District’s Child Nutrition Services Department Receives Lifetime Achievement Award From TASN

Disponible en: Español

The state bestowed the honor in recognition of the department’s 30 years in the Standards of Excellence program.

Aldine ISD Child Nutrition Services Executive Director Susan D’Amico (left) and Valerie Barr, assistant director of training, pose with the award. Only six districts in Texas received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Several Texas school districts were honored on June 28, 2022, for outstanding practices in child nutrition and wellness programs that help support students. Aldine ISD was among the group of honorees. The Texas Association for School Nutrition (TASN) bestowed the honor in recognition of the department’s 30 years in the Standards of Excellence program.

Aldine was one of the first recipients of the award 30 years ago. Only six districts in Texas were given the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of maintaining high standards in Child Nutrition. The award recipients are Aldine ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, Klein ISD, Montgomery ISD, Spring ISD, and Spring Branch ISD.

Susan D’Amico, executive director of the Aldine ISD Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Department, stated several cafeteria managers and administrative staff were in attendance when the award was presented at the state conference.

“They were so excited that they cheered loudly in the audience,” said D’Amico. “It was an incredible moment for us all. We are very proud of the legacy of being a department that has upheld standards of excellence for so long.

“Aldine Child Nutrition has been a Texas leader for many years. In fact, during my first 20 years in Child Nutrition, before I started working for Aldine, there were many times that I called or visited Aldine to see what solutions were in place. We strive to foster a culture of excellence here while encouraging our staff to find meaning and purpose in caring for our students.”

The Standards of Excellence (SOE) include standards, criteria, a procedure manual, and an evaluation procedure. The evaluation is intended to determine excellent school nutrition programs and accredit those with one. Local school districts use the SOE Handbook for self-improvement.

Since the original program, many changes have necessitated updating criteria for evaluating child nutrition programs. The School Nutrition Association (SNA) created a Task Force with Texas representation. The SNA Keys Classic and online Self-Assessment tool reflect the country’s and Texas’s current needs. This tool is used to help schools improve their child nutrition programs and facilitate the recognition of excellent programs in the state of Texas.

D’Amico shared that the award will be announced to all the CNS managers at their department meeting on August 8 to celebrate together.

The CNS Department has earned awards over the years, and most recently, it ranked second in Houston Area in the Kroger and Children At Risk’s School Food Rankings in 2021.