The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released Child Nutrition Program reimbursement rates for the upcoming school year.
Rates are effective for the time period of July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
You may now submit your July claim for reimbursement.
USDA Foods Commodity Rates
USDA recently released the Value of Donated Foods rates for July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. The SY 21–22 per meal rate for NSLP and CACFP is $0.2600 cents, which is an increase from $0.2450 in SY 20–21.
-
For NSLP the effective SY21 NSLP rate $0.3975 (the sum of the per meal rate ($0.2600 cents) plus the 12% provision dollars and the $20M breakfast monies). This is an increase from the $0.3700 estimate entered in WBSCM in January. The Planned Assistance Level (PAL) is based on the Total Lunches Served from the previous school year.
-
The CACFP per meal cash in lieu of USDA foods rate will increase to $0.2600. The Planned Assistance Level (PAL) is based on the total number of lunches and suppers served from the previous school year.
During our last Lunch 'n Learn we discussed The 5 W’s of the Study Month. We reviewed:
Who needs to complete a study month.
Why a study month needs to be completed.
Where study month resources can be found.
When the study month is due and when the numbers are applied.
What happens with the study month numbers once they are calculated.
If you were unable to participate in the live Lunch 'n Learn, a recording will be posted to our CACFP Public Trainings Course in the coming weeks.
We have two more Lunch 'n Learns scheduled! Join us for these hot topics:
-
Budgeting for CACFP
Register Here
Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Time: 1:30 – 2:00 pm PT
-
Organizing CACFP Records
Register Here
Date: Thursday, September 2, 2021
Time: 1:30 – 2:00 pm PT
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) adult care center and child care center sponsors (except emergency shelters and at-risk only programs) are required to collect enrollment and income information from families annually. This information is used to complete a study month and determine the claiming percentages for meal reimbursements.
Information and other forms found on the CACFP Study Month and Eligibility webpage reflect changes to income guidelines and program regulations. Income guidelines are effective July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. Updated forms and information are available in both English and Spanish.
For a review of how to complete a study month, please review our recorded training on the CACFP Training webpage, under the 'Study Month' dropdown.
Completing a Study Month for FY 2022
- Complete a study month between July 1 and October 31, 2021.
- Begin no earlier than July 1, 2021.
- Use one calendar month or 30 consecutive days.
- Enter results of the FY 2022 study month prior to entering October 2021 claims, using 10/1/2021 as the “Effective Date”.
- Maintain supporting documentation.
Schools Sponsoring the CACFP
Schools sponsoring the CACFP and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) may use NSLP free and reduced-price meal applications instead of the CACFP form. Schools are still required to collect enrollment forms from families. A sample enrollment form is located on the CACFP Study Month and Eligibility webpage.
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
Completing the Meal Distribution Plan and Waiver Request Survey
To support school nutrition, child care, and adult care professionals' efforts to connect children and adults with nutritious meals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) established nationwide waivers. These waivers support streamlined access, enhance program flexibility, and reduce administrative burden for School Year 2021–22 (SY 21–22) and Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22).
The CACFP Meal Distribution Plan (MDP) & Waiver Request Survey is for program operations between July 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022.
Use this Checklist prior to beginning the survey. If you exit the survey before it is submitted, your progress will be lost.
The MDP Survey must be submitted for the following flexibilities:
- Grab-and-Go Meal Service
- Off-site Monitoring
- Meal Pattern Flexibilities
- Area Eligibility for Family Day Care Home Providers
Area Eligibility requests for the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program must be submitted in WINS and do not need to be submitted in the MDP.
More MDP Information
- Your MDP must be submitted and approved prior to utilizing available waivers granted by the USDA. Approval may be made retroactive in emergency circumstances when prior approval cannot be made.
- FNS expects schools and child care providers to use the flexibilities for only the duration and extent that they are needed.
- Waiver use will be approved on a case-by-case basis and only for a limited duration of time.
- Once you submit the MDP you will receive a confirmation email.
- Your program specialist will contact you regarding approval status of your organization's plan and waiver request(s).
-
To request use of additional waivers or extensions for approved waivers, program operators should notify their program specialist and submit an additional MDP for approval.
Reference Sheets, FAQ's, and Other Resources
Questions? Please contact your CACFP Specialist.
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!
- Kendra Vandree – Open Q and A
August 10, 2–3 pm
- Tina Bischoff – Open Q and A
August 10, 2:30–4:30 pm
- Megan Harlan – Open Q and A
August 16, 1–2 pm
- Jeannette Green – Open Q and A
August 17, 1–2 pm
- Molly Gleason – Whole Grain-Rich
August 19, 12:30–1:30 pm
- Jessica Condron – Open Q and A
August 23, 10–11 am
- Nicki Christoferson – Open Q and A
August 27, 2:30–3:30 pm
- Terri Adolfson – Grains
August 30, 2:00–3:30 pm
|
The Food Buying Guide (FBG) is a resource for food yield for all Child Nutrition Programs. You can use this tool to determine how much food to purchase and the contribution to the meal pattern.
In our Intro to the Food Buying Guide recorded session, we discuss what the FBG is, the history of the guide, the digital version, and how to register to use the guide.
Join us for a Live Session!
Using the FBG
Register Here
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2021
Time: 1:30 – 2:30 pm PT
In our next webinar, we will discuss:
- Using the FBG Calculator
- Creating a Shopping List in the FBG
- How to Generate Your Shopping List, and;
- How to Input Your Own Recipes!
Child Nutrition Services (CNS) invited the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) to conduct several FREE trainings over the coming year. These sessions can be attended by any food services staff, and we're offering STARS credit for those who participate in the live session!
There is a limit of 2 participants from each center per training.
Trainings
-
Infant Meal Pattern Requirements- This training reviews requirements for serving infants in the CACFP, including: changes to the updated infant meal pattern charts and requirements for serving breastmilk and infant formula, strategies that support infants and their developmental readiness for solid foods, and requirements for serving more nutritious solid foods to infants.
Register Here
Date: Wednesday, September 8
Time: 12–4 pm PT
-
CACFP Meal Pattern and Best Practices- Participants will explore the updates to the child and adult meal patterns, as well as tips and strategies for implementation. Each training session is 7-hours long, and will be spread out over 2 days for maximum effectiveness. Review this training overview for more details.
Register Here
Date: Monday, September 27 & Tuesday, September 28
Time: 12–4 pm PT
Registration Information
Participants register for the training using the pdEnroller platform.
-
Each participant must have their own pdEnroller account to sign up for the training if you do not have one currently. You may use this link to create an account, if needed.
- Make sure to edit your profile to include your STARS ID to make getting your STARS credits easier!
- Keep your confirmation email!
- This email is your portal to the training session and additional handouts for the training.
- Pro Tip: You can add events to your calendar via the event page, this way your Zoom access link is available from your calendar.
- Can't Attend?
- Log into your account.
- Select your name in the upper right hand corner.
- Click on 'My Events'.
- Upcoming events appear at the top of your screen, you should see the class and a 'Cancel Registration' button.
- You can cancel your registration at any time using pdEnroller.
- Waitlist Participants:
- PdEnroller notifies CNS of the number of interested participants and automatically creates a waitlist when the session is filled.
- If someone cancels their attendance, pdEnroller automatically notifies the next person on the waitlist and gives them an opportunity to register - keep an eye out in your emails.
IMPORTANT:
- The ICN requires a minimum of 15 registrants per session to conduct the training. If there are not a minimum of 15 registrants, the training will be canceled.
- There is a limit of 25 participants for each session.
Have Questions? Please email Samantha Brueske, Training and Communications Specialist.
Check out USDA's Food Buying Guide (FBG) for Child Nutrition Programs!
- Easy to navigate and search for food yields
- Guides in purchasing the correct amount and appropriate type of food
- Assists with compiling a grocery list
- Includes the (RAW) Recipe Analysis Workbook to help with determining food items contribution to the meal pattern
- Provides useful information, tools and tips!
- It is available as a Mobile App, and Interactive Web-based Tool and can also be downloaded as a PDF – you choose!
|
|
August 15
|
July Claim Due in WINS!
|
|
August 30
|
June Claim 60-day Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim
|
|
September 1
|
FY22 Renewal applications due in WINS - Make sure your training requirements are complete!
|
|
