Professional Standards
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hiring Requirements and Professional Standards for Child Nutrition Directors (effective July 1, 2015), Updated, see page 11 (PDF)
Food Service Assistants/Workers
- Guidance from the Institute of Child Nutrition – Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Assistants and Technicians (PDF)
- Arkansas Certification Rules require at least 10 hours of documented annual Child Nutrition specific professional development
Managers
- Guidance from the Institute of Child Nutrition – Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers, 2018 (PDF)
- Arkansas Certification Rules and USDA Professional Standards require at least 10 hours of documented annual Child Nutrition specific professional development
Directors
- Guidance from the Institute of Child Nutrition – Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for District Level School Nutrition Personnel in the 21st Century (PDF)
- USDA Professional Standards require at least 12 hours of documented annual Child Nutrition specific professional development
- School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) Credential – Successfully completing the requirements for the School Nutrition Association’s SNS Credential is an alternate method of becoming a Certified Child Nutrition Director in Arkansas. The SNS Credentialing Exam Handbook and Application has more information.
School Year 2026-2027 Digital Learning
- July Digital Learning: Establishing Eligibility, Direct Certification, and the Benefits Check Portal
School Year 2025-2026 Digital Learning
- October Digital Learning: Farm to School, Smart Snacks
- September Digital Learning: Food Safety, Afterschool Snack, Wellness
- July Special Session: Establishing Student Eligibility via Meal Applications
- July Digital Learning: Establishing Eligibility, Direct Certification, and the Benefits Check Portal
- July Digital Learning – Establishing Student Meal Eligibility, Direct Certification, and the Benefits Check Portal
- August Digital Learning: Civil Rights
- August Digital Learning: Direct Certification
School Year 2024-2025 Digital Learning
- April 3, 2025 Digital Learning: Food Safety, Seamless Summer Option (SSO)
- March 6, 2025 Digital Learning: Provision 2 & Community Eligibility Provision
- February 6, 2025 Digital Learning: Informal Procurement, Formal Procurement, Procurement Review
- October 2024 Digital Learning: Verification Reporting, Farm to School, Local Procurement, Geographic Preference
- September 2024 Digital Learning: Civil Rights & Meal Pattern Requirements and Updates
- August 2024 Digital Learning: Annual Training Requirements, Direct Certification Portal, Categorical Eligibility
- July 2024 Special Session: Establishing Student Eligibility
School Year 2023-2024 Digital Learning
- April 2024 Digital Learning: Summer 2024 Programs Summer Meals (video) Reminders, Sumer Meals, Special Provision Options and Elections (slides)
- March 2024 Digital Learning: Meal Modifications, CEP, and Provision 2 Eligibility and Elections
- February 2024 Digital Learning: Snack vs. Snack vs. Snack
- November 2023 Digital Learning: Meal Pattern and OVS
- October 2023 Digital Learning: Food Safety
- September 2023 Digital Learning: Wellness, Recordkeeping
- August 2023 Digital Learning: Eligibility Determinations SY 23-24, Claims: Standard Counting and Claiming, Claims: CEP and Non-Base Year P2
School Year 2022-2023 Digital Learning
- April 2023 Digital Learning: Summer Meals
- March 2023 Digital Learning: Food Buying Guide Introduction, Using the Recipe Analysis Workbook
- February 2023 Digital Learning: Wellness and Smart Snacks, How to Complete the Claim for Reimbursement- CEP/Non-Base Year P2, How to Complete the Claim for Reimbursement- Standard Counting and Claiming
- October 2022 Digital Learning: Verification Process, Verification Collection Report
- September 2022 Digital Learning: Breakfast Meal Pattern and OVS, Lunch Meal Pattern and OVS, Preschool Meal Pattern, Afterschool Snack Meal Pattern
- August 2022 Digital Learning: Eligibility Determinations
Institute of Child Nutrition Training
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), part of the School of Applied Sciences at The University of Mississippi, is the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for child nutrition programs.
ICN eLearning Portal: The eLearning Portal provides access to multiple online learning modules on a variety of Child Nutrition related topics. Simply create a log-in and password to get started.
Professional Development Planner: This open date yearly planner provides a monthly layout for tracking goals and scheduling tasks. It also highlights ICN’s eLearning Portal features, most popular courses, and frequently asked questions. Order your copy here.
Healthy Teachers Program: This is a training for teachers to learn principles of healthy eating. Content focuses on the Standard American Diet and how it impacts our health; basic nutrition; label reading; principles of healthy eating; planning and shopping for healthy eating; cooking demos focused on putting principles of healthy eating into practice; and goal setting for healthy eating.
No Time to Train
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) provides short lessons available for busy school nutrition employees called No Time to Train. Arkansas CNU has developed instructor videos to team with the content presented in these lessons. This information can be presented to your team in short 15 minute intervals. Remember to log the training hours for all employees in attendance.
1. Five Steps for Food-Safe Taste Testing (Video) (PDF)
2. Effect of Batch Cooking on Food Quality (Video) (PDF)
3. Determining When to Batch Cook (Video) (PDF)
4. Receiving Affects Customer Satisfaction (Video) (PDF)
5. Identifying and Preserving Quality in Value-Added (Video) (PDF)
6. Best Practices Affect Quality in Value-Added Products (Video) (PDF)
7. Food Production Records: Why (Video) (PDF)
8. Food Production Records: What and Where (Video) (PDF)
9. Food Production Records: Who and When (Video) (PDF)
10. How Food is Portioned (Video) (PDF)
11. Combine Multiple Servings by Count (Video) (PDF)
12. Combine Multiple Servings by Volume (Video) (PDF)
13. Combine Multiple Servings by Weight (Video) (PDF)
14. School Wellness (Video) (PDF)
15. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Video) (PDF)
16. My Plate – The New Generation Food Icon (Video) (PDF)
17. My Plate – Focus on Fruits (Video) (PDF)
18. My Plate – Let’s Talk Vegetables (Video) (PDF)
19. My Plate – A Look at Grains (Video) (PDF)
20. My Plate – Dairy Matters (Video) (PDF)
21. My Plate – Protein Foods (Video) (PDF)
22. Let’s Talk Oils and Fats (Video) (PDF)
23. Physical Activity (Video) (PDF)
24. HOT & COLD: The Importance of Temperature in Food Service (Video) (PDF)
25. Preventing Accidents in the Kitchen (Video) (PDF)
26. Identifying Kitchen Area Work Hazards (Video) (PDF)
27. Using a Metal Stem Thermometer (Video) (PDF)
29. Portioning Matters! (Video) (PDF)
30. Protecting Quality Through the Flow of Food (Video) (PDF)
31. Quality Standards – A Cafeteria Checklist (Video) (PDF)
32. Identifying the Parts of a USDA Quantity Recipe (Video) (PDF)
33. Herbs, Spices, and Seasoning (Video) (PDF)
34. Adjusting a Recipe with Herbs and Spice (Video) (PDF)
35. Record Keeping in Child Nutrition Programs (Video) (PDF)