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National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) starts today!! Are YOU ready to Take Off With School Breakfast?
This year, the #NSBW22 theme is “Take Off With School Breakfast.” And now is the time to get a head start on promoting your program!
How can you participate?
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Promote National School Breakfast Week on your social media
Download SNA's Facebook cover photo (jpg) and add it to your program’s page to increase awareness of #NSBW22! Download SNA's Instagram meme (jpg) and use it to spread the word about #NSBW22!
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Use the NSBW toolkit to plan your event
The NSBW Toolkit has prompts to help you plan your event(s), tips for engaging students, decoration ideas, and more!
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Share the NSBW Activity Sheets during meals
The NSBW Activity Sheets include puzzles, coloring pages, and more!
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View the School Breakfast Meal Talk Webinar
The first Meal Talk webinar will focus on school breakfast, and will provide an overview of USDA’s School Breakfast Program, including the benefits of school breakfast, program requirements, and resources for navigating supply chain challenges.
Register for the School Breakfast Meal Talk Webinar
Date: Wednesday, March 9
Time: 12–1 pm PT
Send Us Your NSBW Celebrations!
We want to see all the activities, celebrations, and fun you have for #NSBW22! Send your photos to the Child Nutrition team— we will highlight districts in upcoming CNS Newsletters!
Visit the School Nutrition Association and USDA webpages for ideas and resources.
The non-competitive Safe School Meals Grant (Form Package 170) has been utilized by over 240 School Food Authorities around the state. This is a reminder that equipment and supplies purchased with this grant must be on-site by May 31, 2022.
If you're concerned about meeting this deadline, contact the CNS Grants team.
Haven't applied for this funding yet?
There is still time to apply for the Safe School Meals Grant and claim the funding specified for your district. Applications will close on March 10. At that point funding will be repurposed for other opportunities.
Apply for the Safe School Meals Grant (Form Package 170) in iGrants. Please review the How to Apply for the Safe School Meals Grant Webinar for more information on the application process.
Funding is flexible and may be used to:
- Purchase equipment and supplies to increase the safety of school meals in SY 21–22. This includes, but is not limited to supplies or equipment to:
- Increase social distancing of students eating meals.
- Reduce touch points in the meal programs.
- Increase food safety.
- Increase safety in meal service.
- Provide training to increase the safety of school meals in SY 21–22.
- Provide outreach to students, families, and school staff, including translation services.
Questions? Please email the CNS Grants team.
Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) requirements related to House Bill 1508: The Washington Kids Ready to Learn Act will be returning in SY 22–23 and is required in high-need schools. High-need schools are defined as any public school where at least 70% of the total students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals; or, if operating the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the school has a free claiming percentage of 70% or more.
Join us for a Webinar!
We originally planned to release the SY22–23 Breakfast After the Bell Plan earlier this week so we could demonstrate the form during the webinar. We are finalizing some pieces of the approval process and had to cancel the 2/24 webinar.
We invite you to register for our March 10 webinar which will serve as the kickoff for BAB 22–23 planning! Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Register for the BAB: Designing Your Implementation Plan webinar
Date: Thursday, March 10
Time: 2–3 pm PT
Resources
Questions? Please email Mikhail Cherniske, CNS Legislative Specialist
As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Congress provided that none of the funds made available by the Appropriations Act or any other act may be used to restrict the offering of low-fat (1% fat) flavored milk in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) as long as such milk is not inconsistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines. Due to recent Congressional action, this flexibility allowing low-fat, flavored milk in the NSLP and SBP is now effective through March 11, 2022.
Also in the Appropriations Act, Congress provided that funds made available by the Appropriations Act cannot be used to procure raw or processed poultry products imported into the United States from the People’s Republic of China for use in the child nutrition programs. This prohibition is also extended through March 11, 2022.
For more information, please see this policy memo: Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs – REVISED. Please note, while the expiration date for these provisions is listed as September 30, 2021, in the memo, they have both been extended to March 11, 2022.
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines have been announced for FNS child nutrition programs.
These guidelines are to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program.
Download a copy of the SY 2022–23 Income Guidelines
Does your district offer summer school or other activities during the summer? If so, it’s time to start thinking about summer meals!
Who must provide summer meals?
Schools in the district offering summer programs of academic, enrichment, or remedial services and have 50% or more of the children enrolled in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. (RCW 28A.235.160)
Exemptions are provided by OSPI on a case-by-case basis and must be approved in advance.
Who else can provide summer meals?
School districts can operate the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at any school or site where 50% or more of the children living in the area qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This can be determined using school data or census data. Summer school sites must be open to all children, ages 0-18. Participation in meal service cannot be limited to summer school students.
Districts offering summer school at sites that do not qualify for SSO or SFSP or offering meals only to students enrolled in summer school may operate the NSLP/SBP. Under NSLP/SBP, a by-name meal count is required and meals must be claimed according to a student’s approved eligibility status.
What options does our district have when offering summer meals?
There are many resources to help you decide which option is best for your school or district:
Please be aware that the USDA nationwide waivers expire when your school year has ended. Once your school year has ended, please prepare to return to traditional summer program requirements.
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
The 2021–22 Washington Public School Data for Area Eligibility Report is now available.
This report may be used to establish area eligibility for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and the Afterschool Snack Program (ASP). Area eligibility may be assigned if school data indicates that the proposed meal site is located in an attendance area of a public school where at least 50% of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
The Area Eligibility in Child Nutrition Programs Reference Sheet provides more details on area eligibility.
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
House Bill 1660 (2020) introduced new requirements around fee waivers for students eligible for free or reduced-price meals or students enrolled in the College Bound Scholarship Program.
Associated Student Body (ASB) clubs and other extracurricular activities are considered local education programs. Annual parental consent is required before free or reduced-price eligibility information can be shared. This includes students who are eligible for fee waivers via their enrollment in the College Bound Scholarship Program (as eligibility for College Bound is based on eligibility for free or reduced-price meals).
Check out our updated resource, Implementing HB 1660 – Nutrition Services Reference Sheet for more information and helpful tips.
Questions? Please email Mikhail Cherniske, CNS Legislative Specialist.
The Washington School Nutrition Association (WSNA) places an emphasis on continuing education for school nutrition professionals.
Join the Virtual Spring Workshop!
Each year, WSNA hosts their annual Spring Workshop to bring everyone together for updates, connection, and continuing education credits! Register yourself or guest for only $15 per attendee!
Register for WSNA's Spring Workshop (on Zoom)
Date: Saturday, March 26
Time: 8:00 am–12:30 pm PT
Participants can earn up to 3.5 Continuing Education Credits for attending this event.
Mark Your Calendars
WSNA will be hosting their Annual Summer Conference in-person in Spokane on July 25–27! See you there!
Questions? Please email Mindy Cass, WSNA Executive Director for more details.
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 While the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) has an emphasis on raw produce, program operators can offer cooked vegetables up to 1x per week. This flexibility is a nice option to offer vegetables that aren’t typically consumed fresh.
In February students at Terminal Park Elementary had such an opportunity when they got to try roasted golden beets. Beets are a storage crop, a category of vegetables that store well long after harvest. Things like rutabaga, winter squash, and parsnips also fall into this category and are a nice option for FFVP. If your program has a farm to school focus, consider reaching out to producers in your area as they may have storage crops available in winter/late spring.
Thank you to Jarrett from Auburn for processing all those beautiful beets!
April orders open Wednesday, March 2, and will close Wednesday, March 9 at 4 pm.
Surplus orders open Thursday, March 10 at 1pm for groups 1–3, and 2 pm for all other groups. Surplus closes Friday, March 11, at 4 pm.
For more information on your group number, please review the SY 21–22 Order and Delivery Schedule.
Ordering
- To place an order - log-in to CNP Web.
- Your Food Distribution Application must be completed (including certified and submitted) before you can place an order.
- Ordering Instructions
- Reminder:
The Ordering and Receiving webpage has multiple resources to assist you in placing your ordering including; instructions, order and distribution schedule.
Important Reminders
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Confirmation of USDA Foods If you’re scheduled to receive a USDA Foods Delivery, you should receive an appointment confirmation from the carrier. Please remember to reply to the carrier confirming receipt of appointment.
- Deliveries
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To update or change your delivery contact person, please complete the Delivery Updates Form.
- Standard USDA food deliveries are wrapped and stacked on pallets no higher than approximately five feet and left at your loading dock for you to remove.
- Carriers will drop pallets at dock or just inside the threshold of your facility if the entrance can accommodate. Any request for removal of product from the pallet or asking the driver to enter the facility will require additional cost and must be arranged in advance.
- If there are delivery discrepancies or damages, you may return those cases with the driver.
Questions? Please email the Food Distribution Team.
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