Illinois Extension partners with the Illinois State Board of Education to provide professional development training each year. In 2024, local Illinois Extension Educator Kara Boozer hosted the largest ABCs of School Nutrition in the state of Illinois, welcoming nearly 100 participants in Centralia. This year, it is expected to have just as many participants.
Many may not know, the USDA mandates annual training for school food service staff, with requirements varying by job title:
- Director - 12 hours
- Manager - 10 hours
- All other full-time staff - 6 hours
- Part-time staff (<20 hours/week) -4 hours
This institute equips school food service managers, cooks, and assistants with the training needed to meet their annual requirements.
The ABCs of School Nutrition Summer Learning Institute will be held on August 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Centralia High School Annex. Participants will have the opportunity to earn 6 hours of USDA Professional Standards for school nutrition staff at no charge. The topics covered include: Wellness Policy, ISBE, Reducing Sodium, and Reducing Sugars.
To Register Visit: go.illinois.edu/ABCsSchoolNutrition
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.