November 22, 2011 – Get ready to stand up, make some noise and help attract attention to school nutrition programs and children’s health! It’s time once again to join SNA and your fellow colleagues and descend upon Washington, D.C., for the Association’s 40th annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC), March 4-7, 2012. Over the last 40 years, LAC has been touted by attendees as one of the most exciting and informative conferences in child nutrition, and this year’s anniversary gathering will certainly continue that tradition. We are counting on you to help us celebrate this milestone in our history by bringing your passion to Washington to advocate on behalf of the children that we serve every school day.

2011 was a busy year for child nutrition programs in Washington, and 2012 promises to be even busier. Over the last several months, since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was signed into law in December 2010, USDA has taken on the monumental task of implementing the many provisions of this new law through the issuance of guidance, memos and proposed rules—all of which will have a major impact on child nutrition programs for many years to come. That’s why your attendance is so critical. Together, we must work to strengthen school nutrition programs by educating Members of Congress on the issues that matter most in advancing the nutrition needs of our nation’s children.

A few of the program highlights for 2012 will include:

• A political insider’s look at the 2012 General Election, key races and potential changes in the political landscape.
• Presentations from several top leaders in Congress, USDA and allied organizations, all of whom will address major issues facing the school nutrition arena.
• A dynamic pre-conference session that will provide an overview of Federal requirements, policies and regulations relating to procurement in school nutrition programs.
• A special performance at the LAC Banquet by the Capitol Steps, the political satire troupe of Capitol Hill staffers-turned-songwriters.

The keynote speaker for LAC 2012 is Charlie Cook, one of the nation's top political analysts and editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report, which provides a direct line to the heart of politics. When Cook makes a pronouncement about the political scene in America, people tend to sit up and take notice. For more than two decades he has been Washington's most trusted-and most accurate-voice on all things politics, whether he's analyzing political trends or predicting the likely outcome of the next Congressional, gubernatorial or presidential election.

Online registration for LAC 2012 will open soon. Until then, you can visit www.schoolnutrition.org/lac to check out the schedule of events that make LAC so exciting. And while the conference registration is not yet open, you may want to take this opportunity to make your reservation at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.

We look forward to seeing you in the nation’s capital in March!

Related Links:

LAC 2012

LAC Hotel & Travel

LAC Speakers & Events

November 21, 2011 -- On Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 2:00pm EST (1:00 pm CDT/11:00 am PDT) the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) in partnership with the National Dairy Council (NDC) will be hosting the final Webinar Wednesday of 2011 with a webinar entitled: “Chefs in Schools: Increasing Participation and Gaining Renewed Excitement around your School Meal Program.”

Are you a food service director exploring the idea of bringing a chef to your child nutrition program? Join us on December 14th for the following:

• Learn from Kern Halls, Area Manager for Orange County Public Schools, who has successfully used chefs in the areas of recipe/menu development, food education, and culinary skills. He will share best practices and strategies to make the “chefs in schools” experience a successful and meaningful one for your staff, students, and program.
• Hear from Chef Tom French, Director of the Experience Food Project in Langley, WA. Chef Tom will share a chef’s perspective on working with child nutrition programs. Chef Tom is a seasoned chef, consultant, and trainer with over 40 years of professional foodservice experience.
• Learn how you can use Fuel Up to Play 60 and other resources to build more excitement around your child nutrition program.
• This webinar will be moderated by SNA’s Dean of Education Danny Seymour, who brings his expertise from both sides of the equation with his 30+ years of operator experience, and experience as a Culinary Institute of America trained chef.

For more information about the webinar, and to register, visit: www.schoolnutrition.org/chefsinschools.

SNA members will earn 1 CEU for attending the webinar. The SNF Webinar Wednesdays are offered at no charge.