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This past May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced changes to the USDA nondiscrimination statement.
OSPI CNS has ordered updated And Justice for All Posters, we are currently waiting to receive these items and will announce when distribution will begin. Until you receive the updated posters, please continue using the 2019 And Justice for All poster in areas where participants may see it.
Questions? Please email the Child Nutrition inbox so we may assist.
Monthly claims are due by the 15th of each month following the claim period. All claims entered in WINS and in OK to Pay status will process for payment at the end of the month.
WINS will be available to input claims until 5:00 pm PT, Monday, August 15. At 5 pm, 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.
General Claiming Reminders
- Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Operators
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Correct your Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Meals claimed in excess of the CAP count for a site will result in a claim error. SSO sponsors should make Average Daily Attendance (ADA) revisions and have specialist approval prior to submitting monthly claims.
- Monthly claim data must be in "OK to Pay" status by 5:00 pm PT on the 15th.
- WINS will automatically log all users out of the system on the 15th of each month at exactly 5pm PT.
- Give yourself enough time to input all claiming data, preview errors, correct errors. Completing these steps will help you ensure the claim is in “OK to Pay” status.
- At 5 pm, the claim function is closed. This means that the system does not allow access to claims until after the monthly reconciliation process is complete. This can take up to two business days.
- Didn't submit your claim by the 15th? That's okay! Submit your monthly claim by the 60-day deadline.
- Example: The July 60-day claim deadline is September 29, 2022.
- Claim reimbursements that are not entered into WINS or not in OK to pay status will NOT process for payment by the end of the month.
- The 21–22 Claim Processing Dates Information Sheet takes weekends and holidays into consideration for the 60-day deadlines. You may want to print or bookmark this information.
- Refer to the Claims Reference Sheet for details on what to do if you don't submit your claims by the 60-day claim deadline.
- Errors must be resolved for claims to be paid. WINS has multiple edit checks to help resolve issues before your claim is submitted.
- WINS edit checks the number of approved operating days for each site to the number of operating days entered in the site claim. If these numbers don’t match, the claim will go into error status.
- Review the Claiming Error Messages in WINS Information Sheet for more details on possible errors.
- Pro-Tip: Always select “Preview Errors” at the bottom of each site claim once information is entered.
Claiming Resources
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
The Direct Certification system for SY 22–23 opened last week.
Students on the district list, confirmed near matches, and students found using the Student Search function are free and reduced-price meal eligible beginning SY 22–23.
Direct Certification is the process of matching Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) information with student enrollment in the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS). This helps Local Education Agencies (LEAs) identify students eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Students that are directly certified are not required to submit a meal application to their district.
Direct Certification is required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and must be conducted monthly under Washington state law. RCW 28A.235.280(3)
Students are directly certified for free or reduced-price meals because of participation in the following programs:
- Basic Food
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Foster Care
- Medicaid Programs (Only some Medicaid programs)
- Migrant Students
The direct certification list is in OSPI’s Education Data System (EDS). Locate the User Manual and other resources on the CNS webpages.
Potentially Enrolled and Definitely Enrolled Students
At the beginning of each year, each school district will not have students identified as definitely enrolled and the definitely enrolled list will be blank. Once the district data manager for EDS uploads CEDARS enrollment, usually around October 1, the definitely enrolled list will show.
In the meantime, local education agencies will use the potentially enrolled list to identify directly certified students. Potentially enrolled means the student may be enrolled in the school district for SY 22–23 but until district enrollment is submitted in CEDARS, it cannot be confirmed. Potentially enrolled students are directly certified for free and reduced-price meals.
For more details, please review the Direct Certification User Manual.
Exact Match, Near Match, and Unmatched Lists
Directly Certified students will appear in three ways in the system. OSPI uses a matching software system and establishes parameters for exact and near matches. All students that do not fit into the parameters are considered unmatched and are available in the student search function.
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Exact Match- The student meets matching parameters as an exact match and student is shown on the direct certification list.
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Near Match- The student is not an exact match, but enough information potentially matches a student in the district. LEAs must use district information to “confirm” the DSHS information matches enrollment information. The parameters for near matches are set to allow for only some students to show up on this list.
- LEAs should access the near match list and resolve all near matches before accessing the exact matches list. Resolved near matches become exact matches.
- The matching software for direct certification list has changed including the parameters for matching. As a result, we have noticed fewer near matches on district lists.
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Unmatched List- The unmatched list contains all students that cannot be matched with the software. Use the Student Search to find students in the Direct Certification system.
CNS encourages LEAs to use the Student Search often as a way to ensure all eligible children receive meal benefits.
Contact Information
Thank you to everyone who registered to join us for in-person training this week!
Virtual Training Coming Soon!
Annual Training topics are meant to enhance your knowledge about the School Meal Programs. This year we have taken most of our in-person trainings (excluding networking sessions) and recorded them for you to view at your convenience!
Who Should Access These Trainings?
Anyone is able to access them! You must have a Moodle Account to access these annual trainings once they become available.
We encourage you to maximize upon this opportunity and gain Professional Standards Credits by viewing all the trainings, even if you attend in-person training.
How Can I Access These Recorded Trainings?
These trainings are currently being closed captioned. Once they become available, they will be posted to the School Meal Programs Annual Training Moodle course
More details will be released when the trainings become available. Keep an eye out for upcoming newsletter articles!
Questions? Please email Sam Brueske, Training and Communications Specialist.
OSPI has awarded funds to program sites to operate the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in SY 22–23. A total of 225 schools have been offered grant funds to increase access to fresh produce as well as provide nutrition education. Congratulations to recipients! Awarded sites and funding amounts can be viewed on the FFVP webpage.
Annual Training Requirement
Training is required to participate in this program.
Questions? Please email Rachel Floyd, Special Programs Specialist.
Sponsors who contract with Food Service Management Companies (FSMCs) and/or vendors for program year 2022–23 are required to complete their Fact Sheet(s) in WINS prior to filing their first claim.
As a part of your application process, if you contract for food services with FSMC or prepackaged/unitized meals with a vendor, you are required to complete FSMC/Vendor Fact Sheet(s) in WINS before you can begin to claim for 2022–23 program year. The fact sheet must be submitted and approved before you enter your first claim in WINS. Otherwise the claim will go into error status.
If you have questions, please email Jeff Booth, Audit and Financial Manager.
Register for a Webinar!
The USDA is hosting Unpaid Meals: Best Practices to Ensure Student Access to Meals. This webinar will feature panelists who will share proactive strategies to prevent and manage unpaid meal charges as schools return to standard counting and claiming in SY 2022-2023. Participants will also have an opportunity to engage in a question and answer session after the presentation.
Register for the Introducing the USDA Unpaid Meals webinar
Date: Wednesday, August 24
Time: 11 am–12 pm PT
Do you need an alternative format or accessibility tools to help you participate in this event? The USDA Child Nutrition Programs would like to share that this webinar will be offered with closed captioning. Participants who require a different accessibility tool to participate in this webinar, please reach out by Friday, August 19, 2022, to Sheila Kopczynski, FNS-RAC.
The WA Department of Ecology’s Waste Not Washington School Award Program is now open and accepting applications for the 2023 funding cycle!
Is your school or your school district interested in implementing a waste reduction program in your cafeterias or classrooms? This program awards schools with up to $5,000 for projects in waste reduction, recycling, and composting and requires no matching funds.
Feel free to browse a document of Examples of Waste Reduction Programs to see what kinds of programs have been implemented or are suggested.
Applications are due by 5:00 PM on September 30, 2022.
How To Apply
The application processes was updated to streamline submissions for schools and now no longer requires a submission through the online portal. Instead, simply:
- Read the School Award Guidelines to ensure you are familiar with what is required of applicants (Please note- these guidelines will be updated August 2nd to reflect changes to the program)
- Download the fillable PDF application, available on the Waste Not Washington School Awards webpage
- Complete the section for the award category you are applying for
- Once complete, email this form and any supporting documents to schoolawards@ecy.wa.gov
- You’ll receive an email within 1 business day confirming the receipt of your application
Changes from Last Year
Please be aware that while prior years have allowed nonprofits and local governments to apply to the Creative Curriculum Award category, they are no longer allowing any entity other than a school or school district to apply for these awards. With that in mind, they highly encourage interested nonprofits and local governments to partner with schools in their application and programs to ensure success and a robust program! Partners can assist schools with their applications, provide guidance throughout the process, and provide support through technical assistance or matching funds to ensure our schools are set up for success.
Additional Resources
Feel free to browse this list of additional resources for past, current, and future applicants on Ecology’s School Awards webpage under our “Additional Resources” drop down menu item towards the bottom of the page.
Stay In the Loop
Join WA Department of Ecology's email list to stay informed about the Waste Not Washington School Awards!
Questions? If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out directly to the Department of Ecology or call Heather Church at 509-202-6946.
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Join USDA Team Nutrition Staff and guest speakers as they share how to energize, strengthen, and assess local school wellness policies. Attendees will leave with new ideas for increasing engagement and excitement about school wellness in their communities, including among administrators, teachers, parents, students, and more.
Register for the Meal Talk: Local School Wellness Policies webinar
Date: Wednesday, August 17
Time: 12–1 pm PT
Additional Information
- This webinar may count toward USDA Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs, Key Area 4000: Communications and Marketing and Key Topics 4100: Communications and Marketing.
- The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Commission on Dietetic Registration has also approved this webinar for 1.0 hours of Continuing Professional Education Units (CPEUs).
- Team Nutrition will provide certificates of participation to individuals who attend the entire webinar.
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Do you need an alternative format or accessibility tools to help you participate in this event? Participants who require a different accessibility tool to participate in this webinar, please email Sheila Kopczynski by for assistance.
- Interested in watching recorded Team Nutrition trainings on other CACFP Topics? Visit the CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays webpage.
Questions regarding the webinar? Please reach out to the Team Nutrition inbox.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Farm to School Program released the revised Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Guide, which provides an overview of federal procurement principles and covers topics related to sourcing and purchasing local foods for child nutrition program operators.
This guide highlights a variety of mechanisms sponsors can use to purchase local products while staying in accordance with federal procurement regulations.
Featured are examples of how to target local foods when conducting both formal and informal procurements, use the Geographic Preference option to enhance local purchasing.
To access the revised Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Guide along with other local procurement resources for child nutrition program operators, visit USDA's Procuring Local Foods webpage.
September orders opened Wednesday, August 3, and will close Wednesday, August 10, at 4 pm.
Surplus orders will open Thursday, August 11 at 1pm for groups 1 - 3, and 2 pm for all other groups. Surplus closes Friday, August 12, at 4 pm.
For more information on your group number, please review the SY 2022–23 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:
- New Fees - Delivery Fee Schedule for SY 2022–23 will be released in the coming weeks.
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New - Minimum 20 cases per warehouse (dry vs frozen).
- Due to increased labor and production cost, several processors issued price increases starting in the November order period. Please review the 10/11 W-Code Price Increase Article for more details.
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 Office or call 360-725-6204.
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| July 7 |
SY 22–23 Renewal Application Opened in WINS |
| August 8–9 |
SY 22–23 School Meal Programs In-Person Annual Training |
| August 10 |
September USDA Foods Orders Close in CNPweb
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| August 15 |
July Claims Due in WINS |
| August 29 |
June 60-day Claiming Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim |
| August 30 |
RCCIs - Deadline to Submit SY 22–23 Renewal Application |
| September 30 |
LEAs - Deadline to Submit SY 22–23 Renewal Application |
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