Professional Standards for School Nutrition Professionals

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New Director Requirements

New directors, hired on or after July 1, 2015, are required to meet minimum education and work experience standards. Existing directors hired prior to July 1, 2015 are grandfathered in.

School Nutrition Directors Hiring Standards Final Summary (PDF)

Sample Job Description (PDF)

Food Safety Training Resources

Annual Training Requirements

The USDA established minimum annual training requirements for school nutrition professionals who manage and operate the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. All training must be tracked on a training tracker with the key area and learning objective codes.

Food Service Directors: 12 hours

Managers: 10 hours

Full-Time Staff (> 20 hours per week): 6 hours

Part-Time Staff (< 20 hours per week): 4 hours