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USDA’s Western Regional Office (WRO) recently sent out confirmation to state agencies that noncompetitive procurement (aka emergency procurement) applies to SFSP sponsors as well other Child Nutrition Program operators (2 CFR 200.320).
If an SFSP sponsor is experiencing public exigency or emergency circumstances, it is permitted to utilize the noncompetitive procurement method pursuant to 2 CFR 200.320(c).
Please note that although the public exigency or emergency reason has been the most commonly used during the pandemic and with supply chain issues, there are other situations in which noncompetitive procurement may take place.
Questions? Please contact the Summer Meals Team.
On March 7, 2021, President Biden passed Executive Order (EO) 14019. This Executive Order encourages agencies to consider ways to expand citizens' opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process.
Through the Child Nutrition Programs, operators have the ability to reach Americans to provide them with information about voting.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) encourages all State agencies administering the Child Nutrition Programs to provide local program operators with promotional materials, including voter registration and non-partisan, non-campaign election information, to disseminate among voting-age program participants and their families.
Ideas include, but are not limited to, encouraging:
- School food authorities administering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in high schools, and adult day care centers and emergency shelters participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to promote voter registration and election information among voting-age participants and use congregate feeding areas, such as cafeterias, or food distribution sites, as sites for the dissemination of information;
- Operators of the CACFP and the Summer Food Service Program to post flyers with voter registration and election information to reach parents and/or guardians of young participants; and
- All program operators to post information on their website and social media channels, and link to relevant resources, including vote.gov.
For a sample flyer please visit USAGov’s Quick Guide to Voting in 2020 as an example of information that may be used by program operators.
For State and local election websites please visit Find My State or Local Election Office Website.
The Child Nutrition Programs play an essential role in the health and development of our nation’s children, and can also play a role in enabling all Americans to participate in our democracy.
Join USDA's Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Civil Rights Division for the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in Community Nutrition Programs training!
Register for the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in Community Nutrition Programs Webinar
Date: Wednesday, April 6
Time: 10–11 am PT
OSPI Child Nutrition staff will be on the call to help answer questions. Please expect any follow up from this training to be released in an upcoming CNS Update.
Questions? Please email the SFSP Team.
Since the late 1970's, each legal entity that received funds from the U.S. Government was required to have a unique identifier called a DUNS number. On April 4, 2022, the federal government will be moving away from the DUNS Number as its official entity identifier and toward the new Unique Entity ID (SAM), which will be generated in SAM.gov.
All Child Nutrition Sponsors should already have their DUNS number registered at SAM.gov. If you do not know your SAM ID or have never registered for one, you can go to www.sam.gov to register for a new account and request your unique SAM ID in a few minutes.
Communication from CNS
If you received a survey link from OSPI titled “Needed Fiscal Information-SAM ID”, we were not able to find your SAM ID in the database at www.sam.gov. It is important that you obtain a SAM ID and complete this survey as soon as possible. We need to add a SAM ID for all Sponsors in WINS prior to our next federal reporting deadline.
Questions? Contact the Summer Meals team.
Who Must Attend Annual Training?
Training is required for all sponsors who wish to operate the SFSP. Sponsor administrators must attend training and then train all sponsor staff.
Training Requirements
Sponsors must complete the following training to operate the SFSP in summer 2022:
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Program Training
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New Sponsors are required to attend an in-person SFSP Annual Training. If you did not attend one of in-person trainings, please email the Summer Meals Team.
New SFSP sponsors must be assessed for VCA as part of the onboarding process (LEAs are exempt). It can take approximately three (3) months to assess VCA, and this must be done prior to submitting a SFSP application. If VCA is not determined by the federal application deadline of June 15, 2022, organizations will be not be able to move forward as a new SFSP sponsor this summer. Please review our 2/21 New Sponsors Article for more details.
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Returning Sponsors may attend the virtual SFSP Returning Sponsors Training (live or recorded) to meet their annual training requirements.
This live training will be recorded and posted to the SFSP Returning Sponsors Annual Training Moodle after closed captioning is complete. Please register below if you would like to attend the live Returning SFSP Sponsors training.
Register for the Virtual SFSP Returning Sponsor Annual Training
Date: Tuesday, April 5
Time: 1:30–3:30 pm PT
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Recorded Trainings
Recorded trainings will be completed in Moodle. Please keep an eye out for upcoming CNS Updates for information on when they will become available.
- Civil Rights* recorded training
- Procurement* recorded training
- Budget and Financial Viability, Capability, and Accountability (VCA)* training
*NOTE: Civil Rights & Procurement trainings can be waived if training was completed earlier in the year with another CNS program. Please keep documentation regarding training completed. The Budget and Financial Viability, Capability, and Accountability (VCA) training is not required for Local Education Agencies.
Please review the Intro to SFSP recorded training for details on program operations.
Additional Details
We anticipate WINS will open for SFSP applications in mid-April. More details will be available in the coming weeks.
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist or email the Summer Meals Team.
Do you believe in the power of good nutrition? Are you interested in assisting school districts and other institutions in providing children with healthy and nutritious meals? CNS is seeking skilled candidates for several positions. Does this sound like you? Apply to join the CNS team today!
Current Recruitments
Upcoming Recruitments
- Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Special Programs Supervisor
- Business Analyst
- Fiscal Specialist
- Fiscal Analyst
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