SNAC Bites – February 2014

Welcome to theFebruary2014issue of SNA Communication (SNAC) Bites!SNAC Bites highlights new SNA programs and provides content for your state association newsletters and chapter meetings.

This issue includes:

  1. USDA Proposed Rule on Professional Standards Released
  2. SNA’s Legislative Action Conference Update
  3. Register and Book Your Hotel Reservation for SNA’s ANC
  4. Spring Membership Drive: Let’s Recruit and Win!
  5. Get Recognized with the SNA Awards
  6. It’s Time to Increase Breakfast Participation!
  7. Vary Your Veggies with STEPS
  8. Enter to Win a Free ANC 2014 Registration
  9. SNF Celebrates School Nutrition Heroes
  10. SNA Position on Unpaid Meal Charges
  11. SNA Attends Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting
  12. Upcoming SNA Webinars:
  • The Benefits and How-To’s of Becoming SNA-Certified
  • Engaging Your Audience with Proven Presentation Techniques
  • NEW Three-Part Series on the Community Eligibility Provision
  • All About School District Owned Membership

1. USDA Proposed Rule on Professional Standards Released

On February 4, 2014, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released proposed regulations on professional standards for all school nutrition employees. USDA’s announcement and a link to the proposed regulations can be found viathis link.

SNA has already mobilized a representative task force of SNA members to review the details of the proposed rule. The task force will assess the impact of the rule on school nutrition professionals and school meal programs, gather extensive input from SNA members and craft SNA’s official comments in response to the rule, which are due by April 7, 2014. Stay tuned for information about a webinar with USDA about the Professional Standards coming soon!

2. SNA’s Legislative Action Conference Update
SNA’s Legislative Action Conference (LAC) is just around the corner on March 2-5, 2014 in Washington, DC, and you can register to attend via this link.SNA will host a reception for LAC attendees and Members of Congress and their staff in the Rayburn Cafeteria on Tuesday March 4, from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm. During this time stop by for a drink, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a chance to mingle with your colleagues and Members of Congress.

As part of educating Members of Congress and their staff during the Charge to the Hill, SNA will develop a special webpage for them to download information on the PositionPaper, policy areas, and what is happening across the country and in their home states. Please send the packets you plan to share on the Hill to Nichole Westin, Director of State Legislative Affairs, at , for inclusion on the webpage.

3. Register and Book Your Hotel Reservation for SNA’s Annual National Conference

Registration is now open for SNA’s Annual National Conference (ANC) in Boston on July 13–16, 2014! For more information on ANC and to register to attend, go to Need a hotel room for ANC? SNA works hard to ensure that your conference costs are as low as possible by making arrangements with the official ANC hotels. The Westin, Seaport, and Renaissance hotels are currently sold out, but there are eight additionalhotels, all within a 3 mile radius and within walking distance to shops and restaurants, that are available to you. These available hotels will offer door-to-door shuttle service between the hotel and Convention Center. To book your ANC hotel reservations, please click here.

4. Spring Membership Drive: Let’s Recruit and Win!

We have the opportunity to win big this spring and boost our membership to strengthen our association! Our mission is to recruit as many new members and retain as manycurrent members as possible to meet or exceed our 5% membership growth goal, from May 2013 yearendmembership numbers. Our state association could win multiple awards, including the Membership Goal Awards and Increasing Membership Award. Plus, if YOU recruit members, you can win, too! If you bring in 5 or more new members to SNAthis year through the Annual Membership Campaign, you will be entered in a raffle to win a trip for two to Miami or 1 of 7 complimentary registrations to ANC 2015! For more information about the AnnualMembership Campaignand how you can win big by recruiting, go to

5. Get Recognized with the SNA Awards

The SNA Awards Program highlights the great contributions school nutrition employees, managers, and directors make every day to ensure well-nourished students across the country are prepared for success! There are SNA awards for every member type, including:

  • For Employees:Heart of Program Award
  • For Managers:Louise Sublette Award of Excellence in School Nutrition
  • For Directors:Outstanding Director of the Year Award

All nominees must be SNA members who are SNA certified or credentialed throughout the entire awards application and selection process. Award entries are due to the Chris Derico by March 1, 2014. For complete rules and samples of winning forms, please visit

6. It’s Time to Increase Breakfast Participation!

Mark your calendar – National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) begins March 3rd! Have you started planning a celebration for the 2014 theme, “Take Time for School Breakfast”? Visit to access all of the free downloadable tools and resources.

7. Vary Your Veggies with STEPS

February’s STEPS Challenge is all about sneaking extra servings of veggies into your diet – so be sure to download your February tracking sheet and hit the grocery store to stock up on vegetables. Visit to get started and learn more about the monthly challenges and prizes.

8. Enter to Win a Free ANC 2014 Registration*

This summer, we’ll be making history at the school nutrition event of the year: ANC Boston. In the meantime, SNA wants to know how you’ve made history in your district. How have you made a difference? What accomplishments are you proud of? Tell us at and you’ll automatically be entered to win a free ANC registration.*Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

9. SNF Celebrates School Nutrition Heroes

When the School Nutrition Foundation celebrates its 50th Anniversary on Monday, March 3, at SNA’s Legislative Action Conference (LAC), five SBA members will be recognized as School Nutrition Heroes. These individuals were nominated by their peers and selected based on the impact they had on the lives of others in their community, school, and/or association and how they have appliedthe skills they’ve learned through SNA and SNF involvement. In celebrating five decades of education, research, and scholarship, SNF proudly congratulates and celebrates these five School Nutrition Heroes:

  • Dorothy Caldwell, Arkansas Department of Education (Retired)
  • Margo Frazier, Sheldon Independent School District (TX)
  • Sandi Kramer, Yankton School District 63-3 (SD)
  • Joanne Terry, Charlotte County Public Schools (FL)
  • Karen Watson, Sylacauga City Schools (AL)

10. SNA Position on Unpaid Meal Charges

Several national media outlets have recently reported on the topic of unpaid meal charges, following an incident at a Salt Lake City, UT school cafeteria. As a result, SNA members may receive local media inquiries regarding their meal charge policies and unpaid meal debts. SNA has conducted extensive national media outreach to educate reporters on the meal charge issue and inform them of SNA’s 2014 Position Paper, which calls on Congress and USDA to establish guidance on unpaid meal charges.ABC News, Yahoo! News and other media outlets featured SNA in their stories. SNA is working with national media outlets and USDA, and is developing talking points to assist members in discussing the challenges of meal charge requests and debt. Check for the latest talking points on this issue.

11. SNA Attends Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting
The second meeting of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee took place January 13-14, 2014 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. SNA was in attendance to monitor the conversations, as well as observe the public testimony.Marla Caplon, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools, provided oral testimony on behalf of the School Nutrition Association.Read her testimonyhere, which reflects written comments submitted.Learn more about the Dietary Guidelines process at and submit written comments for the committee’s consideration.

12. Upcoming SNA Webinars

Learn about hot topics in school nutrition, new ideas for your program, and how to take advantage of your SNA membership by attending live webinars or listening to recorded webinars.Stay tuned for a webinar with USDA about Professional Standards coming soon! You can find information on all upcoming webinars, and an archive of recorded webinars, at For a listing of all upcoming webinars and an archive of recorded webinars, go to:

  • The Benefits and How-To’s of Becoming SNA-Certified

On Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 2pm ET, learn the benefits of becoming certified; the requirements to earn SNA certification at levels 1, 2, and 3; and how you can get started on your certification. Click here to register to participate.

  • Engaging Your Audience with Proven Presentation Techniques

The training you provide can make or break a participant’s ability to be successful. SNA, in partnership with Dr. Katie Wilson, Executive Director at the National Food Service Management Institute will host a webinar on February 26, 2014, 2:00-3:15 pm ESTabout presentation techniques to engage your audience. Participation in this webinar is worth 1 SNA CEU. Click here to register to participate.

  • Three-Part Series on the Community Eligibility Provision

SNA, in partnership with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) will host a three-part webinar series on the new Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Participation in each webinar is worth 1 SNA CEU. The new CEP works to provide universal free meals in schools with high percentages of low-income students, while reducing administrative requirements and increasing participation.Here are the dates and times of the sessions:

  • CEP Part 1: Making the Most of CEP on Wednesday, February 19, 2014, 2:00-3:15 pm EST.Click hereto register to participate.
  • CEP Part 2: Eliminating School Meal Applications on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at 2:00 pm ET. Click hereregister to participate.
  • CEP Part 3: Determining which Schools will be Eligible to Participate in CEPon Wednesday, April 2, 2014, at 2:00 pm ET. Click hereregister to to participate.
  • All About School District Owned Membership

OnTuesday, March 11th, 2014, at 2pm ET, attend this webinar to hear an overview of the School District (or State Agency) Owned Membership (SDM) option, including details on how to get started, how to transfer memberships, frequently asked questions, recent updates/changes and Q&A. This webinar is designed for individuals new to the SDM offering, as well as for individuals that are currently managing their SDM. No CEUs are awarded for participating.Click here to register to participate.

We hope you find SNAC Bites a useful tool. If you have any questions or feedback about SNAC Bites,

please contact Sara Sanders at or (301) 686-3074.

SNAC BitesJanuary 2014