The July claim due date falls on Sunday, August 15. Child Nutrition Services staff will be available until 5pm on Friday, August 13, to assist with claim errors or questions.
WINS will be available to input claims until 5:00 pm PT, Sunday, August 15. At 5pm, WINS will log sponsors out of the system in order 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 5 pm PT, Friday, August 13.
General Claiming Reminders
- 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.
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!
Registration Information
Participants register for the training using the pdEnroller platform.
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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.
- 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.
- Keep your confirmation email!
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Are STARS Credits Available for this Training?
Yes! The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has specific requirements for which trainings can offer STARS credits. If you attend the LIVE Using the FBG session, you will meet these requirements and receive STARS credit. To receive credit, participants must:
- Register, log into, and participate in the live session.
- Participants must register and attend the training session using their individual log in information. We will not allow multiple people to sign into one computer to receive STARS credits.
- OSPI CNS must be able to confirm participation in trainings. We do this by having individuals sign into the training using their personal login information provided by Zoom.
Questions? Please email Samantha Brueske, Training and Communications Specialist.
Budgeting for CACFP
Budget Planning, Allowable Administrative and Operational Costs and New Expenditure Tools.
Register Here
Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Time: 1:30 – 2:00 pm PT
During this webinar we will discuss:
- Budget updates in WINS
- Defining Allowable and Unallowable Costs
- Labor Costs
- Specific Written Approval
- Expenditure Worksheet Tools
- Time at the end for a Q&As
Upcoming Lunch 'n Learn
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Organizing CACFP Records
Register Here
Date: Thursday, September 2, 2021
Time: 1:30 – 2:00 pm PT
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.
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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.
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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.
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!
The Fiscal Year 21–22 (FY22) Child and Adult Care Food Program Renewal Application opened 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 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!) for more information on 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 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 Annual Updates Recording is now available! For more information about Annual Training requirements and how to get your certificates, please review the 7/12 Annual Training Update.
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. Please review the 7/12 Renewal Article for links to these resources.
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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!
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).
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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August 15
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July Claim Due in WINS!
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August 30
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June Claim 60-day Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim
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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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