Yesterday we shared the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement to extend several waivers. These waiver extensions allow the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) operations to continue through December 31, 2020.
OSPI CNS awaiting USDA guidance and will release additional information as it becomes available.
We invite all sponsors to join us for our food services webinartomorrow at 2pm. During this webinar we will discuss the most up-to-date information available.
Register Here
Date: September 2, 2020
Time: 2pm PT
OSPI CNS will be paying additional funds to Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) sponsors as “State Summer Match” dollars to utilize unspent state fund balances.
The calculation used is the number of SFSP/SSO Lunch meals reported in the June claim, multiplied by .036 cents. This is a final use of state fund balances.
We will pay these funds out through apportionment at the end of August and will be listed on the apportionment statement under fund code 4198-05. Future revisions to the June claim month will not be eligible for additional money.
Thank you for all you do for the children in our state.
September 11, 2020, is the last date to apply for Pandemic EBT (P-EBT).
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Social and Health Services have teamed up to create a new program called Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT, for short. These benefits will help families most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis to continue to have access to nutritious meals.
P-EBT is available for students, including children of immigrant households, who were enrolled in a K-12 school that offered a school lunch program during the 2019-20 school year AND were eligible for free or reduced-price school meals; or attended a school where meals were free for all students.
There are two ways to apply:
- Online: www.WashingtonConnection.org (on the application, choose ‘Pandemic EBT — Emergency School Meals Program’ box in the Food Assistance section); or,
- Call: 877–501–2233 (DSHS Customer Service Contact Center — interpreter services are available)
Please use your social media to get the word out to the families you serve!
Additional information and translated documents are available on the OSPI Pandemic EBT Guidance for Schools webpage.
The second section of the SFSP Records requested were due August 7. If you have not sent them in, please make sure to do so.
Under Child Nutrition Response #31, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Administrative Reviews will be conducted as a Desk Audit. This new process allows us to conduct your review while maintaining public health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to help sponsors transition to the desk audit process, we recorded a webinar detailing the what you need to prepare for the desk review, required documentation, the timeline of the review process, and how to submit your review documents.
View the Recorded Training here | Print a copy of the slides
IMPORTANT UPDATE!
Please notify the summer meals inbox once all documents have been uploaded into WINS. Originally we asked you to send your notification to a different inbox, please ensure to send this notification to the summer meals inbox. Thank you for all of your work to complete the reviews off-site.
Have questions regarding your SFSP review? Please email summermeals@k12.wa.us.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides healthy meals to all children ages 18 & under, and adults ages 21 and under enrolled in a Washington school district.
SFSP sponsors must promote meal access to all children. This includes providing accommodations for children with disabilities who have special dietary needs.
Often times accommodations can be made within the meal pattern requirements. If this is the case, a medical statement is not required. Examples of this may include modifying the texture of meals (pureed, chopped, etc.) and substituting food items from the same component.
Potential Substitutions
Gluten Free Grains
- Corn Products, such as tortillas, tortilla chips, popcorn, corn-based cereals
- Rice Products, such as rice crackers, enriched white or brown rice, rice cereals
- Oat Products, such as gluten-free oatmeal or oat-based granola bars
Milk Alternatives*
- Lactose-free milk
- Lactose-reduced milk
*Please note that approved milk substitutes are not creditable in SFSP without a note signed by a state-recognized medical authority.
Meat Alternates
- Yogurt, flavored or unflavored and nonfat, low-fat, or whole
- Cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, American, or Swiss
- Beans or Peas, such as black beans, refried beans, chickpeas, or hummus
- Nuts/Seeds*, such as almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds
- Nut/Seed Butters, such as almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower butter
- Eggs
*Please note that Nuts/Seeds may only comprise 50% of the M/MA component at lunch/supper.
Substitutions Outside the Meal Pattern
If an accommodation cannot be made within the meal pattern requirements, a statement signed by a state-recognized medical authority would need to be submitted. The statement must detail:
- Food(s) to be avoided
- How the food impacts the participant
- Food(s) to be substituted
OSPI has developed the Special Dietary Accommodations Form, available in both English & Spanish, as a resource. When supported by a signature from a state-recognized medical authority, meal modifications that do not meet meal pattern requirements can be claimed for reimbursement.
Resources on Special Dietary Accommodations
Questions? Please email summermeals@k12.wa.us.
September 15
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August Claims Due in WINS
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