2012 CACFP NPA Conference / April 11, 2012 Mary Starboard, Nutrition Coordinator Nutrition, Education & Outreach Section Texas Department of Agriculture Food & Nutrition

 Why?  Supplements resources available  Increases, expands reach, number, quality of services offered  Raises the level of skill of employees  Addresses provider needs  Innovative projects  Positive Health Impact

 Match/ assign grant review, research, and writing/development duties with the appropriate staff and agency area(s)  Director for Nutrition, Education & Outreach (Lindsay Rodgers)  Nutrition Specialist for CACFP (Linda Simmons)  Nutrition Coordinator (Mary Starboard)  Others

 Read, read again, review and re-read  Main outcomes  Sections and arrangement  Criteria and design elements  Budget

 Research, meet & discuss findings regularly  Approaches/initiatives that are supported, tested, new  Policies, professional, scientific statements, findings, reports  Agency infrastructure, staff, policies, processes  Research and discuss what will make proposal unique  Includes Texas’ specific information, history, trends, etc.  Addresses Texas’ specific issues

 Texas’ Child Care Wellness Project Design

 Why Farm to Child Care? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Recommended Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States Recommended Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States

 Texas’ proposal  TDA’s tradition of working with Texas farmers  Increase the connection between local farms, local produce and children in child care  Create a sustainable system change for CACFP sites to purchase directly from Texas farmers

 Why Breastfeeding Supportive Child Care Practices?  Recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics  Key component of Let’s Move Campaign  Only 14% of Texas moms breastfeed at 6 months  Higher risk and increased obstacles when children are cared for outside of the home  Breast milk = CACFP creditable food item  Evidenced-based strategy for obesity prevention

 Why the Healthy Child Care Network?  Online training / distance learning meets a statewide provider need  Significant number of child care providers technology/interactive capacity is low  Participation in the HCN would allow technological purchases deemed necessary and appropriate  Expenses would be limited to percentage time spent on CACFP  In time, the goal would be for all CACFP providers to be on the HCN

 Submission  Submit your proposal on time and per instructions included in RFA  When in doubt ask questions about submission well ahead of time  Keep & file copies where you can find them easily  Review of proposals takes time  Be available and ready to respond  Notification is followed by negotiation  Be prepared to adjust proposal as needed  Keep all responses and communications for reference

 Start-up year  Hiring delays  Response to initial Texas’ RFA for sub-grants  4 Farm to Child Care & 3 Breastfeeding Supportive Child Care Practices Projects were awarded  ndingGrants/CACFPChildCareWellnessGrantProgr am.aspx ndingGrants/CACFPChildCareWellnessGrantProgr am.aspx

 FY2013  Grants Specialist Lillianne Goeders hired  Dedicated web page nts/CACFPChildCareWellnessGrantProgram.aspx nts/CACFPChildCareWellnessGrantProgram.aspx  Increased communication and outreach efforts  112 applications received to date: 21 Breastfeeding Support and 91 Farm to Child Care proposals.  Total Amount request from applicant’s received to date = $1,509,399.  Award start date for Year 2 is September 1, 2012

 Contact Or Lillianne Goeders, F&N Grants Specialist: