May 2026 Announcements
On May 1, celebrate your heroes on School Lunch Hero Day
When we call school nutrition professionals heroes, we truly mean it. Each spring, we celebrate their dedication, care, and hard work with School Lunch Hero Day.
Join schools across the country in recognizing the vital role these team members play every day—nourishing students, supporting learning, and making a difference for every child who walks through the cafeteria doors.
Montana School Nutrition Association Annual Conference is June 22-24
Please encourage your district's food service staff, determining officials, and business clerks to register to attend. The cost of attendance can be supported by your food service fund 12 account. MTSNA also offers a competitive $500 scholarship to attend conference that can be applied for here by May 1st. Attending this annual conference can help your food service staff meet the required annual professional standards training hours.
View the full Conference Agenda at a Glance
Full Conference Registration for SNA members - early bird $240 - after 5/24/26 $340
Full Conference Registration for non-members - early bird $305 - after 5/24/26 $340
Single Day registration for SNA members - early bird $150 - after 5/24/26 $285
Single Day registration for non-members - early bird $235 - after 5/24/26 $285
To become a member or renew your membership, go to SNA Membership [schoolnutrition.org]
Often going unnoticed, school food service employees work tirelessly each day of the academic year feeding students nutritious, well‐balanced meals. Please consider nominating a School Nutrition Staff Member for one of the MTSNA awards to be awarded at the MTSNA conference in June. Nominations are due by May 15, 2026.
 Here Comes Summer!
The 2026 SFSP MAPS online applications are open NOW with a submission deadline of May 15th, 2026. For any schools planning to operate this year who did not operate last year, please contact OPI’s SFSP specialist as soon as possible to be set up for 2026.
If you missed the SFSP Wednesday Webinars, you can find the recordings and materials HERE.
The 2026 required online annual training is available NOW for sponsors to complete.
Be sure to check OPI's SFSP website regularly for the most up to date information and visit the SFSP Training library for handouts and videos covering meal counting, non-congregate meal service, administrative reviews, program requirements, and more.
For questions or additional information, please contact SFSP Specialist Sarah Kuhn at 406-594-9747 or Sarah.Kuhn2@mt.gov.
Resource | Policy
This memorandum is a reminder to state agencies and local educational agencies that the statutory deadline to elect the Community Eligibility Provision for the following school year is June 30.
This memorandum also provides a reminder of the annual CEP notification and publication requirements.
03/13/2026
SY2026-27 MAPS Application Packets Open
School Nutrition Programs sponsors must complete & submit all sections by June 30.
FFVP Information for SY2026-27 Application Packets
All elementary sites will be invited to participate in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP) however OPI SNP will prioritize approval for those with the highest free/reduced.
Sponsors that do not plan to operate FFVP in SY2026-27 should not complete the FFVP section of the application packet.
Sponsors that do plan to operate FFVP in SY2026-27 must complete the FFVP application section in the MAPS Application Packet, attach the signed FFVP Signature Page into the MAPS Application Packet, complete required annual FFVP training (April 1st, 2026 2pm Webinar Wednesday topic is FFVP), and only operate FFVP outside of NSLP/SBP meal times.
FFVP application is due by June 30th.
If not elected or submitted, FFVP will be removed from application packet.
See online FFVP resources for information.
CEP election for SY2026-27
The annual Identified Student Percent (ISP) DCA snapshot data has been captured to determine CEP qualifications for the upcoming school year.
Sponsors may review the 4/1/2026 CEP ISP data in MAPS within the Application menu under the form titled Community Eligibility Provision for school year 2025-26.
Sponsors wanting to participate in CEP must complete the SY 2026-27 MAPS Application Packet and CEP Schedule by June 30.
See the online CEP resources for additional information.
Claims for Reimbursement
Select the 2025-26 Program Year to submit claims for the remainder of the current school year. Locate the Program Year selection in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen. MAPS will now default to the new school year 2026-27. Claims are due the 10th of each month.
Attention Claim Contacts and Determining Officials: Invitation to Attend MT School Nutrition Association Conference
MT School Nutrition Association Annual Conference (June 22-24 in Billings) will have three sessions dedicated to school determining official roles (Processing free/reduced applications, Verification, Direct Certification).
Monday 4 hr. workshop (1:00pm - 5:00pm): Diggin' in Deep - Direct Certification App and Beyond Determining Officials from all public, private, and CEP schools will love this course that will cover the What, Why, When and How of DCA - one of your two required systems for operation of the National School Lunch Program! There' is a wealth of information and functionality in the Direct Certification Application. It's very important to use it correctly to minimize your and your families' workloads, assure students are provided their correct benefit issuance for free or reduced meals, and assist with verification requirements. We will take you through all of the information available to you in DCA and the business processes and timing that optimize the functionality within DCA. We will walk through the technical steps and explanations to give you a fuller understanding of what the system does for you, and the easiest way for you to process students in DCA, FRAPP, and exports to your POS and FRAM uploads.
Tuesday 1 hr. (11:00am-12:00pm): Free/Reduced Application Verification Process
Walk away feeling confident with the ‘know how’ to conduct the verification process, verify household income, check for direct certifications, including tips on properly categorizing student eligibility to reduce the overall number of applications subject to verification process as well as the required number of applications to verify and learn how to accurately submit the Verification Report in MAPS.
Tuesday 2 hr. (3:10pm-5:00pm): How to Process Free/Reduced Applications
Learn & practice how to process free/reduced applications, how to check for direct certification and ensure that students are receiving correct meal benefits. Walk away with the knowledge and resources available to help ensure that students receive free or reduced meal benefits starting with checking direct certification, processing free/reduced applications, notifying households of determined meal benefits, conducting verification, and ensuring that your Point of Service is accurately updated with each student's determined meal benefit status.
View the full Conference Agenda at a Glance for these sessions and many more to choose from including:
Tuesday 2 hr. (1:00pm-2:55pm): Understanding and Stretching your Budget
This course is perfect for anyone who feels unsure when it comes to their food service fund budget and wants to do a deep dive on the basics. Many people forget that our food service programs are a business and this class will equip you to succeed. We will cover basic revenue and expenditure percentages and explore how to price your meals and a la carte items accordingly. If you want to enter the new school year with the tools to effectively manage your school food service fund, this is the class for you!
Tuesday 2 hr. (3:10pm-5:00pm): Administrative Reviews & How to Prepare
Roll up your sleeves and get ready – are your school nutrition programs Administrative Review coming up? Do you want to learn how to ACE it? Join us for this comprehensive class to learn how. We’ll highlight the program checklist, discuss documentation requirements, cover the Administrative Review timeline, and identify important communications to watch for. Plus - bonus tips about common findings and you can even get a jump start on your MAPS off-site questions with us if you bring your laptop!
Click Here to Register to Attend MTSNA or visit https://montana-school-nutrition-association.square.site/conference
Full Conference Registration for SNA members - early bird $240 - after 5/24/26 $340
Full Conference Registration for non-members - early bird $305 - after 5/24/26 $340
Single Day registration for SNA members - early bird $150 - after 5/24/26 $285
Single Day registration for non-members - early bird $235 - after 5/24/26 $285
To apply for a scholarship to attend MTSNA Conference click here. Scholarship applications are due by May 15.
To become a member or renew your membership, go to SNA Membership [schoolnutrition.org]
We hope to see you there!
 2026 Montana Farmers Union Grant Application Due May 4th
The goal and vision of the MFU Foundation Community Grant program is to primarily support agriculture education in schools, work toward enhancing Montana-based local food systems and distribution projects. The grants also support cooperative opportunities and education. The Community Grant program also supports projects that work toward enhancing agricultural production and efficiency, including but not limited to regenerative and resilient practices of agriculture.
https://montanafarmersunion.com/ninja-forms/13fdsi/
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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