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Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC) address:

Address:

3500 DePauw Blvd. Pyramid Two, Suite 2020 Indianapolis, IN 46268

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Contact: ISNA Professional Development, certificate@indianasna.org, (317)660-2225

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* If you are registering for both morning and afternoon courses, lunch will be served at the conclusion of the morning course.  

February 2025

12. School Nutrition Policies & Procedures (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Understand policies and procedures for which the district is responsible versus the food service department

  • Determine which activities need written policies and procedures

  • Learn what to include in your standard operating policies

  • Learn how often to review and revise written policies and procedures

  • Learn how to categorize your policies and procedures

  • Create a standard operating policy and procedure template

  • Learn the differences between Policy and Standard Operating Procedure and how to create and maintain a system that provides organization, order, and meets audit requirements for the financial, nutritional, and other aspects of the USDA meal program

  • Learn what standard operating policies and procedures are available through IDOE

  • Reviewing unpaid meals, bad debt, wellness, and social media policies in depth

19. Marketing Your School Nutrition Program (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST 

Course Objectives:

  • Define marketing basics

  • Understand how and when to use products, places, and promotions in the marketing plan

  • Recognize a brand image and its importance

  • Know how to develop or enhance a brand

  • Discern when and how to purchase marketing or design help

  • Understand how to adjust the message to each group of stakeholders

  • Determine which marketing tools, such as social media, to use depending on the stakeholder group

  • Use one or more marketing tools to develop a marketing piece for your program

March 2025

26. Food Production and Operation Management (CIESC) 9:00 a.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Describe how the principles of food production impact food quality

  • List the principles of developing and using standardized recipes

  • Describe the importance of accurate measurement in food production

  • Identify procedures for documenting and evaluating the amount of food planned, prepared, and served

  • State the importance of production scheduling to achieve operational goals

  • List food quality standards that ensure quality food production

26. Product and Inventory Management (CIESC)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Review stakeholders’ responsibilities and expectations

  • Discuss how the menu determines the goods and services that must be competitively procured

  • Review basic concepts of inventory management, product movement, and cost management

  • Summarize the types of items that are associated with a specific product category

  • Create a sample product screening evaluation tool

  • Practice writing a mock product specification

  • Examine the features of a Child Nutrition Label

  • Discuss the importance of accurately forecasting products

April 2025

16. Menu Planning Regulations and Concepts (CIESC) 9:00 a.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Understand what constitutes a Reimbursable School Meal.

  • Be able to identify each of the components necessary for a school lunch, breakfast, and snack.

  • Understand Offer vs. Serve (OVS) for each meal part.

  • Learn tools to evaluate the menu.

16. Human Resource Management (CIESC)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Learn how to develop consequences when an employee breaches policies and procedures.

  • Practice writing performance improvement plans, suspensions, and terminations

  • Gain an understanding of the most applicable employment laws to the above processes.

  • Understand the district’s rights and responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

  • Learn how having a union affects standard policies and procedures.

  • Develop procedures for dealing with on-the-job injuries and HIPPA concerns.

  • Learn about ADA accommodations

  • Identify bullying in the workplace

  • Understand retaliation 

  • Develop an understanding of reporting arrests, failing background checks, and drug testing

May 2025

7. Advanced Menu Planning and Production Strategies (CIESC) 9:00 a.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Describe the benefits of using cycle menus

  • Describe the benefits of using locally-produced and USDA Foods

  • State factors to consider when planning menus

  • Determine a food cost goal for breakfast and lunch menus

  • Calculate menu costs

  • Describe the benefits of including students in the menu planning process

  • Identify ways to communicate and market the menu to students and other stakeholders

  • Identify places to obtain menu ideas and recipes

7. Facilities Planning & Management (CIESC)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Review foundations of kitchen asset management

  • Determine inventory requirements

  • Develop preventative maintenance schedules

  • Manage service and warranty issues and contracts

  • Create replacement plans for major assets

  • Organize kitchen closings, openings, and remodels

  • Dispose of assets and sell old and discarded assets

  • Plan an opening or remodeling of a space

  • Learn about current design trends that maximize efficiency

August 2025

27.

Creating and Implementing Your HACCP Plan (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Understand what constitutes a Process Approach HACCP Plan.

  • Learn the requirements for a School Food Safety Plan.

  • Understand each of the basic steps in a School Food Safety Plan.

  • Learn to write a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

  • Understand which food safety records need to be kept and for how long.

  • When to review and revise your School Food Safety Plan.

  • Understand the tools available to train your staff on your School Food Safety Plan.

  • Learn how to respond to a complaint of a foodborne illness.

  • Develop policies for staff reporting illnesses.

October 2024

September 2025

10. Planning for the Next Crisis - Keeping Your Staff & Space Safe (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • How to effectively deal with Food Quality and Safety situations

  • Customer questions on quality and safety of the food

  • Food recalls – processes and responsibilities

  • Understand and prepare for school safety and security situations
        - Lockdowns
        - Fire drills
        - Tornado drills

  • Access to the kitchen and the equipment

  • Is your cafeteria designed with school safety in mind?

  • Understand how to develop a plan for when the utilities fail
    Communicating with the public and parents for each type of emergency.

  • Determining the best way to communicate (ie social media, robocalls, texts, print)

  • Know ahead of time your district’s communication policies and how to make sure your department is covered.

24. School Nutrition Program Expense Basics (CIESC)
9:00 a.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Explain school corporation expense funds related to school nutrition

  • Analyze and interpret expenses for program evaluation and improvement

  • Understand how indirect costs are calculated and applied to school nutrition accounts

  • Calculate and apply expense-related benchmarks and KPIs used in the school nutrition industry

  • Describe strategies for controlling food and labor costs

  • Explain the difference between variable and fixed costs

24.  School Nutrition Program Revenue Basics (CIESC)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Explain school corporation revenue and liability (8400) funds related to school nutrition

  • Reconcile school nutrition liability (8400) fund

  • Analyze and interpret revenue for program evaluation and improvement

  • Calculate and apply revenue-related benchmarks and KPIs used in the school nutrition industry

  • Describe strategies for increasing revenue

  • Calculate Paid Equity Lunch

  • Calculate non-program revenue

April 2025

March 2025

October 2025

8.

Program Accountability and Ethics (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Explore the topic of accountability and define it in terms of best practices for a school nutrition department

  • Understand ethics and the role it plays in school foodservice.

  • Understand nepotism and how it can impact the foodservice program.

  • Gain an overview level understanding of laws that pertain to privacy of information, including:
       - Freedom of Information Act. (what information is required to be shared and how to work within the district’s procedures when sharing);
       - Indiana Open Door Law
       - FERPA and how it is relevant

  • Gain an understanding of how to prevent and manage fraudulent activity, such as:
       - Definition of common types of fraudulent activity (i.e. ghost employment, bid collusion, bogus billing, falsification of public records, work-related personal injury claims, monetary or other theft)
       - Identify how to spot behavior or practices that may be indicators of fraudulent activity
       - Know the steps required to investigate suspected fraud
       - Understand the legal duty and appropriate steps to pursue individuals suspected of fraudulent activities
       - Know the steps required to develop policies, practices, and procedures to reduce or eliminate fraud

May 2025

May 2025

November 2025

5.

Procurement - Beyond the Basics
(Annual Conference)

9:00 a.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Identify major Federal and NSLP procurement regulations 

  • Identify the four methods of procurement

  • Identify required contract provisions and when they apply

  • Define and adhere to the “Buy American” clause in procurement 

  • Define and adhere to regulations regarding “geographic preferences”

  • Discuss Standards of Conduct and various ethical scenarios

  • Develop solicitation documents appropriate for the different methods of procurement

  • List the types of documents that are required to demonstrate that procurement conforms to Federal, State, and Local regulations

  • Develop evaluation tools for Request for Proposals (RFPs) and Quotes (RFQ)

  • Discuss group purchasing organizations (GPOs) – advantages, disadvantages, and responsibilities as a member

December 2025

3.

Financial Planning and Reporting (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Explain State Board of Accounts requirements for School Nutrition Programs

  • Analyze and interpret basic school nutrition financial reports

  • Develop short and long-term financial goals

  • Develop an annual budget

  • Complete an IDOE Annual Financial Report

  • Communicate financial information to stakeholders

10.

Visionary Leadership (Virtual)
12:30 p.m. EST

Course Objectives:

  • Understand leadership styles and the strengths and weaknesses of each.

  • Learn how to develop your employees’ leadership skills.

  • Learn how leadership style influences an organization’s culture.

  • Learn how to communicate and delegate to build a positive working environment.

  • Learn strategies in order to handle difficult employees.

  • Gain an understanding of how ethics play a role in being a good leader and decision-maker.

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 ISNA COURSES 

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