Application (Eligibility) Forms

Application (Eligibility) Forms: The application form that determines eligibility for free or reduced meals must be updated annually. Income eligibility forms should be considered current and valid until the last day of the month in which the form was dated one year earlier. If you receive the signed new form in June, it’s valid until June 30th of the next year.  If the form is received and signed in July, it’s valid through July of the next year. 

Don’t forget to complete the “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY” section on the back side of the application.

The revised updated form is available on our website at http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/child/ and will be also included in your renewal application packet.

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Farewell to Corinne Bennett

Corinne Bennett will retire April 30, 2012 after 26 years of service with the state of North Dakota. Corinne began her career in state government in 1984 as director of the Child Development Center at the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown. From 1991-2001 she served as the state administrator of Early Childhood Services with the Department of Human Services. Corinne started in her tenure at the Department of Public Instruction Child Nutrition and Food Distribution programs in August of 2008 as the CACFP Manager.

Best wishes to Corinne as she begins a new journey with her husband, Wally, who retired from the North Dakota Department of Human Services in 2003. 

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Going Fishing

Ingredients:
Celery sticks or long Pretzel rods
Peanut Butter or Sun Butter
Fish shaped cheese crackers

Supplies:
Small paper plates
Small paper cups

Place fish shaped crackers on small individual plates.  Place 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter/sun butter in the bottom of the small paper cup.  Taking the Pretzel rods/celery sticks have the children dip in the cup of peanut butter and then go “fishing” in the plate of cracker and see what they can catch with their fishing rods.

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Growing a Child Care Garden: Think Inside the Box!

Many people think you need a lot of room to have a child care garden, but that’s not true at all. You may not realize you can garden with containers only. Container vegetable gardens are growing in popularity because space is a valuable commodity. If you are new to gardening with children, start small and then expand as your confidence and experience increases.

There are some easier vegetables to grow in containers and those are the ones that bear fruits over a period of time. Vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers are two really good choices when it comes to container vegetable gardens. These two vegetables are very hearty and grow well in containers. Carrots, radishes, onions, potatoes and lettuce can also be grown in container gardens as well. You will need deeper containers to house these vegetables usually, but it can be done.

Tips for container gardening:

• Get enough containers with drainage holes for each child.
• Fill each container with well-drained potting soil.
• Add plant seeds.
• Cover seeds lightly with more soil. Water.
• Place containers near a window to get enough light.
• Make sure the containers do not dry out by watering regularly.
• If you plant climbing plants like tomatoes or cucumbers, remember to provide support as they grow.  Paint stir sticks make good stakes.
• Plant for immediate and delayed gratification. Plant both seeds and potted plants.

Other garden ideas:
Try planting theme gardens such as:

• Stone Soup garden- onions, carrots, peppers, parsnips ,beans, potatoes, corn
• Pizza garden- tomatoes, onions, green peppers, basil, oregano.
• Eat “as-is” garden -grow fruits and vegetables that can be eaten “as is” from the garden (after washing them), allowing children to enjoy their success in growing food right away. Foods to eat “as is” include peas, beans, tomatoes, strawberries, carrots, zucchini, radishes, and cucumbers.
• Salsa garden- tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro

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Let’s Move! Child Care Initiative

First Lady Michelle Obama and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services have launched a new effort, Let’s Move! Child Care to promote children’s health by encouraging and supporting healthier physical activity and nutrition practices for children in child care.

The initiative sets out five goals and provides resources to achieve the goals.  Quizzes allow each child care to evaluate their program on best practices relating to each goal.  Quizzes are based on recommendations that were developed from existing national recommendations, research literature, and expert panels.  The five goals are:

1. Physical Activity-Provide 1-2 hours of physical activity throughout the day, including outside play when possible.
2. Screen Time-No screen time for children under2 years.  For children age 2 and older, strive to limit screen time to no more than 30 minutes per week during child care.
3. Food-Serve fruits or vegetables at every meal, eat meals family-style whenever possible, and don’t serve fried foods.
4. Beverages-Provide access to water during meals and throughout the day, and don’t serve sugar-sweetened drinks.  For children age 2 and older, serve low-fat (1%) or non-fat milk, and no more than 4-6 ounce serving of 100% juice per day.
5. Infant Feeding-For mothers who want to continue breastfeeding provide their milk to their infants and welcome them to breastfeed during the child care day.  Support all new parents’ decisions about infant feeding.

For more information and how to signup, go to:
http://www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org

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NDFoods System to Replace FNP

Program renewals and claims for reimbursement will look different after July 1, 2012.  A new web-based system, NDFoods, will be replacing our current FNP system.  The system has many new features to assist you in administering the CACFP.  All authorized representatives will need a ND Login ID to access the system.  A user’s manual and training webinars will be available in June. 

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Owner/Administrative Changes at Centers

CACFP programs must notify the Child Nutrition office of any changes in the ownership or administration (i.e. director) of the centers prior to when these changes are made. Failure to notify our office of these changes could delay or reimbursement payments or make the center ineligible for payments. Please contact Carla Wardzinski if there will be a change in ownership/administration. 

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The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) Library

The NCCIC Library collection contains over 20,000 summaries and availability information for published documents of interest to policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and other members of the child care community. Links to full-text publications about child care and school-age issues are provided when available. If you go to their library search page you can search their library resources whenever you would like. The NCCIC Library can be found at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/library/index.cfm?do=oll.search

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Discrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice).  Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish).   USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Kirsten Baesler, State Superintendent
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 201
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0440
701/328-2260

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