In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is an extension, without change, of a currently approved collection for assisting state agencies to record, track and manage the required training hours in four major areas (Nutrition, Operations, Administration, Communications and Marketing) to meet the requirements of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 Professional Standards Rule.
The HHFKA (Section 306) requires Professional Standards for state and local school district nutrition professionals. In addition to hiring standards, mandatory annual training will be required for all individuals involved in preparing school meals. To meet the training requirements and assist in keeping track of training courses, FNS developed a web-based application tool with a SQL-server database, which is available to local educational agencies and school food authorities through the FNS public website.
While training requirements are mandatory, using the USDA Tracking Tool is voluntary. School nutrition professionals can use any method to track and manage their trainings. These resources facilitate compliance with HHFKA requirements and are provided at no cost to the state, district, or individuals.