Student Health and Nutrition

The first-floor rotunda of the Kansas State Capitol was busy Thursday, Jan. 26, as dozens of people gathered for the seventh annual School Mental Health Advocacy Day. 

Join the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) each Wednesday in February for Wellness Wednesdays via Zoom to assist Kansas schools in implementing wellness policies and creating a healthier school environment. 

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is looking for sponsors willing to provide nutritious meals to Kansas children during the summer months. 

The 2023 Jump Start Your Success in School Nutrition Programs offers a blend of in-person, live virtual and on-demand personalized training opportunities for new and aspiring school food service directors and managers. 

In partnership with DCCCA and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s (KDHE) Maternal and Child Health program, the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is offering a new learning experience to help address student mental health needs. 

Jacobs recently joined KSDE as counseling consultant

Mallory Jacobs, a school counselor at Whitson Elementary School, Topeka Unified School District 501, was recently named the 2022 School Counselor of the Year by the Kansas School Counselor Association (KSCA).

A new Culinary Quick Bite video from KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team is available for viewing on the KSDE Livemedia YouTube channel. 

Members from the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) Early Childhood and Child Nutrition and Wellness (Child and Adult Care Food Program – CACFP) teams met Thursday, Dec. 15, to build relationships and learn a little more about the roles each team plays within the agency. 

The fiscal year 2023 United States Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grant Request for Applications (RFA) is now available here. 

The Healthy Kansas Plate poster, based on the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate, was developed to assist Kansas schools and sponsors in identifying the reimbursable meal and to assist in providing nutrition education to its participants.

The Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team at the Kansas State Department of Education continues to develop new interactive online training classes and tutorials for food service professionals that can be accessed free of charge via the KSDE Training Portal.

As part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s new “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign to spread awareness about substance use prevention, a new screening tool Screen4Success helps parents and caregivers understand the well-being of their children. 

The Kansas State Department of Education’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team will host a Tuesday Townhall meeting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15. 

School social workers, social work students and retired social workers from across Kansas gathered Friday, Oct. 28, at the Double Tree Hotel in Lawrence for the Kansas School Social Workers Association's Fall Conference, said Shanna Hailey, coordinator of school mental health on the Special Education and Title Services (SETS) team. 

A new Culinary Quick Bite video from KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team is available for viewing on the KSDE Livemedia YouTube channel. 

Dr. Jane Groff, executive director of the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC), the KPIRC organization, the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) and the Kansas Technical Assistance Systems Network (TASN) have put together a document that can help guide families on the Social, Emotional and Character Development (SECD) standards. 

From promoting fresh vegetables at Garden City USD 457 to lunch and a movie at Wichita USD 259, districts across Kansas celebrated National School Lunch Week from Oct. 10-14.

De Soto Unified School District 232 staff members took part in fourth annual Mountain Plains Crunch Off earlier this month.

Sponsors using the Online Kanas Free and Reduce-Price Meal Application must print the applications or store them electronically within 30 days of receiving them.

National School Lunch Week, created by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, is celebrated Oct. 10-14.

Schools can still request an opportunity for students to experience the Virtual Body Venture Exhibit.

The Kansas State Department of Education’s Child Nutrition and Wellness team offers a monthly "Culinary Quick Bites" video.

KanCare wants to make sure it has updated contact information for KanCare beneficiaries.

Join us each month for a Culinary Quick Bite short video full of information & culinary tips.

The application to apply to participate in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP) for 2022-2023 is available at www.kn-eat.org, School Nutrition Programs, What’s New. 

KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team honored three school districts for outstanding innovative practices at the Kansas State Board of Education’s A

The fourth annual Mountain Plains Crunch Off will take place Oct. 12.

This year’s registrants are able to crunch on not only apples, but any local crunchable produce! Kansas is participating in the Mountain Plains Crunch Off with seven other regional states. The Kansas goal is 50,000 crunches statewide. The regional goal is 202,200 crunches.

Kansas has received an allocation of $218,453 to competitively award equipment assistance grants to eligible sponsors participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), including those operating the Seamless Summer Option (SSO).

Working groups creating resources for school board members, administrators, parents and community members have helped inform KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team in the development of resources to help communicate the transition back to standard Child Nutrition Program operations for the 2022-2023 school year.

The application to apply to participate in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP) for PY 2022-23 is available at www.kn-eat.org, School Nutrition Programs, What’s New. 

All sponsors are required to use the Direct Certification system to assure that all foster students and students eligible for Food Assistance (FA) or Temporary Assistance to Families (TAF) are approved to receive free school meals.

Reimbursement rates for the 2022-2023 school year are now available at www.kn-eat.org.

A $100,000 federal grant will help the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) connect child nutrition programs in the state with locally produced flour.

Consider using this new evidence-based “panel card” created by the KSDE-sponsored Kansas Parent Information and Resource Center (KPIRC).