USDA Awards $5.3 million in Grants for School, Child Care Nutrition Efforts
Washington, DC, Aug. 31, 2017 – New resources for nutrition education and food service training are coming to schools during this back to school season in 11 states selected to receive a total of $5.3 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants awarded today.
Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, Brandon Lipps, said the Team Nutrition Training Grants underscore USDA’s commitment to supporting the health of America’s children and the efforts of nutrition and related professionals working in schools and child care facilities across the country.
“With children eating as many as two meals a day at school, it’s clear that providing nutritious school meals is a crucial part of helping kids grow and thrive and achieve in the classroom,” Lipps said. “Therefore, it’s vital that we provide nutrition professionals working in schools and child care facilities the training they need to manage successful meal programs that work for the children they serve.”
Team Nutrition Training Grants are competitive three-year grants of up to $500,000 per state awarded annually as part of USDA's Team Nutrition initiative, which provides resources, training, and nutrition education lessons for schools and child care providers.
States receiving grants include: Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Rhode Island, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information on the grantees and projects can be found on the Team Nutrition website.
Grantees will use these funds for a variety of purposes including training in menu planning, food preparation, nutrition education, and local school wellness policies. At the completion of the grants, the best practices and materials developed with these grants will be shared with all states so that others may also benefit from the investment.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which together comprise America's nutrition safety net. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.
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