 May 7th is School Lunch Hero Day. This day is normally one where we recognize the hardworking individuals whose contributions help nourish children across our state.
You've Gone the Extra Mile
This year, we want to recognize the innovative and empathetic response that child nutrition professionals gave during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a part of Public Service Recognition Week, Child Nutrition providers across Washington State, as well as OSPI’s Child Nutrition team, are being recognized for their work in feeding children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Inslee has chosen this group of people for the Extra Mile award, to honor the public servants who went above and beyond to feed children this year.
A Well-Deserved Award
When Governor Inslee announced statewide school closures, the OSPI Child Nutrition Services (CNS) team took immediate steps to work with program operators to plan to serve meals in their respective communities.
Your heroic efforts resulted in over 20 million meals that were served to kids in the first six months of the pandemic. School staff, child care employees, and community organizations collaborated as the need for meals rose across the state. Meals were distributed not only from school buildings, but also community parks, bus stops, and in some cases, delivered directly to homes by food service staff.
Program operators continually revised their operations to meet the needs of families while continuing to provide safe meals that maintained program integrity. CNS staff acted as liaisons between program operators and the USDA to advocate for the changing dynamics communities were facing and advocated for waivers and flexibilities to allow programs to better serve children.
Thank You
OSPI would like to thank the child nutrition heroes who persisted against many challenges during the pandemic. You have been the rock in every community you serve and we celebrate your heroism during this past year. Congratulations!
Now's the time to register for SY21–22 Annual Training!
During this past year we have held bi-weekly webinars to keep program operators in the know about updates and reminders. We welcome you to join us for School Meal Programs Annual Training for SY21–22!
During this webinar, we will review the updates from this past year, things to expect for next year, Food Distribution updates, and more!
Register Here
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Time: 1:30–3:00 pm PT
Financial Management Training
In addition to this live session, we will also be offering ICN's Financial Management for Managers live virtual training throughout the month of August. Participation in this training will will provide professional standards credits!
This 6-hour training was developed for site-based school nutrition managers and supervisors. Lesson topics include:
- Financial Management
- Production Records
- Forecasting
- Menu Item Costs
- Product Screening
- Inventory Controls
- Meal Equivalents
- Labor Costs
We will release more information about ICN Financial Management sessions in future updates. We look forward to 'seeing' you there!
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After a long year of adjusting and giving to others, it's "thyme" to take a moment for yourself.
The Dairy Council wants to celebrate and recognize YOU - child nutrition professionals in our Western region.
This 1-hour inspirational live session will demonstrate three easy, nourishing and re-energizing recipes from Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, and Chef Brenda Wattles, RDN.
It's time to refuel and support your passion!
Register Here | Date: Wednesday, May 5 | Time: 4 pm PT
Attendees will receive a Certificate of Completion for 1.0 SNA Credit.
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Card Mailing and Benefits
P-EBT benefits will be loaded to eligible children’s cards on April 20, 2021 and benefit amounts are dependent on the majority learning model of each child’s school.
Some families are still waiting to receive their P-EBT cards in the mail and we appreciate your continued patience while DSHS works to mail letters and cards to eligible children.
The P-EBT card vendor will mail the last batch of P-EBT cards on April 27, 2021, and cards take seven to 10 days to arrive in the mail.
Stay Up To Date
To stay up to date about P-EBT, we recommend to follow the Washington State DSHS Facebook page for additional updates and answers to questions.
For additional information, please refer to the FAQ on dshs.wa.gov/PEBT or call the P-EBT Contact Center at 833-518-0282.
CEP Waiver Released
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.
USDA released COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #82- Nationwide Waiver of Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.
| 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 |
Want to learn more? Watch our recent webinar series and explore our resources!
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Want an overview of CEP and how it works? Check out Gear Up for CEP – Webinar recording
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Unsure if your schools are eligible for CEP? The 2021-22 CEP Eligibility List will be posted shortly on our CEP webpage
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, we recommend to use Google Chrome, Firefox, or other updated browsers.
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.
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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We want to take a moment to celebrate awardees of this years' NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant and Meal Access Grant awardees!
This year was more competitive than ever, and some innovative grants were in the mix! Some items awarded include:
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NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant - freezers, coolers, heated holding cabinets, dishwashers, mixers, milk dispensers, and more!
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Meals for Kids Meal Access Grant - meal carts, food carriers, cold food bars, touchless faucets, and even a box van!
Visit the CNS Grants webpage to learn more about grants offered by CNS!
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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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