School nutrition program directors, managers, and staff are required to complete a minimum amount of annual training hours to meet the USDA Professional Standards provision outlined in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).  These hours of training also translate into Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which can be used towards maintaining your Certificate in School Nutrition or SNS Credentials through SNA.

October is National Farm to School Month, which celebrates the connection schools and their communities have with fresh, healthy food grown by local producers.

Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle begin at home. As a school administrator or school nutrition professional, you have a unique opportunity to share helpful tips with both students and their families.

The new school year is here! Get your menus ready with free easy-to-use templates that look as good as your meals do.  With fun designs for each month, these menus are sure to catch the eye of your students' parents.

With the new school year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make sure parents know about all that MySchoolBucks has to offer.  Order free materials today!

This year, three (3) Grand Prize winners will receive a complete set of the Lunch Lady Graphic Novels signed by the author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka.

Depending on the size of your school, resources available to your program, and the structure of class times, some breakfast service models may benefit your school more than others.

Thousands of schools have implemented new service models that have transformed their programs and increased overall participation.

One of these four service models may be the perfect fit for your school:

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MySchoolBucks has been recognized by District Administration magazine as a 2015 Readers' Choice Top Product. Superintendents, senior school leaders, and their colleagues selected these best-in-class products based on the innovation they provide throughout the K-12 industry.

From all of us at Heartland School Solutions, we'd like to wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

And with 2016 right around the corner, let's take a look at the most popular Connections blogs posts from this year:

Whether it's festivities at school or birthday parties at home, celebrations tend to offer foods that may undermine healthy eating habits for kids. But with some creative party planning you can take steps to make celebrations healthier.

Check out this month's FitFuture Parent Newsletter for a few tips on how to make celebrations healthier at school and at home: