Discover how our program can revolutionize nutrition education in your district.

Getting Started: For School Nutrition Professionals

SnackTime Explorers was designed to seamlessly integrate with the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). Not sure if your district qualifies? We’ll walk you through how to check your state’s eligibility requirements and how to apply for FFVP funding. Once you’re approved, we provide everything you need to bring SnackTime Explorers to life in your schools.

  • Check Your FFVP Eligiblility

    1. To qualify for the FFVP, your school must be an elementary school, participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and have a high percentage of free and reduced-price participation. Generally, schools with at least 50% of students eligible for these benefits are considered, but those with higher percentages are prioritized.

    2. Contact your state agency responsible for administering the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to check state-specific eligibility requirements and application procedures.

    3. Prepare and submit your FFVP application, which typically includes your schools’ enrollment numbers, the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, and a plan for implementing FFVP.

  • Check With Your Distributor

    Make sure to check with your distributor to see if they are already distributing to schools participating in SnackTime Explorers. The SnackTime Explorers program is currently designed for districts ordering FRESHEALTH products through their distributors. To add our products to your menu, simply notify your distributor of your interest in receiving the SnackTime Explorers Program and FRESHEALTH product.

  • Make the Ask

    If your distributor is not already involved with SnackTime Explorers, we encourage you to advocate for yourself and the program. We partner with many food service distributors and can work with yours!

    Here is some copy/paste language to help you make the connection between the FRESHEALTH team and your distributor.

    TEMPLATE: Dear [Distributor's Name/Contact],

    I hope you're doing well. I'm writing to express our district's interest in adding the SnackTime Explorers Program and FRESHEALTH's range of produce items to our Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) orders. The comprehensive educational support from FRESHEALTH, including teacher resources, structured lessons, and dynamic activities, will engage our students and teachers more deeply in the program. Could you please reach out to sales@dnoproduce.com at your earliest convenience to explore the addition of FRESHEALTH products to our menu options? Thank you for your attention to this matter and your ongoing support.

Menu Planning & Logistics

Our Curated Calendar Makes Ordering Easy!

Our monthly curated FFVP calendars are free to download from the DNO Produce website. They have a kid-friendly tone and design, along with activity suggestions to pair with your produce. Our calendars are curated using five years of historical data to align with seasonality and market availability to ensure predictable and controllable pricing! We also ensure that every week offers something fresh and exciting, and we’re on the lookout for innovative and standout additions!

We can customize calendars!

Standards-Aligned Lessons and Resources!

SnackTime Explorers consists of a series of adaptable mini lessons designed around Pilot Light’s Food Education Standards. These lessons include a variety of supplementary materials, including FRESHEALTH’s free-to-download “Produce Posters,” which were thoroughly vetted by our regulatory department to ensure all claims are free from misleading information and are designed to be easily printable and projectable. We’ve worked hard to make these lessons customizable to each produce item and seamless for teachers to implement! 

Research, Reporting & Grant Support

At the end of every semester, the SnackTime Explorers team puts together an official SnackTime Explorers Report for your district as well as a report specific to your district filled with student and teacher data.  These reports are packed with student and teacher data and feedback on the program. This resource is a great tool for FFVP grant applications, as they demonstrate leadership in Food Education. The reports are also distributable to your school board, superintendent, and teachers in order to demonstrate the value of the program with critical data points and classroom stories!

We’ve provided a ready-to-use outreach template! Simply click the link below to share this program overview with your school staff and request permission to apply to our program. This template highlights the benefits of the program for both students and teachers, making it simple to start the conversation and gain support for bringing fresh, engaging food education into your classroom.

FAQs

  • Yes! Our Annual Report is the best place to find real statistical improvements in students’ attitudes towards fresh produce as a result of this program. You can find it on the Impact page.

    You can also check out this blog post!

  • Schools in the program get full access to our extensive resource library! It's packed with adaptable and repeatable lessons covering our 7 Food Education Standards, engaging videos with Puprika (Pilot Light’s adorable puppy chef mascot), reading lists to deepen Food Education classroom engagement, workshop recordings, Produce Passports, Produce Posters, curriculum integration ideas, student-friendly recipes, and more. It's a one-stop shop for all things educational and delicious!

  • We aim for ongoing improvement and positive outcomes for SnackTime Explorers. This includes thorough pre- and post-surveys to measure the program’s impact. We also conduct site visits for real-time student feedback, and we focus on building strong relationships with our dedicated teachers.

  • Did you know you can include educational programming and support in your fresh produce bid? That's right! We believe the produce industry should fully support the success of your FFVP program and can walk you through the steps to request this from your distributor. Contact sales@DNOproduce.com for example bid language you can use in upcoming produce bids.