STATE OF TENNESSEE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
BILL HASLAM SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM CANDICE MCQUEEN
GOVERNOR ADMINISTRATION BUILDING/TPS COMMISSIONER
1240 FOSTER AVENUE
NASHVILLE, TN 37243-0375
TO: All District SNP Directors
FROM:Phyllis Hodges
Director School Nutrition Program
SUBJECT:2016 Best Practices Awards – TN and USDA Southeast Region
DATE: January 20, 2016
The Tennessee School Nutrition Program is pleased to announce the twenty-third Annual Best Practice Awards for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Food Distribution Program (FDP). The purpose of this program is to encourage and reward outstanding practices for schools and school food service authorities (SFAs) in Tennessee. Winners will be selected in Tennessee and then sent to USDA Southeast Region office to compete against the other states in the southeast region.
Please note that some of the categories and descriptions have changed. The following are the entry requirements for this year:
1. Awards will be given for both small and large SFAs. SFAs with enrollments greater than 20,000 will be considered against other large SFAs and SFAswith enrollments less than 20,000 will compete against other small SFAs.
2. Entries will be limited to no more than two different categories per SFA (one entry is preferred).
If our office receives more than two entries from a single SFA, only two of them will be considered for an award.
3. Entries received for categories not listed in the Best Practices Announcement will not be considered for awards.
4. Additional materials such as videos, extra binders, etc. should be limited to one or two at the most for each entry. Entries are preferred to be in an electronic form (PDF preferred) and submitted electronically (email ormailed flashdrive preferred).
Nominations will be accepted from SFAs, or schools participating in the NSLP, SBP or FDP. Please see the attached nomination entry form.
A nomination should consist of the following:
1. The category for the nomination.
2.A complete and accurate description of the practice.
3. Time period that the practice has taken place, a minimum of one year.
4.Supporting data, such as dollars saved or percent of increased participation. Include data from the beginning of the practice time period to the end of the practice to document the success
5.Relevant history, impact, and/or cost effectiveness.
6. Documenting photographs or newspaper articles.
7. If applicable, one copy of any items that have been developed for the initiative, such as coloring books, posters, materials/brochures, or videos.
8. Mailing address and telephone number of a contact person at the school or SFA, as well as the director of schools.
9. Enrollment and average daily participation of the school or SFA.
10. Whether or not the SFA received a Team Nutrition grant within the timeframe of the period of practice. Please specify if the grant was the basis for the project entered.
Entries must be received in our office addressed to Jane Crawford, 1240 Foster Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0389 no later than February 12, 2016. If you are sending a hard copy, we recommend that you use USPostal Service and send all parts of the entry as a unit. If you use FedEx or other transportation methods, the zip code should be 37210. Electronic entries may alsobe emailed to ith the subject line Best Practice Award Applicationand emailed no later than February 12, 2016.
Our office will use the same method as the southeast regional office to score the entries for Tennessee awards. Entries must be submitted through our office to be considered for the Tennessee awards and to possibly be sent on to the USDA’ssoutheast region office for further competition. Entries sent directly to the USDA region office will not be considered.
Some ideas are given below for each category; however, these ideas are not intended as limitations. Nominations of creative or innovative ideas in all areas are encouraged. The categories are:
Increasing Participation in School Lunch, School Breakfast, or After School Snacks—This category includes programs involving local private sector food service professionals (Culinary Arts) to improve food presentation, increase variety, acceptability, and participation. This area would also cover marketing promotions, special events, themes, and contests. Renovations and facility improvements that increase participation and improve the cafeteria environment are also included. (Note:The retention of a food service management company is not considered an eligible best practice nomination in this category).
Promoting a Healthy School Environment(Wellness Programs)—Included in this area would be the coordination of school nutrition education with health education efforts to promote a healthy total school environment. An example would be activities involving students, teachers, and/or parents that promote school, community, and environmental changes increasing healthy foods and physical activity. The total school environment could also include quality improvements in training, food preparation, equipment, and qualitystandards/acceptability. Promoting obesity prevention and diabetes awareness projects, “Changing the Scene” action plans or Team Nutrition educational curriculum (i.e. “Serving Up MyPlate” or other materials) are included in this category. Developing and implementingwellness programs at the school or SFA level would also be considered an applicable entry.
Use of Social Marketing for School Nutrition Programs—Entries would cover theapplication of original and creative school breakfast and/or school lunch marketing efforts. The efforts could include effective strategies for reaching children and their parents, improving the messaging about school meals, National School Breakfast or Lunch Week events, and educational efforts promoting meal participation and emphasizing the importance of eating a healthy breakfast or lunch. Applications in this area could include educational efforts promoting meal participation and emphasizing the importance of eating a healthy breakfast or lunch. This category also covers the use of creative and memorable events that will improve the image and heighten awareness of either meal program.
Customer Service/Working Smarter, Not Harder—An application could show howimplementation of any program or service improved the quality or delivery of program or service to students, parents or the community at large. Some examples might be marketing/promotional efforts, working with students with special dietary needs, or innovative financial resource management.
Creative Utilization of Commodities—Application could demonstrate creative use of commodities (especially those not-so-popular products) or consistent utilization of commodities that has kept meal costs down (as determined by cost per meal analysis).
Farm to School Programs—This category coverspartnership efforts between schools and local producers. It also includes cooperation with local farmers utilizing locally grown produce for school programs that provide learning opportunities exposing students to food produced in their geographical area. This area can include nutrition education, field trips, taste testing, and school gardens. In addition,applicants can show their efforts to increase students’ knowledge of healthy food and the farming industry in this topic.
Implementation of the New Meal Pattern and Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption—Success stories regarding implementation of the new meal pattern requirements are covered in this area. Examples include creative menu changesdeveloped to meet the new requirements in appetizing ways, andany project or service developed to increase the consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables by school children. Examples of practices that could apply are the addition of healthy serving lines or marketing and nutrition education efforts regarding the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Creative or innovative efforts implemented in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program can also be included in this category.
Leadership Development and Training to Achieve Professional Standards—Category examples include the implementation of organizational plans that are consistent with district and school goals, operational program management such as coordinated purchasing or food ordering, and training programs for district and school staff pertaining to leadership development, program management, or staff orientation.
Fiscal Management Innovations for Improving Plate Cost—This area includes creative and accountable practices for maintaining finances in tough economic times. This categoryencompassespractices that reduce costs and/or increase efficiency in Child Nutrition Programs. Applicants can include efforts to better serve program participants more efficiently with the resources on hand.
Food Safety/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Implementation—This category includes creative training and educational programs for food service staff or children regarding safe storage/handling and preparation of foods,such asHACCP training. For example,developing standard operating procedures at the school district level for food recalls (both purchased and commodity) would be considered for this topic area.
A panel will judge entries on sustained excellence, innovation, impact, cost effectiveness and efficiency, transferability, and presentation. Attached is a summary of the award criteria. Following the state award selection the best of the entries will be forwarded from our office to USDA Southeast Regional Office for their consideration.
We appreciate your support in this effort to recognize schools and SFAs in Tennessee. Should you or your staff have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Jane Crawford, Tennessee School Nutrition at (615) 532-4739 or 1 (800) 354-3663.
Attachments
2016BEST PRACTICES AWARDS CRITERIA
1. Evidence of Sustained Excellence (Maximum of 20 points)
Consideration should be given to overall management of the program. Schools and school food authorities that have run a superior program for some length of time should receive the highest score in this area. Sustained Excellence within a sustainable program will receive greater consideration.
2. Innovation (Maximum of 20 points)
An application that shows an idea that consistently provides a new and effective twist to old solutions or recognition from students, parents, teachers, or the community.
3. Impact (Maximum of 20 points)
Evidence demonstrating increased participation or increased support or recognition from students, parents, teachers, or the community.
4. Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency (Maximum of 20 points)
The ideas should make good use of available resources and labor. Manpower and budgetary requirements should be reasonable in relation to results.
5. Transferability (Maximum of 10 points)
Awards should establish standards of excellence for other states to strive toward. Some judgment should be made as to how easily the idea could be implemented by other schools or SFAs.
6. Presentation (Maximum of 10 points)
The material should be well presented, well organized, complete, clear, and succinct. Although well-written material may be rated highly, objective measurements of success, results, and such items as photographs or letters of support from appropriate users(i.e., students, PTA members, or teachers) should also be considered as part of the presentation.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service
Tennessee/Southeast Regional Office
Best Practice Awards
2016
Nomination Entry Form
State/School/School Food Authority (SFA) ______
Mailing Address ______
______
Telephone/Datafax Numbers ______/______
Contact Person ______
Title of Contact Person ______
District Superintendent ______
Total # Schools/Enrollment ______/______
Award Category ______
Description of Practice (Not to exceed 300 words; attach if necessary)
Relevant History (Not to exceed 200 words; attach if necessary)
Documented Date of Practice Impact (i.e., dollars saved/generated,
percentage participation increased, etc.; attach if necessary)
Time Period of Practice: ______