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FLORIDA RESTAURANT & LODGING ASSOCIATION

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

CURRENT TOPICS

ServSafe on DOE Bonus Funding

FLORIDA PROSTART PROGRAM

The Florida ProStart program began as a pilot program in the 1994-1995 school year with six programs. Today, it is 215 schools strong. This directly correlates to the explosive growth of the foodservice industry, which was the original intention of the ProStart program founders, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). As the foodservice industry was growing, the NRAEF forecasted an alarming shortage of restaurant managers. ProStart was created to interest high school students in this diverse industry to head off these shortages.

At the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF), we, along with our sponsors, are doing our part to keep the foodservice industry vibrant as we touch the lives of over 10,000 students and their teachers with industry training, scholarships and grant funding.

ServSafe on DOE Bonus Funding List

The ServSafe Certified Professional Food Manager certification has been added to the CAPE list and the DOE Bonus Funding list. If your culinary program is a CAPE academy, you now have another option to industry certify your students, along with the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement.

The ServSafe Certification is a valuable industry tool as all Florida restaurants are required by law to have at least one ServSafe certified manager on duty at all times. Your students can also get college credit for the Certification at most culinary and hospitality schools.

Click here for the price list and ordering information.

If you need more information about how to administer the exam to your students, please let us know. We will have more details in the September issue of NewsBites.

FRLAEF Funding for the 2010-2011 School Year

The primary funding source for the Florida ProStart program has been through a grant received through the Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), initiated through the Hospitality Education Program (HEP). HEP requires a $10 license fee which all Florida restaurants must pay. A portion of these funds are kept by DBPR for administrative purposes while a percentage of the funds are held in a trust until distributed by the grant recipients.

For July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, the grant funds were line-item vetoed by Governor Charlie Crist. This has created a budget shortfall for the FRLAEF. Due to the current budget situation, the following event will not take place during the 2010-2011 school year:

Salute to Excellence Awards Luncheon

The following benefits will not be available during the 2010-2011 school year:

Scholarship Awards
Mini Grants
Stipends (Full Implementation, ProStart Certification, Competition)
Regional Workshops
ServSafe materials (some SafeStaff materials will be distributed to schools that complete the Fall Survey only--no additional materials will be available)

The following events will take place during the 2010-2011 school year:

11th Annual Florida ProStart Culinary Team Competitions
15th Annual ProStart Teacher Training Institute

The following benefits will be available during the 2010-2011 school year:

ProStart teachers and students may attend FRLA Show free of charge. Click here for registration information.
The top ProStart teacher, student and industry participant will be recognized at the FRLA Full Board meeting during the FRLA Show next month. Click here for nomination forms.
Teachers may still award their students the FRLAEF Hospitality Excellence Award--we will mail you the certificate. Click here for information
ProStart teachers returning their Fall ProStart Survey will receive a handful of free SafeStaff Foodhandler Guides
Fully Implemented ProStart schools will receive free aprons for their classroom use

We understand you may have questions regarding these changes so feel free to contact Laura Rumer or Amy Parker.

UNIVERSAL SPONSOR

GLOBAL SPONSORS