2026 National Child Nutrition Conference Awards CPEUs in Accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s CPEU Prior Approval Program
March 12, 2026
This year's conference just got even more valuable for registered and dietetic technicians, registered. The 40th Annual National Child Nutrition Conference has been approved for .5 CPEUs in accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration's CPEU Prior Approval Program.
Attendees can earn up to 15.5 hours of accredited Continuing Professional Education Units (CPEUs) from attending live sessions included in conference registration. Additional CPEUs are available by adding preconference and postconference academies. All sessions award 1 CPEU unless indicated next to the session. While not required to receive a certificate of completion, will help improve future CPEU activities. You'll find our provider number in the feedback link.
Please note that virtual sessions must be watched live to earn up to 8.5 CPEUs. These sessions are marked in orange below.
Why is this important?
A registered dietitian needs 75 CPEUs completed every five years to renew their learning plan and credential. By attending the National Child Nutrition Conference, you can make major progress on that requirement over the course of a few days. And beyond the CPEUs, you'll leave with new tools, resources and connections to bring back to your work.
More ways to earn
Our Certification Program accepts Continuing Education earned through conference participation. Attending the conference onsite offers the opportunity to earn 36+ CE hours, while virtual attendees can earn up to 18.5 CEUs. Other programs that require continuing education may also accept conference training; however, you will need to verify acceptance directly with those programs.
Sessions below have been accredited by the Commission on Dietetic Registration:
Monday, April 13
- Afterschool Meals Overview
- SFSP Overview
- Goal Setting That Fuels You and Your Organization (Leadership Lab)
- Level Up Your Leadership Skills for 2026 (Leadership Lab)
- Preconference Academies
- All About Grains (3 CPEUs)
- Creating Equity: Integrating Indigenous Foods (3 CPEUs)
- Menu Planning for the CACFP (3 CPEUs)
- Head Start & CACFP: Compliance, Special Diets and Feeding Solutions (3 CPEUs)
- Show Me the Money: Getting Through the Budget Approvals Process (3 CPEUs)
Tuesday, April 14
- CACFP Overview
- Preconference Academies
- CACFP Meal Pattern Training (3 CPEUs)
Wednesday, April 15
- Workshops Session One
- Addressing Feeding Concerns & Approaches to Nutrition Therapy
- Gardens and Children: Nurture Them to Flourish
- MAHA's Impact on the CACFP and Child Nutrition Programs
- Maximizing Your Budget Through Menu Planning
- Nourishing Engagement: Marketing Strategies for Summer Meals
- On the Hunt for Good Nutrition: Healthy Foundations in Head Start
- Serving Afterschool Meals Makes Cents
- Workshops Session Two
- Championing Change with CACFP Advocacy
- Data-Driven Decisions: Expanding Summer Meals in Oklahoma
- Eat, Think, Create: Exploring Food Through STEAM
- From Scratch to Success: Creating Cycle Menus and CACFP-Ready Recipes
- From Supper to Summer: Maximizing Seasonal Meal Program Impact
- Fueling Futures: How Nutrition Shapes Growth, Learning & Behavior
- Power Up Your Meal Program: Tools to Boost Nutrition Education
- Workshops Session Three
- Cultivating Change: The Collaborative Approach to Farm to ECE
- Feeding Curiosity: Engaging Families in Nutrition
- Identifying Whole Grain-Rich
- Rural Non-Congregate in Action: Best Practices for Grab & Go Sites
- The Future of School Meals: Innovation and Student Engagement
- Workshops Session Four
- Boosting Produce Intake with the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
- CN Labels & PFS Made Simple
- Compliance and Special Diets in the CACFP
- Ensuring Integrity in Rural Non-Congregate Meal Service
- Garden-Based Nutrition for Early Childhood: I Am a Seed
- Let’s Try It! Taste Testing in Emergency Shelters
- Not on the Menu: Heavy Metals and Harmful Plastics in Kids’ Food
- Overcoming Challenges to Strengthen Your Food Program
- Taste Test to Tray: Student-Led Recipe Innovation in School Meals
- Workshops Session Five
- Beyond Beginners: Next Level Menu Planning
- Conducting Monitoring in the CACFP for Head Start
- Engaging System-Involved Parents in Nutrition Education
- Expanding CACFP Through Partnership and Communication
- Fresh Picks: A Deep Dive into Farm to ECE Resources
- Overcoming Challenges in Summer Feeding at the Houston Food Bank
- Ultra-Processed Foods: Nutrition Quality in Policy and Practice
Thursday, April 16
- Workshops Session Six
- Family Style Dining: Basics to Best Practice
- Farm to ECE Panel: Understanding Successful Local Food Purchasing
- Feeding Connection: Centering Student Voice in Meal Programs
- Mornings Made Easy: Breakfast Solutions for Early Eaters
- Navigating Special Diets
- Non-Congregate Summer Meals: Learnings and Expansion Opportunities
- Using the Food Buying Guide: From Recipe to Shopping List
- Workshops Session Seven
- Beyond the Plate: Using the Social-Ecological Model in CNPs
- CACFP & Head Start Food Service Regulations
- Crediting Recipes Step-by-Step
- Food Explorers: Growing Adventurous Eaters
- Investigating Fraud, Waste & Abuse in Federally Funded Programs
- No Pushback, Just Buy-In: Plant-Based Success in the CACFP
- Workshops Sessions Eight
- Building Your Farm to ECE Program From Seed to Harvest
- FAMS in Focus: Food Allergy Management for K–12 School
- Increasing Summer Meal Impact Through Partnerships
- Little Plates, Big Impact: Enhance CACFP with Local Produce
- Local Food Procurement: Find the Best Fit for Your Site
- Sponsor Audits: Avoid Pitfalls, Stay Prepared and Succeed
- Taste & Tell: Improving Head Start Menus with Family Engagement
- The Desert, The Swamp or a Mirage: What’s Your Food Reality
- Workshops Session Nine
- Early Childhood Nutrition Assessment: I Am a Seed (0.5 CPEU)
- From Map to Meals: Using NC’s Farm to ECE Map for CACFP Growth (0.5 CPEU)
- No Kitchen? No Cook? No Problem! Fresh Afterschool & Summer Meals (0.5 CPEU)
- Read, Cook, Learn: Recipe for School Readiness and Family Engagement (0.5 CPEU)
- Savoring Connection: Nurturing Community Through Our Kitchen (0.5 CPEU)
- Workshops Session Ten:
- Administrative Review: Financial Management for Sponsors
- Engaging Families in the CACFP: From Menu to Home
- Grain Ounce Equivalents Made Easy
- Navigating Dairy Recommendations Amid New Dietary Guidance
- Quizapalooza: Are You a Meal Pattern Super Star?
- Shaping the Future of the CACFP
- Sponsoring Summer Food: Keys to Financial Management
- Sunshine on a Plate: Shining a Light on SUN Meals To-Go
- Visualize Your Farm to CACFP Dream
- Workshops Session Eleven
- All4Kids: Growing Healthy Bodies and Minds in Preschoolers
- Bringing Head Start Home: Helping Families Create Healthy Habits
- Communicating CACFP Benefits to Families and Stakeholders
- Home Delivery: Lessons from Serving 7,000 Children Weekly
- Planning Menus That Bring Us Together
- State Agency Strategies to Uplift the CACFP
- Supporting Family Child Care: Creating a Statewide Staffed Network
- Featured Speakers
- AI for CACFP: Smarter Tools for Stronger Programs
- Nourishing the Nourisher: Self-Care for Child Nutrition Professionals
Friday, April 17
- CACFP Meal Pattern Exceptions
- Postconference Academies
- CACFP Recipe Development for Centers (2 CPEUs)
- CORE Training: Management Plans (2 CPEUs)
- Annual CACFP Training FY26 (2 CPEUs)
- Tailoring CACFP Meals: The Role of Medical Statements in Special Diets (2 CPEUs)
- Food Safety in Child Care (4 CPEUs)