New Mexico Human Services Department: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP Ed)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP Ed) will support organizations to help build sustainability and expanded reach of obesity prevention efforts through impactful systems and environmental changes in: 1) the school setting; and 2) the community setting. All projects support health-promoting behaviors and are consistent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) mission of improving the likelihood that those eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have access to healthy and affordable food choices as well as places to be physically active.

SNAP Ed services shall be developed, implemented, and performed in accordance with New Mexico state level goals and objectives (#1 and #2 below, respectively), shall comply with reporting and evaluation requirements (#3 below), and shall adhere to the most current USDA SNAP Ed plan guidance.

1. New Mexico state level goals:

• Expand opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity where SNAP-Ed eligible children and adults live, learn, play, work, eat, and shop
• Increase healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among SNAP-Ed eligible children and adults
• Build state and local partnerships and coordinate activities to maximize collective impact of SNAP-Ed interventions
• Increase childhood and adult health through healthy life-style changes
• Implement “Train the Trainer” processes

2. New Mexico state level objectives:

• Increase exposure and opportunities to acquire fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and water in childcare centers, schools, and community sites
• Increase exposure to and opportunities for physical activity in childcare centers, schools, and community sites
• Limit screen time in childcare centers, schools, and community sites
• Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and water among children and adults
• Increase time spent being physically active and decrease time spent in front of a screen among both children and adults
• Increase number of SNAP-Ed implementing agencies and sub-grantees that have continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities, shared measurements, and state and local coalitions to support implementation efforts
• Increase state and local partnerships and leveraged resources
• Measurably increase health in children and adults
• Implement “Train the Trainer” processes

The target audience is low-income, elementary and middle school students as well as their families in school and community settings. In these projects, SNAP-Ed will conduct direct education in classroom settings by engaging and training classroom teachers, substitute teachers, and volunteers to provide hands-on experiential food education, nutrition, and physical activity learning. This is expected to reach more New Mexico students and create sustainable healthy nutrition along with physical activity changes.

SNAP-Ed projects (#1 and #2 below) may be awarded by project (in its entirety), by component (#a.i and #a.ii below), by strategy (#a.i (1-11), #a.ii (1-10), #b (1-6) below) and/or by area of service (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or other potential growth area).

a. SNAP-Ed Healthy Schools i. Component 1 – Direct Education: Deliver direct nutrition education through classroom cooking classes in a minimum of four to six elementary schools across all grades in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque public school districts.

1. Cooking classes will include four to six cooking lessons and take-home family engagement materials
2. Provide intensive on-site training and ongoing technical assistance for elementary school food service staff in selected school districts
3. Training components will include, but are not limited to how to:
4. Comply with current USDA school meal guidelines;
5. Incorporate healthy from-scratch cooking and student-friendly recipes into a menu cycle;
6. Promote and market fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain options;
7. Purchase local food;
8. Implement and promote salad bars and/or pre-made salads;
9. Support the Federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP);
10. Promote the Healthier U.S. School Challenge; and
11. Include family-size recipes in take-home materials.

ii. Component 2 – Policy, System, and Environmental Changes: Provide intensive on-site training and ongoing technical assistance for elementary school food service staff in selected school districts. Training components include, but are not limited to:

1. Comply with current USDA school meal guidelines
2. Incorporate healthy from-scratch cooking and student-friendly recipes into a menu cycle
3. Promote and market of fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain options
4. Purchase local food
5. Implement and promote salad bars and/or pre-made salads
6. Support the Federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
7. Promote the Healthier U.S. School Challenge
8. Include family-size recipes in take-home materials
9. Establish the Eat Smart to Play Hard (ESPH) program, the 5.2.1.0 program, or both programs collaboratively in a minimum of four schools across contractor’s service area
10. Synchronize with DOH/ONAPA/HKHC coordinators to identify qualified schools where services are not duplicated by other implementing agencies to establish ESPH, 5.2.1.0, or both

b. Six Projects for Conducting Train the Trainer: For strategies 1-5, provide state and regional trainings and ongoing technical assistance for SNAP-Ed implementing agency staff, Healthy Kids Healthy Community (HKHC) coalition members, Department of Health (DOH) regional health promotion teams, and other partners on how to implement healthy eating in schools. Contractors may choose to address strategy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, as well as any combination of strategies 1 through 6. Strategies are:

1. How to conduct five to ten minute generic fruit and vegetable tasting lessons in schools receiving the FFVP. Lesson plans should be divided into lower elementary (K-2) and upper elementary (3-5).
2. How to provide five to ten minute on-site lessons to promote salad bars and/or pre-made salads.
3. How to establish in-school edible gardens linked to cafeteria and/or classroom activity.
4. How to incorporate nutrition education (gardening, tastings, and healthy snacks) into after school programming, including recipes for parents and families to use at home.
5. How to integrate (i) smarter eating practices with harder playing abilities and/or (ii) how to encourage five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, two hours of screen time, one hour of physical activity, and more water in healthy living.
6. How to conduct eight to twelve classroom tasting lessons of fruit, vegetables, and whole-grains for 30-50 minutes (up to one class period) in at least one school district.

Amount: Multiple contract awards may be made. Initial contracts will be made for two-years with opens to extend for two additional years. Funding from the federal fiscal year 2018 SNAP Ed state plan will be adjusted to meet ongoing approved state plans as needed and allowed by USDA regulation.

Eligibility: Offeror is defined as any person, corporation, or partnership who chooses to submit a proposal. Areas of service shall include Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and potential growth areas, as awarded to contractor(s).

Link: http://www.generalservices.state.nm.us/statepurchasing/ITBs__RFPs_and_Bid_Tabulation.aspx

Note: A recommended pre-proposal conference will be held on August 10, 2017.

This post was filed under: