Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) is the most effective way to increase breakfast participation. While many schools launched BAB programs as a pandemic necessity, these tried & true models had already increased breakfast participation for many years. Watch this webinar to learn about BAB, how you can launch a successful program, and expand and/or sustain your own BAB program. The three speakers showcasing their BAB programs represent districts of varying sizes and geographies to demonstrate how BAB can be successfully adapted to meet the individual needs of a district and its schools.

The importance of Free & Reduced Price Meal applications cannot be understated this school year. Watch this webinar to learn about tips and tools to inform families about the application, and hear from school nutrition directors who are using their creativity and connections to reach families. 

This webinar highlights recruitment and retention strategies that you can borrow for use in your own district. We’ll were joined by Donna Martin, School Nutrition Program Director at Burke County Public Schools (Waynesboro, GA) and Walter Campbell, Executive Director of Nutrition Services at Charleston County School District (Charleston, SC). They covered creative strategies for recruiting new staff as well as tips for creating a culture that makes staff want to stay.

On June 25, 2022, the Keep Kids Fed Act was signed into law. This new legislation extends the USDA's authority to issue nationwide waivers for Summer 2022 operations, provides more limited nationwide waiver authority for School Year 2022-2023, and offers additional per-meal reimbursement rates for one year.

In an effort to help program operators understand this legislation and plan for next steps, Carolyn Wait Vega, No Kid Hungry Associate Director of Policy Analysis, highlighted what this legislation allows and lay out next steps.

Summer is almost over, but your meal program doesn’t have to be! Listen in for the final webinar in No Kid Hungry’s School’s Out, Food’s In summer webinar series. In this webinar, you will learn from program sponsors how they successfully transition their summer program to a year-round program. Presenters include Eugenie Sellier from Feeding Alabama, Melissa Weissler from Operation Food Search, and Walter Campbell from Charleston County School District. 

Using evaluation and feedback can help your summer meals program be a success. Join No Kid Hungry to learn how three summer meals sponsors incorporate site, community, and kid’s feedback to improve their programs. You’ll hear from Eugenie Sellier from Feeding Alabama, Nicole Lowe from the YMCA of Greater Seattle, and Constance Moore from the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South.

Raising awareness about your summer meals program is key to ensuring children and families have access to meals all summer long. Whether you are a sponsor, site, or advocate, you have a role in spreading the word about summer meals. In this webinar, you will hear from Lynsi Barnhill from Paducah Public Schools and Sara Seelmeyer from the United Way of King County on how they promote their summer meals programs. 

Libraries provide a unique opportunity to combat food insecurity and improve the health and well-being of children in their communities. Interested in learning how? Join this webinar to learn how the Afterschool Meals Program can provide nutritious meals and snacks in libraries. You will hear from two libraries and a program sponsor – Jasmin LoBosso from the Kern County Library in California, Sarah Wright from the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio, and Shannon Amos from the Children’s Hunger Alliance – about their experience starting Afterschool Meals Programs in libraries.

In 2021, the Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families centered health equity in developing and launching programs and policy changes to improve access to nutritious meals for Lousiana children. Watch this webinar to learn how they did it and how your program can apply their experience and learnings to ensure children receive the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.

Ready to go back to basics? Join No Kid Hungry for a refresher on “usual” (non-waiver) summer meals operations and a regulatory update from USDA. Summer 2022 will look different from summer 2020 and 2021 operations. Waivers previously used to serve grab & go and bulk style meals are no longer widely available. This webinar will remind providers of summer meals “basics” as we approach summer 2022 operations. There will be time at the end of the presentations for audience Q&A with No Kid Hungry and USDA.