Be Ready for Your Next Visit!

The USDA, the Illinois State Board of Education, or Day Care Resouces could make an unannounced monitoring visit at ANY time!

Be ready for your next visit from DCR, ISBE and/or USDA monitor(s). Make sure:

• your records are up-to-date,
• all children are enrolled,
• to notify DCR if you are serving a meal/snack off site (ex. field trip),
• to ask for ID for any unfamiliar monitors. Click on "view" for a list of ISBE monitors.

Alert: Great Value Dino Nuggets Contaminated with Lead (Best if used by date: Feb 10 2027)

The contaminated products have been removed from store shelves. However, if you have Great Value Dino Nuggets in your freezer, check to make sure that your nuggets were NOT in the batch produced on February 10, 2026. The affected product will have this information printed on the bag: 

• 29 oz. bag 
• contains approximately 36 “GREAT VALUE FULLY COOKED DINO SHAPED CHICKEN BREAST NUGGETS”
• the “BEST IF USED BY” date is “FEB 10 2027,”
• the lot code is ”0416DPO1215,” and
• the establishment number is “P44164.” 

Whole milk for school lunch ONLY (NOT child care)!

On January 14, 2026, the president signed the "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids" act. This bill allows SCHOOL LUNCH programs the flexibility to serve whole and 2% milk again. Unfortunately, the bill ONLY applies to SCHOOL LUNCH. All other nutrition programs, including day care homes, day care centers, and at-risk afterschool programs (ARAS) participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) must continue to follow the milk guidelines that went into effect in October 2017. Whole milk is required for 1-year-olds and kids ages 2 and older must be served 1% (also called low-fat) or 0% (also called skim, nonfat, or fat-free) milk.