Training and Resources

Upcoming Training Opportunities

Montana School Meals Certificate

Thank you for your interest in theMontana School Meals Certificate (MSMC) program!As of early December, we have now reached our goal of enrolling over 50 schools in the program. Although the mini grant funding to support schools in completing the program is now full, new School Food Service Directors can access most of the training content on the Montana School Meal Certificate program site.

2023-2024 School Year Professional Development Schedule

Featured Resources

Virtual School Nutrition Trainings on the OPI Learning Hub  Find virtual and self-paced professional development on school nutrition basics topics including the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Reducing Sodium, Whole Grains, and more. Access the Learning Hub here and follow the directions to create an account. Type 'Montana School Meals Certificate Program' into the search box to find the school nutrition training topics.
Harvesting Montana Recipes Montana Team Nutrition Program and Montana Office of Public Instruction have released six recipes for school nutrition programs as part of the Harvesting Montana Recipes project featuring Montana grown foods— barley, beets, bison, lentils, and sweet cherries. Download the new recipes here!
Roadmap to Building Quality School Meals  Montana Team Nutrition is excited to share this new resource to help school nutrition programs with serving high quality school meals. Learn more about this project and a download a copy of the roadmap.
Montana Cook Fresh Initiative Curriculum Guide The Montana Cook Fresh Initiative was a training program designed to improve school meal quality and promote scratch cooking. This curriculum guide includes 10 lesson plans developedfor all staffing levels to increase knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy in preparing USDA compliant, scratch cooked meals. It also includes the evaluation package for the initiative, resources for peer education, tips for adapting the lesson plans into various delivery methods, 30 school nutrition recipes and more. Learn more and access the curriculum here.
Professional Development Handbook   Learn how to enhance your professional credentials by consulting the Montana School Nutrition Programs Professional Development Handbook.   Job Description Templates Job Description Templates are also available for School Food Service Directors that can be downloaded and customized to meet the needs of your program.

Additional Professional Development Opportunities 

Montana Cook Fresh Leadership Institute 

Montana Team Nutrition offers an annual weeklong professional development workshop for directors, managers, or head cooks to enhance school food service management and culinary skills. For more information, visit the Montana Cook Fresh Leadership Institute page. 

Montana School Food Service Peer Educator Network Directory 

Obtain training and network with your peers throughout the state. To request a training or technical assistance, please contant Molly Stenberg at stenberg@montana.edu.  

Montana Chefs to Schools Network

Connect with outstanding chefs accross Montana to assist in culinary education for both professionals and youth. Please email Molly Stenberg at stenberg@montana.edu for more information. 

Montana Farm to School

Interested in Farm to School opportunities? Check out upcoming Montana Farm to School opportunities on theFarm to School Trainings and Events Page. 

OPI Professional Standards & Trainings 

Visit the Montana Office of Public Instruction's Professional Standards and Trainings page for more professional development opportunities. 

Montana School Nutrition Association 

MTSNA holds an annual conference that provides three days of professional development, training, and opportunity to network with peers.  For more information, visit the Montana School Nutrition Association at www.mtsna.org.

National Resources

Institute of Child Nutrition Professional Development Opportunities 

Choose from a variety of online trainings including S.T.A.R Nutrition Webinars and more on the ICNWebsite.

USDA School Nutrition Professional Standards 

Explore the United States Department of Agriculture School Nutrition Professionals Standards. 

Safe Food Handling Resources

• Use this Certified Food Protection Manager Resource to find both in-person and online options for approved training programs in Montana.
• Summary Chart of online Certified Food Protection Manager options developed by Nina Heinzinger, MT DPHHS, Food and Consumer Safety Division.