CEU Approval Program

CEU Approval Program to be discontinued effective October 1, 2022

SNA will no longer be approving CEUs for educational content from other organizations to satisfy requirements for the Certificate in School Nutrition Program, School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) Credentialing maintenance and USDA professional standards.*  

SNA will provide a window to have CEUs approved between now and October 1, 2022. All applications must be submitted by September 30, 2022.  

For organizations providing continuing education credit that counts toward SNA’s certificate programming going forward, training must meet SNA Certificate program requirements and USDA professional standards. Attendees can claim CEU credit from SNA if the content meet professional standards and they submit documentation of completion to SNA.

Specifically, the requirements are:

• SNA encourages that training be at least 1 hour but will accept 15-minute training sessions that meet the requirements for the CEU Approval Program.   

• Training must fall within one of the SNA and USDA Key Areas and Key Topics for Professional Standards   

  • NUTRITION – 1000
  • OPERATIONS – 2000
  • ADMINISTRATION – 3000
  • COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING – 4000

• No advertisements are included in your educational content  

• Training must include a post activity evaluation for live, home study and online training. Home study and online training must include a post-exam  

• More details can be found here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/professional-standards-resources    

All previous CEU approvals will still be valid for three years post their approval date even after the CEU approval program has been discontinued.  

If you would like more information on the discontinuation of this program, please visit our FAQ. You can also email education@schoolnutrition.org with questions.  

*Please note that SNA will continue to approve the 8-hour core courses in nutrition and food safety required to meet initial SNA certificate program requirements.  

SNA Course Approvals

SNA offers Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and Core Course approval guidelines for school nutrition education and training programs. SNA’s approval of education and training programs allows training providers to help SNA members across the country satisfy the initial requirements for the Certificate in School Nutrition Program, Certificate Program maintenance and SNS Credentialing.

Who has been taking advantage of the SNA CEU Approval Program? Click here to find out.

Approval Process and Professional Standards

SNA’s approvals process has recently been updated to further align with USDA’s release of Professional Standards on July 1, 2015. Download SNA’s updated Professional Standards Training Guidelines.

Content Development Guidelines

The SNA Training Content Development Guidelines are a resource for you to utilize as you create continuing education training materials. Please review this brief document and utilize the principles described as a basis for your training. 

We encourage you to review all materials before beginning your submission.

Core Course Approval Program Requirements

All Core Courses must be approved by SNA Headquarters. Core Courses are workshops, seminars or online courses that are:

• a minimum of eight (8) hours of instructional time
• fall with one the following two learning areas:
   ∘ Nutrition Education – 1200
   ∘ Food Safety & HACCP Training – 2600

Download the SNA Core Course Approval Requirements and Application.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Approval Program Requirements

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are awarded for participating in formal education/training activities. These activities include conferences, workshops, online courses, webinars, or in-service trainings that provide ongoing professional development.

Download the SNA CEU Approval Requirements and Application.

Conferences: If your CEU request is for a conference or multiday meeting please download and complete the Conference CEUs Approval Request Form. This form should be submitted with the application and required materials for CEU consideration.

Download the SNA Conference CEUs Approval Request Form. 

Note: Acceptance of CEUs for exhibits, tours, food shows and tradeshows vary from state to state. Please visit the State Support Resources Professional Development page.

Renewing CEU Approvals

Approved CEU’s are valid for three years from the date of approval. If you intend to continue to offer the CEU’s after the expiration date you must submit a renewal application along with the processing fee four weeks before the expiration date.

Download the SNA CEU Renewal Requirements and Application.

Change in Content

SNA requires notification of any change of information in approved materials. This notification should be provided to SNA in writing at education@schoolnutrition.org. Change in content that is greater than 25% requires that you resubmit the application and required materials.

SNA State Association Program Approval Guide

Review the SNA State CEU Approval Guidelines and customize the Application Template and Renewal Template for your specific state needs.

• SNA State CEU Certificate of Participation

What Does SNA Headquarters Approve? CEU Applications for: Annual conferences Training in more than one state From: Individuals Industry members Third-party associations Core Course Applications: All core courses must be approved by SNA Headquarters. State affiliates may not approve core courses. What Can State Associations Approve? CEU Applications for training within a single state from: Individuals Industry members Third-party associations What Does NOT Need Approval? State association-developed activities, such as: Conferences Programs Webinars Online courses District and chapter meetings