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Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released CACFP 09-2021, SP 10-2021, SFSP 05-2021: Questions and Answers Regarding Child Nutrition Program Oversight, Administration, and Reporting During COVID-19.
This memo provides clarification on questions related to oversight, procurement, monitoring, and administration in Child Nutrition Programs.
- Questions 1–3, and 8–17 relate to School Meal Programs.
- Questions 19–21 review important purchasing and procurement information.
A link to the memo will be published on the OSPI COVID-19 Nutrition and Meals Guidance webpage, under the 'USDA COVID-19 Nationwide Policy Memos and Waivers' dropdown when it becomes available.
Please review the full memo for more details.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
This week's Bi-Weekly call will include updates and information as usual- however the tail end of the meeting will be dedicated to sponsors electing to continue Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operations this summer.
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 are not sent after the meeting. If you missed our last webinar, you can review the recording from our 4/21 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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Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the extension of several nationwide waivers that apply to School Meal Programs. Please review our 4/26 Weekly Newsletter for more details.
Join us for a Webinar!
Join us during our 5/19 Bi-Weekly Webinar for details about these waivers and their implementation.
During this time, we will focus on National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program operations for the 2021–22 school year.
Register Here
Date: Wednesday, May 19
Time: 2–3 pm PT
Reminders
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Follow up emails are not sent after the meeting. If you missed our last webinar, you can review the recording from our 4/21 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.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
In the past couple of newsletters, we shared information about internet browsers that best support program operators as they work in the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS). This message provides additional information and clarification.
About Internet Browsers
An internet browser or web browser is a software program used to access the internet and view webpages. Examples include Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge. Most browsers are available free. They offer features such as security and instant loading times.
Browsers affect your experience using the internet. Your organization may require use of a certain browser or require you to check in with the IT department before downloading and using a different browser. Your organization likely chooses a browser because it best supports your organization's IT systems.
What Browsers Work Best for WINS?
Child Nutrition Services IT systems, like WINS, are developed for certain browsers. The browser you choose will affect your experience. For the best user experience such as loading pages and speed, we recommend to use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your internet browser.
Other browsers may work however when problems arise, CNS may not be able to troubleshoot the problem and our solution will be to change browser to Edge or Chrome.
Update for Direct Cert System Coming
At this time, we recommend districts use Internet Explorer 4.0 or Google Chrome for the Direct Certification System. In the coming months, the best browser will be Microsoft Edge.
The April Claim Due Date falls on Saturday, May 15. Child Nutrition Services staff will be in the office until 5pm on Friday, May 14, to assist with claim errors or questions.
WINS will be available to input claims until 5 pm PT, Saturday, May 15. At 5:00pm, WINS will log sponsors out in order to prepare to run the monthly payment process.
Best Practice - Submit claims early in case an error comes up and you need assistance. We will have staff available until Friday, May 14, at 5:00 pm PT.
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.
Have you noticed milk has been in short supply?
There has been a significant delay in milk deliveries, missed deliveries, and canceled orders in Washington State as a new warehouse is set up for distribution.
Milk shortages seem to be impacting fat-free and 1% milk varieties.
Note: Under SFSP, whole, 2%, 1%, fat-free, buttermilk, lactose-reduced, and acidophilus are all creditable.
What Do You Need To Do?
If you are unable to receive an adequate quantity of creditable milk for meal services, please contact your Program Specialist to request a Meal Pattern Waiver.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
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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USDA Resources
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Summer Meals Locator- Promote this tool in English or Spanish.
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USDA National Hunger Hotline- can be reached Monday–Friday
- Families can call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479)
- For Spanish, families can call 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273)
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No Kid Hungry Resources
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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
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 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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Thank you once again for your ongoing work to ensure families receive P-EBT benefits.
The second round of P-EBT benefits are being loaded to eligible children’s cards and benefit amounts are dependent on the majority learning model of each child’s school for February and March.
- Upload #1:
- The final batch of cards were mailed April 30, 2021.
- Cards take 7–10 business day to arrive.
- Please continue to ask families to be patient as over 500,000 WA students are issued benefits.
- Upload #2:
- DSHS sent a Notice of Action to families eligible for Upload #2.
- It is possible families have received the Notice of Action for Upload #1 and Upload #2 and have not received their P-EBT card.
- Added February and March benefits to cards issued in Upload #1.
- Sent new cards to eligible students that were missed in Upload #1.
- For those students with an address change in Upload #2 – if the original card had not been Pinned, a new card was issued (the original card was canceled). Unfortunately, we have identified issues with the pinned report – this resulted in some cards being canceled in error. We continue to investigate this issue, but replacement cards have already been issued. No benefits will be lost.
Many of you are reporting a large volume of calls. The P-EBT call center is also experiencing a large call volume and are adding resources to help reduce hold times. We believe this is due to a “perfect storm” with the final cards being issued from Upload #1 and address changes from Upload #2.
Thank you for your ongoing patience.
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.
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May 5
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Bi-Weekly Food Service Operations for NSLP and SFSP Sponsors Webinar - Register Here
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May 5
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Nourish Myself... Thyme for Me Webinar - 4pm PT - Register Here
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May 7
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Child Nutrition Hero Day! How are you celebrating?
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| May 14 |
Get your April claims in early in case you need assistance! CNS Staff will be available until 5pm PT! |
| May 15 |
April Claims Due in WINS |
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June 1
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March 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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