Upload February and March data to the P-EBT Upload Portal by Tuesday, April 13.
NOTE: The first upload provided benefits from the beginning of the school year through January. Uploading information will be an ongoing process. You must continue to upload information to the P-EBT Portal for students to receive the benefits.
Unable to Attend the Webinar?
No worries! Watch the recorded 4/2 P-EBT Webinar for Districts for important updates and reminders!
Steps to Take
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Download the updated Student Eligibility and School Benefit Level Templates — Now available in the Upload portal!
- Do not delete any columns or tabs in the Excel spreadsheet.
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Gather eligible student information. Some important reminders:
- Free and Reduced-Price eligibility applies to the entire year.
- Enrollment should reflect current enrollment for students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
- Update family addresses as needed.
- If eligible students were not included in the initial upload, include them in this upload. They will receive funds since the beginning of the school year.
- Similar to the verification process, conduct a second-party confirmation review. A second person should review your file ensuring:
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Upload the data to the secure portal.
- Reminder: Data must be uploaded in the Excel spreadsheet format.
- Only upload your Excel spreadsheets once into the portal.
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Get the word out to families!
- Work with district partners to determine where you may need to focus promotion regarding P-EBT or the Free and Reduced-Price meal application.
- Send out social media posts! For more promotional materials and ideas, please go to the OSPI P-EBT Information for Districts webpage.
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More P-EBT Benefits Coming Soon!
Eligible families will receive additional P-EBT funds for February and March 2021! Check your P-EBT card balance at https://www.ebtedge.com/.
Learn more about P-EBT at www.dshs.wa.gov/pebt or call the P-EBT Hotline at 1-833-518-0282.
Important Information
- Cards are being sent to families—it will take several days for all cards to be printed and mailed.
- We are still cleaning up a few files and clarifying enrollment of students that were included in multiple uploads. P-EBT Upload Portal staff will reach out to you directly with any questions.
- Refer to the DSHS P-EBT Frequently Asked Questions document for common questions and answers. This document is translated into multiple languages and is located at www.dshs.wa.gov/pebt.
- Families can call the P-EBT Hotline at 1-833-518-0282 for support.
- Review the 3/24 Bi-Weekly Webinar for additional information.
Thank you for all you do to support the children in our state!
Monthly claims are due by the 15th of each month following the claim period. All claims entered in WINS and in OK to Pay status will process for payment at the end of the month.
General Claiming Reminders
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FSMC & Vended Sponsors – Correct your SFSP Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Before Claiming
- Meals claimed in excess of the CAP count for a site will result in a claim error. SFSP sponsors must make Average Daily Attendance (ADA) revisions prior to submitting monthly claims. Specialists must approve revisions before claims can process for payment.
- Revised ADA's will not be approved for claims that go into error status due to meals claimed over the approved CAP.
- Compare the Average Number of Meals to the approved CAP. If the Average exceeds the CAP, increase the ADA in your site calendar and email your Program Specialist.
- Here is a quick equation to determine whether the ADA should be revised: Total Meals Served / Number of Operating Days = Average Number of Meals per day.
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Working with a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) or Vendor? FSMCs and Vended Sponsors cannot be reimbursed for any meals above the 120% of the ADA. Update the ADA prior to submitting the claim for the excess meals to be reimbursed.
- Monthly claim data must be in "OK to Pay" status by 5:00 pm PT on the 15th.
- Didn't submit your claim by the 15th? That's okay! Submit your monthly claim by the 60-day deadline.
- Errors must be resolved for claims to be paid. WINS has multiple edit checks to help resolve issues before your claim is submitted.
- Pro-Tip: Always select “Preview Errors” at the bottom of each site claim once information is entered.
For more detailed reminders and resources, please review the Claim Reminder in our February Update.
Have Questions? Please contact Hydie Kidd, Fiscal Supervisor, or Pam Fravel, Fiscal Analyst.
Join Us for a Webinar!
Superintendents, school board members, business officials, Title 1 staff, nutrition staff, local leaders, and anybody else involved in CEP planning is encouraged to attend! We recommend attending as a cohort from your district to maximize planning time.
Register Here
Date: Wednesday, April 14
Time: 2–3pm PT
CEP Waiver Released
USDA released COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #82- Nationwide Waiver of Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.
Similar to the waiver last year, there are significant changes to the date requirements for CEP. The two big changes impacting LEAs directly are the flexibility for the date for calculating the Identified Student Percentage, and an extension for the deadline to apply for CEP.
| CEP Requirement |
Traditional Deadlines |
New SY 2021-22 Deadlines |
| Data Used to Calculate ISP |
April 1 |
Anytime between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021 |
| SY 2021-22 – Application deadline |
June 30 |
September 30, 2021 |
Questions? Please contact your Program Specialist.
From time to time, users have noticed the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) is slow to advance to a new page or certain functions don’t work well when using Internet Explorer. To stay up to date and continuously improve user experience, Internet Explorer is no longer the recommended browser for accessing WINS.
For the best experience with WINS, use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
In Washington state, there are requirements for public school districts to offer a summer meal program (RCW 28A.235.160(4)).
Schools districts must offer a summer meal program if educational, enrichment, or remedial services are offered during the summer months at a school in which 50% or more students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
When planning your summer meal program, it’s important to note that SFSP & SSO also have specific requirements for summer school sites.
- Summer school sites must operate as open sites. Meals must be offered to both summer school students and the community.
- Summer school sites cannot operate as closed enrolled sites.
If a district plans to offer meals only to students enrolled in summer school, the NSLP/SBP must be extended. Under NSLP/SBP, a by-name meal count is required and meals must be claimed according to a student’s approved eligibility status.
Offering Online Summer School?
If your district is offering summer school in an online format through a school in which 50% or more students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, summer meal service requirements still apply. There are 3 options for districts during this time:
- Operate SFSP or SSO (open to the community)
- Operate NSLP/SBP (open to Summer school students only – by name meal count based on F/R)
- Note: The Summer 2021 waiver extensions do not currently apply to NSLP/SBP – meals must be eaten on-site during established meal services times.
Choose not to operate – refer families to community programs.
- Sponsors must demonstrate which program families are referred to for meal services and how they communicated community resources to families.
Questions? Contact your Program Specialist or email summermeals@k12.wa.us.
All public school districts and private schools must conduct outreach for summer meals each school year as required by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The outreach is to advertise the availability of summer meals before the end of the school year. Even if there won’t be a summer feeding program in your community, you must share resources that allow households to locate summer meals in the area.
Outreach includes distributing locations, meal times, and contact information through your regular communication channels.
There are a number of resources, in both English and Spanish, to raise awareness in your community.
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No Kid Hungry Texting Line - Families may text "Food" or "Comida" to 877-877 to find free summer meals near them.
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No Kid Hungry Meal Site Locator - Promote the https://www.nokidhungry.org/find-free-meals website.
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The OSPI Communication Toolkit located on the SFSP Resources webpage, under the 'Promote the SFSP' dropdown. There you'll find:
- Social Media Graphics and Sample Social Media Posts
- Marketing Materials such as flyers, door hangers, and a banner image
This guidance is specific to public and/or private schools serving K-12. Schools must use this guidance regardless of the county or phase they are in of Governor Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan. Use this guidance to inform how to resume in-person instruction. All decisions should be made in coordination with the local school board and the local health department.
View the full guide here.
This guide includes:
- K-12 Schools 2020-2021 Guidance
- General Information
- Heath screening information
- Drop off and pick up guidance
- Ways to reduce transmission
- What to do if someone develops signs of COVID-19
- Cleaning and disinfecting procedures
Have more questions? Call DOH's COVID-19 Information hotline at 1-800-525-0127.
During these webinars OSPI CNS will discuss hot topics, highlight important reminders, and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions.
Register Here
Dates: Every other Wednesday through 6/30/2021
Time: 2–3 pm PT
Program operators offering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)/ School Breakfast Program (SBP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during the 20-21 school year are encouraged to join us for these webinars.
Reminders
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Follow up emails will no longer be sent after the meeting. If you missed our last webinar, you can review the recording from our 4/7 meeting here.
- Save us on Your Calendar! When you register, there is an option to add us to your calendar at the bottom of the confirmation email.
- A reminder email with your link to log into the webinar is sent 1 hour before the session starts.
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May orders opened Wednesday, April 7, and will close Wednesday, April 14, at 4 pm.
Surplus orders will open Thursday, April 15, at 1 pm for groups 1 - 3, and 2 pm for all other groups. Surplus closes Friday, April 16, at 4 pm.
For more information on your group number, please review the Order and Delivery Schedule.
Ordering
- To place an order - log in to CNP Web.
- Your Food Distribution Application must be completed (including certified and submitted) before you can place an order.
- Ordering Instructions
- Reminder:
The Ordering and Receiving webpage has multiple resources to assist you in placing your orders including instructions and the Order and Delivery Schedule.
Important Reminders
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Confirmation of USDA Foods - If you’re scheduled to receive a USDA Foods Delivery, you should receive an appointment confirmation from the carrier. Please remember to reply to the carrier confirming receipt of appointment.
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To update or change your delivery contact person, please complete the Delivery Updates Form.
Questions? Please email the Food Distribution Office or call 360-725-6204.
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Delivery will now take place no later than April 30!
Since most districts are unavailable during Spring Break, the April delivery period has been extended.
Please note, carriers may not be able to meet your usual scheduled delivery dates. Carriers will contact you to confirm your delivery appointment.
To update or change your delivery contact person, please complete the Delivery Updates Form.
Questions? Please email the Food Distribution Office.
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April 13
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2nd P-EBT Upload Due |
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April 15
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March Claims Due in WINS
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April 21
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Bi-Weekly Food Service Operations for NSLP and SFSP Sponsors Webinar - Register Here
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April 29
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February Claim 60-day Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim!
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August 11
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SY21-22 NSLP Annual Updates Webinar - Register Here
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