Child Nutrition Services is pleased to announce a new grant opportunity for local education agencies and community based organizations with an approved agreement to operate the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during summer 2021.
The funding source for these grants is ESSR III with $800,000 dollars available. This is a competitive grant in the iGrants system, Form Package 148.
Submit your grant application by Thursday, July 29 at 4 pm PT.
We encourage all participating in the SFSP and SSO to apply. You may receive these grant funds even if you were awarded a Summer Meals for Kids grant previously. This is an excellent opportunity to apply for funds if you did not meet the previous Summer Meals for Kids grant timeline or your application was not funded.
Equipment and supplies are available to:
- Start new summer meal programs
- Begin or expand promotion and outreach for a SFSP
- Expand the number of sites or number of meals served
- Provide training to staff and volunteers
- Improve meal quality, equipment, or small supplies used in the program
Use the Summer Meals for Kids 2.0 Grant Scoring Matrix for information on how the grant is scored and questions asked in the application.
If you do not have an EDS or iGrants account, you must create one!
Community Based Organizations that have never used iGrants should plan for at least 48 hours turnaround time to be set up to use the system.
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Use this link to create an account with EDS.
- If you are not a certified teacher, you do not need to complete the second box.
- Fill in all required sections, you will receive a confirmation email. Make sure to complete the verification process.
- After creating your EDS account, you must get iGrants access. Email EDS Customer Support with the following information:
- Your first and last name
- Your email address
- Legal name of your organization
- Street address of your organization
- City
- State
- Zip
- Business phone (with area code)
Questions? Please email Mikhail Cherniske.
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Are you operating the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or Seamless Summer Option (SSO) this summer?
Do you serve appetizing, appealing, and nutritious meals that meet meal pattern requirements?
If yes, submit the Turnip the Beet Nomination Award and be recognized nationally by the USDA for the great work you’re doing!
About this Award
Turnip the Beet recognizes summer meal program sponsors for serving high quality meals to children that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious meals during the summer months. Awarded by the USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS), sponsors can earn national recognition through 3 award levels: gold, silver, and bronze. Gold & silver winners will be featured on the USDA’s blog and gold winners will also be identified on the FNS’ summer site finder.
Submit Your Nomination
Nominations forms and a one-month menu must be submitted to the Summer Meals inbox by August 4, 2021.
Resources
For additional information on the award, nomination process, and evaluation criteria, please visit OSPI’s Turnip the Beet webpage.
It has come to our attention that some companies have informed Child Nutrition Program sponsors in some locations across the nation that “due to labor shortages and warehouse capacity,” the companies are unable to serve sponsors in the upcoming program year. We are not aware of widespread challenges across the state of Washington.
As a reminder sponsors may use the authority found in federal procurement regulation 2 CFR 200.320(c)(3). This regulation allows sponsors to use the emergency noncompetitive procurement method to negotiate a new one-year contract for the 2021–22 program year. The situation described above is an appropriate time to use this provision as it is always available to sponsors if they determine that current emergency circumstances exist.
Questions? Please email the CNS Procurement inbox.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides healthy meals to all children ages 18 & under, and students ages 21 and under enrolled in a Washington school district.
SFSP sponsors must promote meal access to all children. This includes providing accommodations for children with disabilities who have special dietary needs.
Often times accommodations can be made within the meal pattern requirements. If this is the case, a medical statement is not required. Examples of this may include modifying the texture of meals (pureed, chopped, etc.) and substituting food items from the same component.
Potential Substitutions
Gluten Free Grains
- Corn Products, such as tortillas, tortilla chips, popcorn, corn-based cereals
- Rice Products, such as rice crackers, enriched white or brown rice, rice cereals
- Oat Products, such as gluten-free oatmeal or oat-based granola bars
Milk Alternatives*
- Lactose-free milk
- Lactose-reduced milk
*Please note that approved milk substitutes are not creditable in SFSP without a note signed by a state-recognized medical authority.
Meat Alternates
- Yogurt, flavored or unflavored and nonfat, low-fat, or whole
- Cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, American, or Swiss
- Beans or Peas, such as black beans, refried beans, chickpeas, or hummus
- Nuts/Seeds, such as almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds
- Please note that Nuts/Seeds may only comprise 50% of the M/MA component at lunch/supper.
- Nut/Seed Butters, such as almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower butter
- Eggs
Important Note: Tofu is not creditable under the SFSP.
Substitutions Outside the Meal Pattern
If an accommodation cannot be made within the meal pattern requirements, a statement signed by a state-recognized medical authority would need to be submitted. The statement must detail:
- Food(s) to be avoided
- How the food impacts the participant
- Food(s) to be substituted
OSPI has developed the Special Dietary Accommodations Form, available in both English & Spanish, as a resource. When supported by a signature from a state-recognized medical authority, meal modifications that do not meet meal pattern requirements can be claimed for reimbursement.
Resources on Special Dietary Accommodations
Questions? Please email the Summer Meals inbox.
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) is the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for child nutrition programs.
Free Training for You and Your Staff Using iLearn!
The ICN's updated online learning portal, iLearn, provides self-paced, free online learning and offers users the flexibility to complete courses in multiple sessions. The iLearn portal can be used on desktop, laptop, or mobile devices.
View the course catalog today!
ICN added new features that enhance the eLearning experience, including:
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Personalized Profiles: Users can select English or Spanish and their Child Nutrition Program to complete their personalized profile.
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Online Courses in Spanish: iLearn includes ICN’s first Spanish online course, Nutrición 101 4ta Edicion. Users can also select Español in their profile for a translated online experience.
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iLearn @ ICN Mobile App: Child Nutrition Professionals can download the app and iLearn @ ICN on the go!
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Coming Soon - Live Webinars! Child Nutrition Professionals can register and attend ICN's scheduled live webinars on iLearn and keep all information and certificates in one location.
Questions? Please contact the ICN Support Team.
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West Valley School District #208 saw their highest lunch participation of the week when they served local blueberries during Farm to Summer Week! They sourced from Blueberry Hills in Wapato, WA to serve the local berries as part of grab-n-go packs provided to 250 students across 2 sites.
Way to go, West Valley School District!
Did You Participate in WA Farm to Summer Week?
If so, please complete this post-survey! The survey asks questions such as how many meals served contained a local food items, an estimation of costs spent on local food items, general challenges/impacts seen as a result of participating in Farm to Summer Week and other information. This information helps us promote this work as well as improve our agency support in future years.
We recommend completing it at your earliest convenience while your experience with Farm to Summer Week is fresh in your mind, but will leave the survey open through the end of August to allow more time if needed. The survey is 12 questions and should take about 10 minutes to complete.
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July 30
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May Claim 60-day Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim
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August 15
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July Claim Due in WINS
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