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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released SP 15-2021, CACFP 13-2021, SFSP 08-2021:Questions and Answers for Child Nutrition Program Operations in School Year 2021-2022. This memo includes questions and answers intended to provide clarification to Program operators as they operate Child Nutrition Programs during school year (SY) 2021-2022.
Highlighted below are questions specific to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operation. Please review the entire memo for more information.
Q 4. Three nationwide waivers indicate that they are available through June 30, 2022 but should only be used until “greater levels of congregation in in-school settings is safe and healthy to pursue." Who determines when congregate meal service is safe and healthy to pursue?
Local Program operators should coordinate with the State agency to determine when congregate meal service is safe and healthy to pursue. FNS expects schools and child care providers to use the meal service flexibility waivers listed below only for the duration and extent that they are needed.
Local Program operators, in collaboration with the State agency, are best positioned to determine how long, and to what extent, these waivers are needed:
For example, child care providers who have returned to traditional child care services for all children would no longer need to provide parent pick-up of meals. However, FNS understands that some schools and child care providers will use alternative meal service models next school year and may need the flexibilities provided in these waivers in order to continue serving safe meals. FNS encourages schools and child care providers to return to standard meal service operations when it is safe to do so.
Q 18. Can the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Program continue to operate in summer 2021 after schools close for summer vacation? For example, if a school officially ends SY 2020-2021 on May 30, 2021, can the school continue to operate CACFP At-Risk until June 30, 2021?
No. The NSLA definition at Section 17(r)(2)(A) specifies that the CACFP At-Risk Program provides care to schoolchildren during after-school hours, weekends, or holidays during the regular school year. Therefore, the Program is only able to operate while school is in session. Unless an afterschool care center is in the attendance area of a school operating on a year-round calendar, afterschool meals may not be claimed during summer vacation (7 CFR 226.17a(m)(2)).
Q 23. What justification is needed for the State agency to approve a meal pattern waiver?
FNS expects that the justification SFAs and child care providers submit will vary based on their meal service plans and local circumstances. Sponsors requests to use the Child Nutrition Response #91: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Specific Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child and Adult Care Food Program for School Year 2021-2022 should be targeted and justified, based on plans to support safe access to nutritious meals.
FNS expects that SFAs and child care providers will strive to meet the nutrition standards to the greatest extent possible in the new school year. However, FNS also understands that some meal pattern flexibilities may be needed during SY 2021-2022 to support a safe and successful reopening, particularly for schools and child care providers that continue to use alternative meal service models to support social distancing.
NOTE: Sponsors must receive approval from OSPI to use the Nationwide Waivers. Waiver requests must be submitted through the Meal Distribution Plan & Waiver Request Survey and will be approved on a case by case basis. USDA expects schools and child care providers to only use the flexibilities for the duration and extent that they are needed. Please note, this survey is currently closed and will open July 7.
FY22 CACFP Annual Updates Webinar
(For Child Care, At-Risk Community, and Family Day Care Home Sponsors)
Register Here!
Date: Wednesday, June 23 | Time: 1:30–3:30pm PT
This training is required and geared toward organization administrators or directors.
How Do You Get Your Certificate? When Can You Complete Your Training?
This year's annual training has three required components. CACFP sponsors must certify completion of all training requirements when submitting their Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) sponsor application. Training requirements include:
1. Watch Required Trainings
If you are unable to attend live sessions, you can view the recorded trainings to meet your annual training requirements. We anticipate recordings will be posted to the CACFP Annual Training Moodle course by July 15, 2021
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Ounce Equivalents (Oz. Eq.) 101 Training
- This training is geared toward staff who prepare meals and create menus for the organization. This may be a different staff member than the administrator or director.
- View our Intro to Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP recording for more information on who should attend this session.
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FY22 CACFP Annual Updates Webinar- This training is geared toward organization administrators or directors.
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Child Care, At-Risk Community, and Family Day Care Home Sponsors
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Adult Care Center Sponsors
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At-Risk School District Sponsors
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Annual Civil Rights Training- This training meets Annual Training requirements for sponsor directors and administrators and reviews the required components for Sponsors to train their staff.
2. Complete Moodle Requirements and Obtain Your Certificates
Sponsor staff must complete all required trainings. All recordings will be posted to Moodle by July 15.
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Create a Moodle Account if you do not have one already.
- Go to the Child or Adult Care CACFP Annual Training Moodle Course and select ‘Self Enroll’ at the bottom of the page.
- Review all required trainings.
- Complete the Annual Training and Ounce Equivalents quizzes with a passing score of at least 80%.
- The Annual Training quiz will be available by July 15, once the Annual Training webinar and the Civil Rights recordings are available.
- The Ounce Equivalents and Annual Training quizzes are separate since they are geared toward different audiences.
- Eq. 101 training is geared toward staff who prepare meals and create menus for the organization. This may be a different staff member than organization administrators or directors.
- The Annual Updates quiz and webinar are geared toward sponsor administrators or directors.
- OSPI CNS will provide certificates for completing FY22 Annual Training requirements.
- You may download and print your certificates. Retain this documentation for your records.
- We will not ask for a copy of your certificate during renewal but may ask for it during administrative reviews.
- The person completing the FY22 CACFP sponsor application will certify sponsor staff completed all required annual training in the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) Sponsor Application.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering additional reimbursement to sponsors of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for emergency operating costs incurred during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Payments for currently operating sponsors will be made prior to September 30, 2021.
The purpose of this reimbursement is to:
- Provide additional funding to sponsors of Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) whose
revenues declined or were temporarily interrupted due to restrictions and closures during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Help CNP sponsors rebuild and continue to serve their community.
Please read Bulletin 036-21 for details on emergency funds.
Don’t Be Late for a Very Important Set of Dates!
The end of June starts the preparation for the next program year that begins October 1. We have made several changes to both our annual training and renewal application process to be more accommodating to you, our sponsors!
Be on the look out for our weekly CNS Updates with all the details for live and recorded session options, how to sign up, and how to obtain your STARS credits and certificates of completion.
Dates to Remember!
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June 23: Annual Training Updates for Child Care Centers (Register Here)
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July 7: WINS Applications and Components Open
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September 1: Deadline to submit WINS Applications and Components
Specialist Insider Tips for Annual Training
Who, What, Where, and When? We encourage you to figure out the plan that works best for you to complete annual training. Use all the information provided in our weekly CNS updates (sign up here if you don’t get them! Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (govdelivery.com) to figure out the four W’s!
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Who should attend? Each annual training session requires 1 if not 2 attendees from your organization and is meant for specific roles.
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When should I complete it? Split it up over time or complete it all in a few days, there are various options for you to be successful.
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Where should I access the annual trainings? Make sure you complete these somewhere with a strong internet connection and install or update computer applications, like Zoom, for less technical difficulties during your training.
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When should I complete all these required trainings? Some recordings are already available! Waiting until the last minute will make the whole process that much more difficult for you to meet our deadlines. So start early! With COVID, there is a plethora of information to share to ensure program integrity is maintained and help make meal service to your kiddo/adult participants a smooth and easy process.
The FY21-22 Child and Adult Care Food Program Renewal Application and components open on July 7, 2021, allowing you more time to complete your renewal! The process has changed slightly, so we have created a variety of WINS reference sheets, recordings, and presentations for instant information and guidance.
In addition, the deadline for all submissions has changed to September 1, 2021.
Specialist Insider Tips for Completing Renewal
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Bring your annual training and renewal questions to your specialist’s monthly office hours! Come and ask questions about the process and hear from other sponsors as well. They could have thought of a question you hadn’t. Teamwork makes the dream work! 😊
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The newly created renewal resources will be the best, fastest, and easiest way to get the information you need to complete renewal at your pace and time. These will be provided in the CNS updates, in WINS, and on our website.
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It is all in the planning! Looking at these materials early on after annual training, reviewing all the application components in WINS, and ensuring you have a plan for completion is essential.
As always, feel free to email your program specialist with any specific questions or concerns you have. We are here for you!
Beech-Nut announced a voluntary recall of one lot of Beech-Nut Stage 1, Single Grain Rice Cereal as well as a decision to exit the market for Beech-Nut branded Single Grain Rice Cereal.
- The specific Beech-Nut Single Grain Rice item (UPC Code# 52200034705) being recalled has an expiration date of 01MAY2022 and product codes: 103470XXXX and 093470XXXX.
- The expiration date and product numbers can be found at the bottom of the Beech-Nut Single Rice Cereal canister.
- These specific product codes were distributed nationally through retail and online.
- This recall is a result of a routine sampling program by the State of Alaska.
- The program found that samples from this production lot tested above the guidance level for naturally occurring inorganic arsenic set by the FDA in August 2020, though the rice flour used had been tested and confirmed as being below the FDA guidance level for inorganic arsenic.
- In addition to issuing the voluntary recall, Beech-Nut has also decided to exit the market for Beech-Nut branded Single Grain Rice Cereal.
For more information please review the Beechnut Voluntary Recall Announcement and the USDA Voluntary Recall Announcement.
Things are about to get Corn-ey! And you'll leave with many “kernels” of knowledge!
Lunch n’ Learn webinars are short, concise, “power sessions” on specific CACFP-related topics. Most of the topics are based on sponsor suggestions and we will be presenting a different one each month through September!
Register Here
Date: Tuesday, June 22
Time: 1:30–2:00 pm PT
During this webinar we will:
- Review the basics of WGR requirements
- Dive deeper into serving Corn products as a grain
- Review some sample products using what we have learned
- Share resources to help you meet the WGR requirements
- Time at the end for a Q&As
Did You Miss a Previous Lunch 'N Learn? Watch the Recording Now!
CACFP specialists are hosting office hours in the coming months. These meetings may be conducted as facilitated discussions highlighting several topic areas, or as a platform for Questions & Answers and open dialogue.
Office hours are meant to be a safe space to learn more about CACFP operations from discussion topics or from the questions other sponsors bring forward. You are welcome to bring your questions or just plan to listen in.
Register to attend an upcoming session!
- Nicki Christoferson – Open Q and A
June 24, 2:30–3:30 pm
- Kendra Vandree – Open Q and A
July 13, 2–3 pm
- Tina Bischoff – Open Q and A
July 13, 2:30–4:30 pm
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June 23
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FY21-22 CACFP Required Annual Updates Training for Child Care, At-Risk (Community), and FDCH Sponsors - Register Here!
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June 29
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April Claim 60-day Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim!
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July 7
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FY22 Renewal opens in WINS.
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July 15
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FY22 CACFP annual required training posted in the CACFP Annual Training Moodle Course
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July 15
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June Claim Due in WINS!
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September 1
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FY22 Renewal applications due in WINS - Make sure your training requirements are complete!
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