Elevate Your Program

There are many ways to elevate your Child Nutrition Program. Featuring locally produced foods, culturally inclusive recipes, or nutrition education can boost meal appeal, strengthen community connections, and generate excitement.  Applying for OSPI’s Rooted in Excellence Awards or national recognition opportunities, like a Turnip the Beet Award, shines a spotlight on your program and builds awareness of all that Child Nutrition Programs offer. 

Build Recognition

Rooted In Excellence – Award program to recognize excellence in Child Nutrition Programs in Washington.
Turnip the Beet Awards – USDA’s Turnip the Beet Awards recognize outstanding summer meal program sponsors who offer children high-quality meals that are appetizing and nutritious.

Create Engaging Programs

Team Nutrition – Through Team Nutrition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers resources and training grants to support Child Nutrition Program success. Explore OSPI’s Team Nutrition-funded projects and find resources to enhance cultural inclusivity, nutrition education program promotion, scratch cooking, school wellness, and more.

Farm to Child Nutrition – Farm to Child Nutrition Programs promotes the inclusion of locally produced food and/or nutrition or agriculture education in Child Nutrition programming. It connects communities with fresh, healthy food by encouraging local food purchases and nutrition education in Child Nutrition Programs.

Promote Your Program

Summer Meal Program & Farm to Summer Toolkit (hyperlink to existing toolkit page) – Utilize this toolkit to promote your summer program and help spread the word about the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Farm to Summer Week, and Summer Crunch.