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New USDA Ruling

Snack type items (such as cheese puffs, corn curls, veggie stix, veggie straws, and veggie chips) are NOT creditable on the Food Program.

To be creditable as a grain/bread, a product must meet two criteria:
1)      The first ingredient must be enriched or whole grain meal and/or flour AND
2)      The grain/bread must be listed on the ISBE grains/breads requirements chart (found in the ISBE Meal Pattern Chart).
 
Example: “Sun Chips” are CREDITABLE.
1)      The first ingredient in “Sun Chips” is whole corn.
2)      Corn chips are listed in Group B of the ISBE grains/breads requirements chart.
 
Example: “Cheetos” are NOT creditable.
1)      The first ingredient is enriched flour.
2)      Cheetos/corn curls are NOT listed on the ISBE grains/breads requirements chart.
 
Example: “Rold Gold Pretzels” are CREDITABLE.
3)      The first ingredient is enriched flour.
4)      Hard pretzels are listed in Group A on the ISBE grains/breads requirements chart.



Creditability Update

Dried meat snacks are no longer creditable on the Food Program (USDA TA 05-2011). This includes:

- Beef Jerky, Salmon Jerky, Seafood Jerky, Turkey Jerky
- Pepperoni Sticks
- Dried Poultry Nuggets
- Smoked Snack Sticks
- Summer Sausage

The ISBE Crediting Foods Guide (8/11) states these products "do not serve the customary function of meat in a meal." Due to this change, Beef Jerky (Meat #4) will no longer be listed on our Minute Menu food list. Pepperoni can only be claimed on Child Nutrition (CN) labelled pizzas. If you are serving homemade pizza, please claim cheese on the pizza instead.

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FREE Training Webinar!

Did you know that HOW you feed your day care children matters just as much as WHAT you feed them? Child nutrition expert Ellyn Satter will present a two-part webinar "Preventing Child Overweight and Obesity." 

Part 1: January 12, 1-2 pm CST
Part 2: January 19, 1-2 pm CST
To sign up: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/171134530
Cost: FREE! 

Ellyn is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Social Worker. Her best-selling books include "Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense" and "Your Child's Weight: Helping without Harming."   

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2012 Calendar

The new 2012 Calendar is available on our website under Forms in the Provider Area. 
Login now to get an advanced look.

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Low Fat Milk Required for Ages 2 and Over

According to a new USDA requirement,  low fat milk (1% or skim) must be served to all children age 2 and older. 1 year olds can continue to receive high fat (whole or 2%) milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends whole milk for most 1 year olds; 2% milk is recommended for 1 year olds who are at risk for overweight. Providers must be in compliance by October 1, 2011.

Start now to transition kids from high fat (whole and 2%) to low fat (1% or skim) milk! Low fat milk contains the same amount of bone-building nutrients as whole milk. However, switching from whole to 1% milk can reduce fat by 17 grams in one day!  

Check out our special bulletin "The Food Program is MOO-VING to LOW FAT MILK!"
English | Español.  You can also find this bulletin under the Newsletter and Guidebook Pages.

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Keep Your Food Program Records!

According to the USDA, home day care providers must:

- Keep all food program records for 3 years from the date of submission.

- Have 1 year (plus the current month) of records available at reviews.

- Have access to the remaining years of records. These records can be stored off site.

For more information, view the original USDA memo here.

 



Create your menus online with Minute Menu.

  • You can choose to use one of our convenient menu plans, EZ Menus or Master Menus, or create your own scheduled menus.
  • You can even print out a weekly menu to use as a shopping list or to post for day care parents!
  • At the end of the month, send your menu electronically from the comfort of your own home. With less trips to the post office, you’re sure to save money and time.

Visit www.minutemenu.com to learn about this exciting program.

  1. Click on green "Login" box in upper right hand corner.
  2. Type “996000991” for the login and “temporar” for the password, then click Login
  3. When it says All tests passed, click "Click Here to Open WebKids".

Keep in mind this is a sample account for providers across the nation. This account can give you an idea of how WebKids works, but can be busy at times. To get started with Minute Menu, call our office at 1-800-238-0555.



!Ahora se puede hacer los menús por el internet en espanol también!

  1. Pruebe el programa Minute Menu hoy: para explorar una muestra del programa, vaya al sitio www.minutemenu.com y haga clic al lado izquierdo donde dice “Proveedoras Actuales, Versión en Español.”
  2. Luego usted puede usar 996000991 para la clave de identificación y temporar para la contraseña.
  3. Para entrar, haga clic en el botón que dice “submit” y luego en el botón que dice “Abrir WebKids”.

Para mas información o para recibir sus propias clave y contraseña y empezar oficialmente, llame a la oficina al 1-800-238-0555.