2022 Nutrition

Learn the differences between various types of mechanical diets and how to prepare these foods to meet CACFP guidelines.

Bring your questions – you can ask us anything about pediatric diets and special needs diets such as type 1 diabetes or gluten intolerance. An unscripted, dynamic, and real conversation focusing on how the food we serve can help children thrive.

News flash! One of our little ones may be a new arrival from Afghanistan or a returnee in their second year with us whose parent(s) hail from Guatemala. Move over Sloppy Joe and Frittata, we want Lavash and Rellenitos too. What better way could there be to learn about other cultures than with food?

Test your meal pattern knowledge by playing meal component Jeopardy! Categories will include meal patterns, calculating contributions, standardizing recipes, weight vs. measure and everyone’s favorite: grain/grain equivalents.

Serving whole grain-rich (WGR) grains is an important element of the meal pattern. Learn how to identify which products meet the whole grain-rich regulations. Trainers can use this workshop to support CACFP participants.

Learn about the nutrition education resources which are available free-of-charge, including the guides for Identifying Whole Grain-Rich, determining sugar content in cereals and yogurt, and which milk to serve in the CACFP. Create your own toolkit of meal pattern materials and nutrition education flyers to use in your program and share with your community.

Explore how snack time can be more than just crackers and juice. Let’s focus on nutrition and learning! Discuss unique, multi-purpose and make-your-own snack ideas that can be incorporated into your lesson planning. Let’s make snack time a fun and educational experience for all.

Snacks are an essential part of daily meal plans and fill a gap for energy and nutrients needed for play, learning, and growth. Chef Brenda will demonstrate easy to prepare, kid-friendly snacks that meet the CACFP snack meal pattern. Receive ready-to-go snack recipes, tips for encouraging kids to try new foods and kitchen hacks for easy snack preparation.

An analogy on how we changed society in one generation by reaching our youngest leads this uplifting and positive message meant for everyone. While it’s impractical to expect child care to serve ‘A Rainbow A Day,’ we can absolutely serve ‘A Rainbow A Week.’ Learn simple concepts to increase our rainbow of choices and take home recipes which feature fruits and vegetables.

Learn to become more aware of the traditional foods in Hispanic cuisine and how to break the barriers with the Latino culture. Leave with a better understanding of Hispanic culture, common Latin American ingredients, family dynamics and the foods we love.