This virtual training covers general concepts about basic forecasting for the procurement of foods in Child Nutrition programs.
Buy American U.S. Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meals
Dates and Times
Friday, 1/21/22
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm CST
Buy American U.S. Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meals
Duration: 2 Hours
Key Area: 2 (Operations)
USDA Code: 2400
Intended Audience: Directors and Anyone Responsible for Procuring Food for NSLP
This virtual training provides general concepts about the Buy American provisions when procuring food for federal school nutrition programs. The sessions provides knowledge for the stakeholders that can lead to their success in applying these requirements during the food purchasing and contract monitoring activities.
Nutrition 101 (3 Days)
Dates and Times
DAY 1 Monday, 1/24/22
2:15 pm – 5:00 pm CST
DAY 2 Tuesday, 1/25/22
2:15 pm – 5:00 pm CST
DAY 3 Wednesday, 1/26/22
2:15 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Nutrition 101: A Taste of Food and Fitness
Duration: 8 Hours
Key Area: 1 (Nutrition)
USDA Code: 1100
Intended Audience: Managers, Food Service Assistants/Technicians
This virtual training qualifies for SNA core course certification level one. This training provides a basic overview of nutrition with an emphasis on the importance of balance in daily food choices and the inclusion of physical activity as a key component to good health. The training incorporates a variety of learning activities, including short physical activity boosters.
Utilizing the Cafeteria as a Classroom
Dates and Times
Thursday – 1/27/22
8:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm CST
Utilizing the Cafeteria as a Classroom
Duration: 4 Hours
Key Areas: 1 (Nutrition) & 4 (Communications)
USDA Codes: 1200, 4110, 4120, 4130, 4150
Intended Audience: Directors and Managers
This virtual training is designed to provide school nutrition professionals with tools and resources that will enable them to develop and enhance a school nutrition program that will be recognized as an integral part of the education system. Lessons include: Marketing Healthy Options, Reaching Out to the School Community, Communicating with Parents and Farm-to-School to Garden Programs.
See What Our Participants Have To Say:
See What Our Participants Have To Say
Good presentation! I learned things I did not know. The information that I found most useful was calculations for determining labor hours, production record information and inventory control.
– Financial Management for Managers VILT – 08/05/2021
I learned ways I can incorporate a family style meal dynamic into my program. The allergy portion of the training was the information that I found most useful.
-Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care VILT – 05/08/2021
Great presentation, and I enjoyed the breakout sessions and getting to collaborate with other educators.
-Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care VILT – 05/08/2021
Thank you for the training so helpful end enjoyable. I’m so glad that I was able to attend this training which will help me my family and my facility to have a healthy environment.
– Nutrition 101 VILT – 06/05/2021
I really enjoyed the instructor and this class. I learned things that I did not know.
– Food Safety in Child Care VILT – 07/10/2021
The many examples and problems worked throughout the course ensured each participant was easily able to grasp the concepts taught. It was also extremely helpful to be taught all the features of ZOOM conferencing.
– Basic Culinary Math VILT – 04/24/2021
This helped participants not only navigate the training with ease but will
help us all in the many ZOOM trainings that will take place in the future due to the pandemic.– Basic Culinary Math VILT – 04/24/2021
The information provided on determining the scaling factor was particularly helpful.
– Basic Culinary Math VILT – 04/24/2021
The following equipment is required for the virtual sessions:
To participate in a virtual training, a camera, microphone, and speakers are required. Most new laptops, smartphones, and tablets are equipped with internal cameras, microphones, and speakers. These internal devices are sufficient for use in our virtual trainings.
However, for the best experience, we suggest participants use an external headset with a built-in microphone. This may include your Apple earbuds or third party headphones with microphone. Headsets with built-in microphones provide listening privacy, reduce microphone feedback, and transmit higher quality audio.
If you have a pair of headphones that do not have a built-in microphone, your computer, smartphone, or tablet internal microphone will suffice, but to minimize microphone feedback, we ask that you still listen to the audio with your headphones plugged in.
If you do not have a pair of headphones with or without a built-in microphone, you may still complete the training using the internal camera, microphone, and speakers of your device.
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