Health and Nutrition Services Blog

Congratulations to the School Year 2021-2022 BRAVOcado! Excellence Awardees!

  • Tue, Oct 11 2022

The Arizona Department of Education Recognizes Schools for Exemplary Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Programs  

The Arizona Department of Education Health and Nutrition Services is pleased to announce the Program Year 2021-2022 BRAVOcado! awardees for excellent Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) operations. The BRAVOcado! Excellence Award is given to schools that demonstrate exemplary FFVP service and commitment to promoting fruit and vegetable consumption and healthy lifestyles to their students.

The FFVP BRAVOcado! Excellence Award recognizes schools that go above and beyond to operate a phenomenal FFVP program. To be eligible for the award, sites must meet criteria related to variety of produce items served, frequency of service, frequency of nutrition education, frequency of serving local produce, development of site-level and outside partnerships, and more!

The following three School Food Authorities went above and beyond and received the award this year. Congratulations to all awardees!

  • Concho Elementary School 
  • Concordia Charter School 
  • Southgate Academy, Inc.

2023 Farm Fresh Challenge

  • Tue, Sep 20 2022

2023 Farm Fresh Challenge

Interested in Creating Your Kitchen?

  • Fri, May 7 2021

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is excited to announce a new partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation, Life Time Foundation, and Whole Kids Foundation! These organizations are part of the newly formed ScratchWorks Collective and are dedicated to improving the quality of school meals and love sharing their expertise with school nutrition professionals. These partners look forward to supporting 10 Arizona Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in a three-phase program to help operators regain their kitchens and menus as they recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chef Ann Foundation will kick-off this collaborative work by sending a culinary trained school food operational expert to each of the selected LEAs for a one-day on-site consultation to create a two-year plan with built-in mentoring designed to transform your kitchens, develop your staff, and take control of your finances to support the menu of your dreams. 

Congratulations to Concordia Charter School for receiving a School Year 2019-2020 FFVP BRAVOcado! Excellence Award!

  • Tue, Nov 17 2020

ADE has awarded Concordia Charter School a FFVP BRAVOcado! Excellence Award for their Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) operations during school year 2019-2020.

No Kid Hungry Grant Opportunity: Promising Practices to End Rural Child Hunger (Nov 18 deadline)

  • Mon, Nov 16 2020

No Kid Hungry Grant Opportunity: Promising Practices to End Rural Child Hunger (Nov 18 deadline)

Grant requests will be considered for amounts up to $50,000.
 

Message from USDA: Congratulations to the FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant Award Winners!

  • Fri, Oct 16 2020

Today, USDA announced the award of $4.1 million in FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grants to State agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program. These grants will assist States in helping schools offer meals supported by recipes that utilize local agricultural products and reflect local food preparation practices and taste preferences.

HNS 40-2020: Waiver Extensions and Guidance for CACFP Operators

  • Fri, Oct 9 2020

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide updated guidance for Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sponsors on available waivers for operating during the COVID-19 pandemic and the procedure to notify the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) of their decision to opt into the use of the extended waivers.

HNS 39: Procedures for Opting into National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Meal Pattern and Parent/Guardian Pickup Waivers and Providing Meals for Multiple Days in School Year (SY) 20-21 – UPDATED

  • Fri, Oct 9 2020

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance on the procedures for School Food Authorities (SFAs) to notify the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) of their decision to opt into the use of two NSLP waivers, Parent/Guardian Pickup and Meal Pattern Flexibility and to opt into providing meals for multiple days in SY 20-21. This memorandum updates and replaces HNS# 33-2020.

HNS 32-2020: SFSP/ SSO Waivers during Unanticipated School Closure and Waiver Expiration Dates - UPDATED

  • Mon, Jun 29 2020  •
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HNS 32-2020: SFSP/ SSO Waivers during Unanticipated School Closure and Waiver Expiration Dates - UPDATED This memo provides a summary of waivers made available to SFAs and COs who are operating the SFSP and SSO during unanticipated school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These waivers have been provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) through the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). Additionally, this memo provides SFSP and SSO program operators notice regarding the updated expiration dates of these waivers. This memorandum updates and replaces HNS# 27-2020. For additional information regarding current waivers, please review USDA’s Guidance SP 18-2020, SFSP 10-2020 dated May 19, 2020.

Free Meals for Kids with the 2020 Summer Food Service Program

  • Wed, May 13 2020  •
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