Create and Enhance Motivation

Teleconference
"Teleconference 1: Making the Choice", was arranged to reach the widely dispersed audience of Pennsylvania School Food Service personnel. "Making the Choice" aimed to provide SFS personnel with sufficient knowledge to enable them to select a menu planning system that matched the needs of their facility. It also sought to address concerns and to generate a positive team approach toward implementation of the new regulations. This teleconference reached 1300 SFS staff at 28 sites in Pennsylvania, 13 sites in New Jersey, and 1 site in Delaware. Project PA's "Making the Choice" poster won the "Nutrition Education and Training" poster award at the American School Food Service Association's conference in Houston, TX, in July, 1996. SeeProject PA Abstracts.

Cadre training & Master Instructors
In April, 1996, the "cadre training" was begun. Members of the Project PA cadre served as facilitators during the first two teleconferences. The"Computer Cadre", a group of computer literate SFS directors nominated by their colleagues in 1997, played an important part in facilitating the introduction of computers into school food service. Also in 1997, the original Cadre members were trained to help provide local workshops about the School Meals Initiative. In 1998, the cadre concept evolved intoMaster Instructors: At the start of the program, 21 Master Instructors (SFSD) were trained to provide local workshops in "The Cafeteria Manager's Guide to SMI", and 13 in "Nutrients in School Meals." The cadre and Master Instructors served as peer educators to enhance motivation and also to help implement the SMI.