The Federal School Food Service Professional Standards took effect July 1, 2015. This impacts the hiring process for new School Food Service Directors or someone responsible for director duties hired after July 1, 2015.
School districts are asked to notify the Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition staff of any School Food Service Directors leaving. Directors in place on or before June 30, 2015, are grandfathered in their position. The school district only needs to meet the new requirements for hiring a new director.
The new standards require a combination of education and experience. The new standards also necessitate school food service employees stay current by requiring education credits be met each year. The amount of education credits varies with position and hours worked.
Maine DOE Child Nutrition offers the yearly “Back to Basics” course for new directors. Please notify Maine DOE Child Nutrition of any new directors so they can receive an invitation to attend the training. New directors receive a discount for this workshop and all are welcome. Training offered by Maine DOE Child Nutrition also includes the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) training and Summer Food Service Program trainings and workshops.
Take advantage of these free trainings to acquire your continuing education hours. All trainings offered by Maine DOE Child Nutrition will be posted on the Child Nutrition Resources web page and on the Maine DOE Professional Development Calendar. Attending trainings to meet the new federal standards should not be a budget issue if school food service employees were already attending trainings or should have been attending trainings in order to stay current.
For more information contact Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Coordinator Walter Beesley at walter.beesley@maine.gov or call 624-6875.