Do you have a school Administrative Review this year? Are you a newbie to the Administrative Review process, ready to tackle it for the first time? Or are you a seasoned vet who’s been through an Administrative Review so many times that you know exactly what’s coming that you can kick up your feet and sip a fruity drink on the beach? Whatever your experience level and expertise, Health-e Pro offers software and services to aid in the preparation of a school Administrative Review, with one-click reporting and a mock review service: EZ Review. From understanding how food safety plays a role in the Administrative Review to ensuring product formulation documentation is current, Health-e Pro can be a partner with you through the process.

Over the last year, we’ve spent some time talking to our customers who’ve gone through a school Administrative Review, especially if they used our EZ Review Service. What was the catalyst for signing up for EZ Review? What worked well? What was a lesson for the next time?

With so many cooks in the kitchen–literally and figuratively–spec sheets change, product formulations change, and it’s not easy to keep up on this key information from the manufacturer over the three-year period in between school Administrative Reviews. For one person to maintain an up-to-date database of those spec sheets in the midst of everything else is a daunting task. Several of our customers talked about knowing how they were behind going into a school Administrative Review, and how they knew they needed help to confirm documentation.

One of our customers used EZ Review during her Administrative Review last year, and said this: “Next time we have an audit, I would be highly inclined to do an EZ Review again, just because things change, products change, product formulations change, and it’s difficult for someone who’s not dedicated to menu planning alone to keep up with it. I would definitely recommend for my director to do an EZ Review again.”

Health-e Meal Planner houses all product documentation within the software and ensures it’s up to date and easily accessible, making preparation for an Administrative Review much easier.

Did you see our recent blog post with Renelle Leinbach, a state Reviewer? In it, Renelle detailed the importance of having all those labels and statements in an easy-to-access place, from the perspective of the Reviewer.

Another huge thing with Health-e Pro is being able to pull up nutrition labels and product formulation statements, and also being able to access the global ingredients. As a reviewer, we see hundreds of menus and districts are using the same products. We often have to ask them to send us the documentation, but if they were using Health-e Pro, it’d already be there in the software itself.

Another tip we’ve heard from a Reviewer is to ask questions. You may be unsure about what specifically your Reviewer will be looking for, and it never hurts to ask and get a bit of clarification. Another piece of advice was to network with other districts in your area to figure out your state’s hot button issues.

Simplicity is key in preparing for an Administrative Review. A consultant who uses our software said this: “The stuff that’s pre-loaded, all the specs are really easy to have digitally. I love the spec reports you can run in preparation for the audits. Child nutrition programs are so complicated, so anything that can make our lives easier is worth its weight in gold.”

Several of our customers mentioned the amount of paper they were able to save by using our software, where all of the spec sheets and product formulation sheets are housed within the software itself. Rather than printing out each label and keeping pages upon pages in binders, each label can be attached to a recipe as it’s housed within Health-e Meal Planner, easily accessible within the software.

In another recent blog post with Health-e Pro, Renelle said this:

I’ve talked to directors where they’re in tears because they’ve spent 20 hours overtime trying to collect all the necessary information. I feel so bad for them spending all this time where, if they had a good software at the beginning, it’d take them a few hours and they’d be done.

Earlier this year, we covered the topic “What does ‘USDA approved’ mean for menu planning software?” and this was one of the key takeaways, related specific to Administrative Reviews:

Health-e Pro went through the rigorous two-year process for USDA approval, with every square inch of the software scrutinized to ensure that the menu planning software would provide the numbers and calculations expected. Every year, Health-e Pro is reviewed again to maintain USDA approved status. We do this for one simple reason: to give customers the confidence that the information they submit for Administrative Review will be accurate and meet all requirements.

An Administrative Review can be stressful, time-consuming, and overwhelming. We want to help make that easier. Our Health-e Meal Planner software is built in a way to make reporting and organization easy; our EZ Review service ensures you’re prepared and confident going into your Review. You can pass it with flying colors–and maybe even enjoy that fruity drink on the beach!