Training Opportunities

Missouri Team Nutrition

School and Childcare Nutrition Environment

Ongoing training opportunities for help in creating a healthy school and childcare nutrition environment are available in Missouri. New initiatives are:

The HealthierUS School Challenge is a voluntary recognition program for elementary schools.

A Local Wellness Policy is required by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act 2004. USDA's Changing the Scene resource kit provides schools with information necessary to assess the school nutrition environment, develop and implement written policy, and follow-up with evaluation. Resources from Missouri training events are available on the web.

Foodservices' Weighty Dilemma: Keeping Everyone Happy and Healthy (.ppt)

Is it possible for School Food Service to provide foods that people of different ages and ethnicities consider favorites? What is the secret to serving nutritious meals that contribute to a healthy lifestyle while operating within a tight budget? This 2004 summer workshop emphasized ways to keep everyone healthy as you do the balancing act of keeping everyone happy. Make certain your School Food Service is part of the solution to the current epidemic of overweight, not part of the problem. Participants recorded hard to remember information on a presentation worksheet for future reference. Seven hundred eleven persons were trained at eight locations through Department of Elementary and Secondary Education School Foodservice summer workshops.

Culturally Appropriate Menu Planning for childcare providers (.ppt)

Urban and rural Missouri are increasingly diverse. The training focus for this audience of childcare providers was to help them plan menus offering a healthy variety of choices that appeal to children from a variety of cultural backgrounds. All children benefit from exposure to new foods, tastes, and practices as well as respect shown for individual cultures. Participants recorded hard to remember information on a worksheet for future reference.