No Time to Train Lesson Series s1

Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Lesson

Lesson Overview

Lesson Participants: CACFP personnel and other child care staff; appropriate for both child care center staff and family day care home providers

Type of Lesson: Video lesson delivered in short face-to-face training session

Time Needed to Conduct the Lesson: 45 minutes

Lesson Description: The video lesson focuses on the role of menu planning in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Effective menu planning can help in food purchasing, offering nutritious meals that the children will enjoy eating, and meeting the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements for reimbursable meals.

Lesson Objectives At the completion of the lesson the participant will be able to  plan menus for meals and snacks that meet the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements and are reimbursable.  plan nutritious meals and snacks that children will eat.  identify the four food components of a reimbursable meal on the CACFP.  identify the steps in menu planning.  use cycle menus.  identify principles to help plan nutritious menus.

Get Ready to Train

The format for the CARE Connection lesson plans includes an overview, preparation checklist, lesson-at-a-glance with timeline for conducting the lesson, instructor’s script, and lists of references and other resources. The instructor will use the script to present the lesson

1 Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Lesson to the participant. Each script gives directions to the instructor—DO, SAY, ASK—to deliver the lesson.

Before the day the lesson is to be presented:  Study the Instructor’s Script and be prepared to tell it in your own words.  Preview the video and be familiar with the answers on the video viewing guide.

The lesson can be presented in the child care center or family day care home, media center, or classroom.

CARE Connection Section 4, Video Lesson 1: Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program has a run time of approximately 20 minutes. Allow a few minutes to get started and allow 15 minutes for follow-up discussion after the video. If you want to do a menu planning activity, allow an additional 15 minutes (not accounted for in the lesson plan) for the activity. Menu planning checklists and forms can be found on the NFSMI Web site in the CARE Connection Menu Planning section.

The video may also be used as a substitute lesson for an employee who was not present for the face-to-face training or to review material for an employee needing additional information.

2 Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Lesson

Preparation Checklist

Directions: Use the Preparation Checklist to get ready for the training session. Keep track of your progress by checking off tasks as they are completed.

Done Lesson Tasks 

Gather Materials Materials Needed:   Instructor’s Script  CARE Connection Section 4, Video Lesson 1: Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The video file may be viewed online at www.nfsmi.org or downloaded as a   Windows Media Video (WMV) file to be viewed on a computer. The CARE Connection video lessons are also available on a two DVD set from the National Food Service Management Institute.  Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Viewing  Guide and answer key   Pens or pencils (one for each participant)   Session Evaluation/Feedback Form (one for each participant) (optional)   Video file or DVD player and monitor Prepare for Lesson Before the Training:  Study the instructor’s script and be prepared to present the lesson in your  own words.   Preview video and be familiar with answers to the video viewing guide.   Make enough copies of the video viewing guide for each participant.  Make copies of Session Evaluation/Feedback Form (one for each  participant). You may use the sample NFSMI evaluation form linked here or develop your own.   Make arrangements for equipment to play the video file or DVD.   Set up room.

On Training Day:   Have video file loaded and ready to view.   Place pens or pencils on tables (one for each participant).   Distribute the video viewing guide to each participant. On the Instructor’s Table:   Instructor’s Script  Instructor’s copy of Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food  Program Video Viewing Guide and answer key   Session Evaluation/Feedback Forms (optional)

Lesson at a Glance (45 minutes)

Time Topic Task Materials 5 minutes Introduction and Introduce topic  Instructor’s Script Overview Handout video viewing  Video viewing guide. guide 20 minutes Menu Planning for Show video.  Video file and the Child and Adult appropriate Care Food equipment Program and the Video Viewing Guide 15 minutes Discussion Use video viewing guide to  Script review and discuss.  Video viewing guide 5 minutes Session Conduct a short evaluation of  Sample evaluation/feedback the lesson. (optional) evaluation/ feedback form or standard form used in your child nutrition program

References National Food Service Management Institute. (2010). CARE Connection Curriculum. University, MS: Author.

Internet Resources http://www.fns.usda.gov http://www.nfsmi.org/

Instructor’s Script

Introduction and Overview (5 minutes) Introduce Lesson SAY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program, often known as CACFP, was created to assist in improving the nutrition of children in child care. Today’s video lesson will introduce you to menu planning for the CACFP. Menu planning is an easy to use tool that helps you plan menus that meet the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements for a reimbursable meal while serving nutritious meals that look and taste good. The lesson provides tips and tools to use in planning menus. Suggestions include how far ahead a menu should be planned, how to increase the amount of fiber in your menus, and how to incorporate the four food components to meet the nutrition needs of children. In addition, it tells you how to plan menus that work for you as well as the children, balancing hard-to- prepare foods with easy-to- prepare foods. Tips for using cycle menus are also included. Lesson Objectives SAY: After this lesson you will be able to  plan menus for meals and snacks that meet the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements and are reimbursable.  plan nutritious meals and snacks that children will eat.  identify the four food components of a reimbursable meal on the CACFP.  identify the steps in menu planning.  use cycle menus.  identify principles to help plan nutritious menus.

DO: Distribute copies of the Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Viewing Guide.

SAY: While you are watching the video lesson, please fill out the video viewing guide. We will discuss these points after the video.

DO: Show video.

DO: After the video, discuss major points on the video viewing guide. Review Key Points to Close Lesson SAY: As we’ve seen in this video lesson, menu planning is a tool you can use to make sure you are serving nutritious, appealing meals that meet the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements. Using cycle menus can save you time and money since you will have three or more weeks of menus planned and will know ahead of time the ingredients and amounts of food you need to purchase. We also saw some easy tips for planning a meal that looks and tastes good, that the children will enjoy, using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for guidance on nutrition. Include a variety of foods to meet the children’s nutrition needs. Plan menus that work for you as well as the children. Use USDA Recipes for Child Care as a resource. Include some recipes you know the children enjoy, as well as introducing new foods. Plan some menu items that are easy-to-prepare as well as items that are hard-to-prepare. Remember to keep good records of the menus planned and the foods served at meals to get the reimbursement on the CACFP. DO: Distribute the session evaluation/feedback form (optional, however, feedback on the training provided can help you make decisions on training for the future). SAY: Thank you for participating in the lesson today. Please take a few minutes to complete the session evaluation/feedback form. Thank you for your input.

CARE Connection Section 4 Video Lesson 1: Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Viewing Guide

1. One of the keys to planning menus that work is to use the ______.

2. It is important to plan menus at least ______ahead of time.

3. The first step in your menu planning is to review the CACFP ______requirements.

4. The food components are: ______, ______, ______, and ______.

5. A ______is a series of menus planned for a period of time, three weeks, for example.

6. Following the principles of the ______for ______will help you plan nutritious menus.

7. Increase the amount of fiber in your menus by including some ______and______, as well as ______foods.

8. Be sure to include foods that meet the ______, ______, and _____ requirements for children.

9. Plan menus that balance ______foods with ______foods.

CARE Connection Section 4 Video Lesson 1: Menu Planning for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Video Viewing Guide Answers

1. One of the keys to planning menus that work is to use the right tool.

2. It is important to plan menus at least one week ahead of time.

3. The first step in your menu planning is to review the CACFP Meal Pattern requirements.

4. The food components are: meat/meat alternate, vegetables/fruits, grains/breads, and milk.

5. A cycle menu is a series of menus planned for a period of time, three weeks, for example.

6. Following the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will help you plan nutritious menus.

7. Increase the amount of fiber in your menus by including some raw vegetables and fruit, as well as whole grain foods.

8. Be sure to include foods that meet the vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron requirements for children.

9. Plan menus that balance hard-to-prepare foods with easy to prepare foods.