Teacher Resources

CULINARY IN THE CLASSROOM
Curious about ProStart? Wondering how to get started at your school? Created by current ProStart teachers and the ProStart Coordinator, the Wisconsin ProStart Teacher’s Handbook covers many aspects of the ProStart program, from implementation to SLOs, recipes, sample syllabi, and so much more. Available as a hard copy or a pdf, contact our ProStart Coordinator to get yours and get started today!

Teacher Training

The in-person ProStart Teacher Training will take place on Monday, August 2nd at Madison Area Technical College.

This training will go from approximately 9 am - 3 pm and will feature sessions, demos, and resource sharing that will help build your programs. An agenda will be shared as we get closer to the training.

We will be following CDC guidelines for safely gathering indoors including masks, social distancing, etc. That being said, we estimate that we will have the ability to host 30 educators at this training due to capacity limits & room for social distancing.

The cost to attend will be $100 which will include registration, a light breakfast, and lunch

Special Thanks to Our Teacher Training Sponsors

National Level Continued Education

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation offers week-long Summer Institutes at post-secondary institutions throughout the country. There are four levels of trainings, during which participants:

Earn restaurant/foodservice educator certification
Learn from faculty composed of nationally recognized content experts
Network among peers
Tour restaurant and foodservice facilities
Receive classroom materials

More information, including dates, locations, and scholarship information, can be found at www.chooserestaurants.org.

National Certificate of Achievement

The ProStart® National Certificate of Achievement (COA) is an industry-recognized certificate awarded to students who have passed the national exams and have completed mentored work experience.

Industry Knowledge
Earning the COA demonstrates a commitment to and knowledge of the industry. Employers can be assured that ProStart graduates are better prepared for work in restaurant operations.

Financial Support
ProStart graduates earn special benefits like transfer credits at many colleges and universities in Wisconsin and nationwide, saving money on college tuition. And, exclusive scholarships are available to ProStart alumni who earn their COA.

COA Student Responsibilities

Register on the ProStart website
- Use your legal name each time you access
- Exams and work experience hours are tracked online
Pass the Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts Level 1 and Level 2 exams
Work and document at least 400 hours in the foodservice industry
- Up to 200 hours may be earned through in-school work (catering, school foodservice, school-based enterprise, etc.)
- Competition practices or workshops do not count toward required hours
Demonstrate proficiency on over 50 workplace competencies
- Send completed Student Work Experience Checklist and documentation of 400 hours to the ProStart teacher

COA Teacher Responsibilities
Teachers must be registered as a ProStart Educator on the ProStart website. Teachers may search for any student at their school to see a student’s COA application status once the student has completed at least one exam.

Administer student exams
Examine and confirm work experience documentation
Examine and confirm the completed Student Work Experience Checklist to make sure 52 of 75 competencies were reached

After student submits all online COA information, mail all documentation to Alex Vernon, Wisconsin’s ProStart Coordinator at: 2801 Fish Hatchery Road • Madison, WI 53713

Transfer Credit Opportunities

Once students have earned the COA, they are eligible for college credits at many post-secondary institutions both state and nationwide. Current Wisconsin COA credit offerings are:

Blackhawk Technical College
Culinary Arts Program
Sanitation Management, 316 – 120*
*with valid ServSafe certificate 1 Credit
Food Service Quantities and Measures, 316 – 104 1 Credit

Fox Valley Technical College
Culinary Arts Program or Hotel and Restaurant Management Program
Introduction to Hospitality, 109 – 152 3 Credits
Sanitation for Food Service Operations, 316 – 101*
*if ServSafe certified within 3 years 1 Credit
Introduction to Food Production, 316 – 118 3 Credits

Gateway Technical College
Culinary Arts Program
Culinary Skills 1, 316-131 4 Credits
Sanitation and Hygiene, 316-170 1 Credit

Madison College
Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program
Exploring Hospitality, 10-109-101 3 Credits
Principles of Sanitation, 10-316-101 1 Credit
Food Theory. 10-316-106 2 Credits
Professional Cooking I, 10-316-111 4 Credits
Internship, 10-316-194 2 Credits

Nicolet Area Technical College
Culinary Arts
Internship, 10-316-190 2 Credits
Safety and Sanitation, 10-316-121 2 Credits

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Culinary Specialist, Hospitality Management or Business Management – Hotel and Restaurant Program
Restaurant Management, 10-109-168 3 Credits
Food Sanitation, 10-316-118
*with valid ServSafe certificate   1 Credit

University of Wisconsin – Stout
Hospitality Leadership Program
Introduction to Hospitality HT-100 2 Credits
Principles of Foodservice Operation HT-121 3 Credits
Institutional Food Purchasing HT-150 2 Credits
Hospitality Elections HT-XXX 3 Credits
Many more articulation agreements are currently being updated so check back at this page for more articulation agreements in the future!

Check out the National Collegiate ProStart Passport for a list of credits offered at schools around the country.

Please contact ProStart Coordinator Alex Vernon at avernon@wirestaurant.org with any questions.