Getting Started in a School

Working with students in eligible schools is an important part of NEP. In order to meet federal and state guidelines, the following process is recommended to begin nutrition education in schools.

Step 1

In order for nutrition educators to teach in public schools, the school must be determined to be eligible. Eligibility is based on the school's free and reduced cost meal plan rate. All schools with 50% or greater student participation in the free and reduced cost meal plan are elible for NEP education. For a current listing of all Alabama public schools which meet this eligibility requirement, click here.

Step 2

Once eligibility is determined, the NEP educator should make contact with the superintendent of the school system. County Extension Coordinators (CECs) should be involved in this step of the process. A dialogue should occur between the NEP educator, CEC and superintendent about the value of having NEP in the school system. For assistance with this dialogue, a document of talking points should be reviewed prior to the meeting and used as a guide for the meeting conversation.

At this meeting, the superintendent can be provided with additional printed materials that support having NEP in the school system. The two documents, Is Your School Ready to Implement a Local Wellness Policy? and the Nutrition Education Program Information flier are useful documents explaining the role of NEP in the school system. These documents also can be provided to principals and teachers if necessary.

Step 3

Once a superintendent has agreed to allow NEP education in classrooms, s/he will need to complete the Commitment Letter on school letterhead. The NEP educator should complete the sections in red on the sample letter and save it to CD to provide to the superintendent. The superintendent puts the letter on letterhead, signs it and mails it to the CEC. The CEC should mail a copy of this letter to the NEP state office and keep the original letter in the county files.

Step 4

In addition to the Commitment Letter from the superintendent's office, this office should complete the Teacher Salary Information form. The required information can be provided on this form or from a computer printout from the school system if the printout contains the necessary information. The information needed includes the teachers' names, individual ACTUAL salaries and school system benefit rate given as a percentage. This form can be mailed directly to the NEP state office in order to assist with maintaining salary confidentiality.

Step 5

Once the Commitment Letter from the superintendent's office and the Teacher Salary Information form have been received by the NEP state office, NEP educators will work with principals and classroom teachers to determine a schedule of programs. Once nutrition education begins in a classroom, the teacher should be provided with the Teacher Monthly Time and Effort Record to record the amount of time s/he contributes to NEP for the month. This document is collected at the end of the month by the NEP educator.

Step 6

Information from the Teacher Monthly Time and Effort Record is entered into the NEP educator's file on the S: drive. A copy of the record is made and kept in the county files, while the original is sent to the NEP state office by the 5th of the following month.