Training and Resources

 

2025-2026 School Year Professional Development Schedule

Weekly Wednesday Webinars provide continuing education on a variety of topics including menu planning, direct certification best practices, and alternative meal service, and more. 

Check out the Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs Training Schedule for school year 2023-2024.

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!

Bison Barley Soup

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.

roadmap preview

 

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.

Curriculum preview

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. 

 Successful Food Service Directors Graphic

Additional Professional Development Opportunities 

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 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. 

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.