(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – This summer, the Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of School and Community Nutrition (SCN) is collaborating with the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) to offer 11 sessions of Healthy Cuisine for Kids to school nutrition professionals across the state.

Developed by ICN, Healthy Cuisine for Kids is a two-day, 16-hour, hands-on training that teaches participants new skills as they prepare delicious, healthy recipes from start to finish. During four culinary labs, participants work with a chef and a registered dietitian to learn culinary skills and scratch cooking. The lab topics include Culinary Basics, Fruits and Vegetables, Whole Grain-Rich Foods and Meats/Meat Alternates.

The host sites for the training sessions include Bardstown Independent Schools, Carter County Schools, Erlanger/Elsmere Independent Schools, Hazard Independent Schools, Henry County Public Schools, Hopkins County Schools, Jessamine County Schools, the Kentucky School for the Blind and Somerset Independent Schools.

During the first week of June, ICN consultants, chef Brenda Thompson-Wattles and registered dietitian Marcia Rappaport taught two sessions of the training at Hopkins Central High School. In total, 44 school nutrition professionals attended the training.

The schedule for the remaining sessions is as follows:

  • June 27-28 Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District
  • July 10-11 Bardstown Independent Schools
  • July 10-11 Kentucky School for the Blind
  • July 10-11 Carter County Schools
  • July 12-13 Carter County Schools
  • July 26-27 Hazard Independent Schools
  • July 31-Aug. 1 Henry County Public Schools
  • Aug. 9-10 Somerset Independent Schools

The sessions will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

SCN administers school meal programs in Kentucky. The programs include the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, the Farm to School Program and the Special Milk Program. Visit the SCN website for more information about these programs.

ICN, part of the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi, is the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for child nutrition programs. A trusted source for accurate, current and reliable information about child nutrition and child nutrition programs, the center is funded by a grant administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. For more information, visit the ICN website.