The Institute of Child Nutrition provides face-to-face group training FREE of charge on a variety of child nutrition management topics that are aligned with USDA’s Professional Standards.

The current topics that are available for the trainings are in the categories of

•          Food Safety
•          Program Management
•          Culinary Skills
•          Nutrition Education
•          Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

ICN has several NEW training topics that are available.

Food Allergies for School Directors

(12-hour training)  Because food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern, managing food allergies in school nutrition programs must be a priority.

Employees will learn about the importance of reading labels, preparing foods with care, cleaning procedures to prevent an allergic reaction, immediate response to an allergic reaction, and prompting food allergy awareness in the school community.

Participants will create a food allergy action plan.

Forecasting The Procurement of Foods

(4-hour training)  General concepts about basic forecasting for the procurement of foods in Child Nutrition Programs are covered during this session.

This training does not discuss federal regulations pertaining to the procurement system.

Key topic areas:

• Stakeholders’ responsibilities and expectations
• How menus determine goods and services that must be competitively procured
• Inventory management, product movement, and cost management
• Product categories, screening, and specifications
• CN labeling
• Accurate forecasting of products.  

Foundations for Training Excellence:  Basics

(4-hour training) – This is a four-hour option in addition to the eight-hour Foundations for Training Excellence

This session will assist participants in assessing their current skill levels and encourage further professional development. 

Participants will

• create a topic-focused icebreaker,
• identify skills of successful trainers
• describe ways to apply adult learning principles,
• identify the importance of recognizing audience sensitivity in a training,
• identify different learning styles and delivery techniques for adult learners,
• recognize effective facilitation techniques, and
• identify the characteristics of effective visual aids.

Managing Personalities and Conflict

(4-hour training)  The learning objectives for this session are listed below.

• Identify the role personalities and bias play in conflict.
• Explain the difference between implicit and explicit bias.
• Compare and contrast the four most recent generational groups as it relates to how they respond to/manage conflict.
• Explain the importance of clear goals and purposes.
• Recall at least two factors that can impact the outcomes of conflict.
• Describe at least three problem/non-productive behaviors and the related management techniques.
• Summarize at least two actions that promote success when managing personalities and conflict.