|
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released SP01, CACFP01, SFSP01-21: Questions and Answers Relating to the Nationwide Wavier to Allow Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations through SY20-21 - Q&As #2. This memo reviews common questions regarding the operations of Summer Meal Programs during the 20-21 school year.
This memo comes after USDA released a press release and multiple waivers to allow sponsors to operate Summer Meal Programs through the SY20-21. We released a CNS Update outlining the waivers available.
OSPI CNS is awaiting USDA guidance and will release additional information as it becomes available.
Interested in Operating a Summer Program? Please join us for our food services webinar on Wednesday at 2pm PT.
Last week, we accidently referenced Child Nutrition Response #60 instead of #68 for this article. Response #60 extends area eligibility for Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) sites #68 extends it for CACFP At-Risk. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Here is the updated information.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #68 allows schools and afterschool care centers, regardless of their location, to serve at-risk, afterschool meals and snacks to students after the regular school day, through June 30, 2021.
New Details
Meal sites that are not area eligible must target meals/snacks to children in need. To meet this requirement, sites must be located in the attendance area of a public school (an elementary, middle, or high school) where at least 40% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
Reference the 2019-20 Washington Public School Data for Area Eligibility Report for October building data to determine if your site(s) meet this requirement. Sponsors may use a month other than October, from the past 12 months, to qualify a site. If a month other than October is used, documentation from the school district must be provided.
If there are extenuating circumstances and an identified need in an area that does not meet the criterion described above, sponsors may submit an exemption request. These requests must be submitted on the Meal Distribution Plan (MDP) or the MDP Updates Survey if you have already submitted your MDP. These requests are evaluated by the Community Nutrition Programs Supervisor and Child Nutrition Services Director on a case-by-case basis.
Next Steps
- Take the At-Risk Prequalification Survey to determine if your sites are eligible to operate the At-Risk Program.
- To utilize the At-Risk waiver, you must indicate use of this waiver on the Meal Distribution Plan.
- If you have already submitted your Meal Distribution Plan, but would now like to “opt” in to use the At-Risk waiver, you must complete the Meal Distribution Plan Update Survey.
- You must indicate use of this waiver in the site application and site calendar in WINS. Please follow these instructions when completing your application.
- NOTE: You may have to clear browsing history to ensure you have the correct dates and waiver reference- the most current instructions request a reference to CNR #68 in the School Name section.
Considerations Before Establishing New At-Risk Sites
- Staff must be trained on At-Risk program requirements.
- Pre-approval visits must be conducted at new sites.
- A monitoring visit must be done within the 1st four weeks of operation.
- Site would need a fire or health inspection if not located in a school building or licensed daycare center.
- Serving Meals
- Sponsoring organizations that operate the CACFP At-Risk program must serve meals after the end of the instructional day if students are physically in care.
- If students are not in care physically (i.e. remote/virtual)
- At-Risk sponsors may continue to distribute meals for multiple days at a time, however, meals must be marked/labeled to indicate that they are an afterschool snack or supper.
- This type of meal distribution may occur at any time in the day.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
This week we reviewed common questions about renewal, tips and tricks for this process, and shared other tools and resources to help you during your COVID operations. Please review the 10/8 CACFP Operations During COVID recording to help you with this process.
Weekly Calls Cancelled
Thanks to participant feedback, we have decided to cancel our last scheduled call. October is a busy time for you, as sponsors, and for us at OSPI due to renewals. If you were registered for these webinars, you should have received a cancellation notice.
We will continue to monitor the need for webinars and will send out information in our Weekly Newsletters.
Join Washington state Farm to ECE leaders for a training on how to incorporate Farm to ECE strategies into your care setting.
This training is free and provides 4 hours of STARS credits.
Register Here
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020
Time: 9 am - 1 pm PT
Registration closes at 5pm TOMORROW, 10/20!
Participants will learn:
- Specific strategies and resources for Farm to ECE activities during COVID
- How to find and buy local foods for their child care meal program
- Strategies for incorporating nutrition education and garden education in early learning settings
- How to start a preschool garden
- How to engage families with Farm to Early Learning
Receive Free Materials!
Attendees who complete a pre- and post-evaluation will receive a set of Harvest for Healthy Kids picture cards in either English or Spanish. These materials will be mailed to each participant of this training at no cost.
As you submit your renewal applications this year, you may find some things look a little different in WINS. Here are some highlights:
-
SPONSORS CHECKLIST
On your sponsors screen, there is a checklist that places a red check as you submit each part of your application. When everything is marked with a red check then all the pieces of your renewal are submitted in WINS.
As your specialist approves each section, the check will turn green and when the entire application is approved this checklist will go away.
-
STUDY MONTH
If your application is approved you will not see an add or renew button on the study month tab until November 1, 2020. The system is designed to not accept a study month for the new year until the full month of October is complete.
Once this option becomes available, you must input your Study Month information into WINS before November 15 for October claims to be paid.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
Fiscal Year 21 Applications should be completed at least 30 days before your organization intends to operate the CACFP. This allows your program specialist to review your application in time for you to file your claim.
Please review last week's Renewal Update for important reminders about submitting your application and training requirements.
This week we reviewed common questions about renewal, as well as tips and tricks for the renewal process during our 10/8 CACFP Operations During COVID call. Please review the recording for more information.
Reminder
- If your organization's meal service is different than your regular operation or if your organization is taking advantage of any waivers you must complete a Meal Distribution Plan for your renewal application to be considered complete.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
Renewal Requirement
Annual Training is required for continued participation in Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). At a minimum, the person responsible for oversight of the CACFP must participate in annual training. This training is intended for directors and administrators; monitors are encouraged to participate.
This training is mandatory; the FY2021 renewal agreement will not be approved until the appropriate person has attended training
Recorded Training
STARS Credits
Those who watched the recorded Annual Training and input their STARS ID by 9/30/2020 were eligible for STARS credits. OSPI CNS will input your credits by October 31, 2020. Please check for your credit after this date.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
|
Team Nutrition has released three new training modules on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs. They are designed to take you step-by-step through using the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG). Each module will provide an in-depth look at the FBG with interactive knowledge checks to assist the learner.
Topics covered include:
- An introduction to the FBG
- The Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW)
- Child Nutrition (CN) Labels and Product Formulation Statements (PFS)
These modules and other trainings such as webinar recordings can be accessed on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs: Training Resources site.
Check out the modules on the Institute of Child Nutrition’s eLearning Portal.
Sharing your farm to school story is an important strategy for growing awareness and building support for the farm to school movement. Include farm to school messages in a variety of communications - social media, newsletter, website, blog, school meal menus, school mobile apps, etc. - so everyone in your community can learn about farm to school.
Resources
The Farm to School Month Webpage has tools to help you celebrate all month long! Check out the webpage for:
- #F2SMonth Celebration Toolkit
- Celebration ideas
- Social Media post examples
- Customizable newsletter article
- Media Pitches best practices
- Farm to School Month Fact Sheet
- Posters
- Logos to share on social media
- Postcards, stickers, coloring pages, and more!
Share With Us!
We look forward to seeing your celebrations! Use #OSPIChildNutrition and #F2SMonth or #farmtoschool on all your social media posts and join the conversation!
Want to be featured in a CNS Highlight? Send pictures and stories of your celebrations to Samantha Brueske!
Combination baby foods are foods that include a mixture of two or more foods, such as meat and vegetables. Under certain circumstances, these foods may be counted toward a reimbursable infant meal or snack in the CACFP. Get these worksheets from Team Nutrition to learn more.
Download Worksheet in English & Spanish
The School's Out Washington (SOWA) Conference will be held virtually on October 27 - 30!
View the full 2020 Bridge Conference schedule to help you plan your multi-day professional development experience. Here’s some of what you can expect:
-
Community: Our keynote speakers Dr. Megan Ming Francis and Shontina Vernon will guide us in coming together as a Community and looking towards the future as a collective field.
-
Nourishment: Our presenters are designing our 25+ Workshops for your Nourishment, with topics ranging from “Leading with SEL in Mind” to “Race & Equity: Transforming Organizations for the Long Haul” to “School-Community Partnerships for Students: Better Together.”
-
Belonging: By hearing and sharing stories and building relationships with leaders at all levels across the Conference, from Storytelling Hour to Cultivating Connections, we hope you’ll feel a sense of Belonging.
Visit the 2020 Bridge Conference website for more insights into what you can expect this year, and reach out to our customer service team at bridge@schoolsoutwashington.org if you have any questions.
|
October 21
|
SY20-21 Food Service Operations for NSLP and SFSP Sponsors Weekly Webinar - Register Here
|
|
October 22
|
CACFP Operations During COVID Webinar - CANCELLED
|
|
October 30
|
Last day to submit your August claims! 60-Day Claim Deadline
|
|
October 31
|
Due Date for SY20-21 SFSP/ SSO Applications
|
|
