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Local Education Agency(LEA) applications for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) are due next Friday, September 30.
Please follow the instructions provided in the bulletins to ensure the renewal process is complete. The NSLP/SBP Renewal Application Checklist can be used as a guide to complete the application.
For links to bulletins and their attachments, please review the 7/18 Renewal Article.
General Reminders
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SY 22-23 Document Submission Form
The SY 22–23 Document Submission Form must be submitted in addition to the WINS application. Additional information submitted through the form includes:
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Milk Substitute Notification: Sponsors are required to notify OSPI Child Nutrition of their intent to provided a milk substitute to children outside of those with a documented medical need.
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Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Waiver Election: Sponsors are required to notify OSPI Child Nutrition Services of their intent to waive the requirement to raise paid lunch prices.
- August Operating Dates
Resources
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) gives all students the opportunity to eat a nutritious meal at the beginning of the day. Many low-income students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals face barriers to participation in school breakfast programs. When all students have better access to breakfast, participation increases, eliminating some of the stigma attached to eligibility for free and reduced-price meals.
Join Us for a Webinar
Come learn about positive outcomes for students and schools as well as how to overcome common challenges with BAB! This webinar will focus on how teachers, principals, and building staff can collaborate with food services to create and sustain successful BAB programs.
Register for the Breakfast After the Bell - Collaborate to Overcome Challenges Webinar
Date: Thursday, September 22
Time: 4–5 pm PT
Resources
Questions? Please email Mikhail Cherniske, Legislative Programs Specialist.
With so many districts opting into the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), we have been working to create some new resources, including Notice of Eligibility Letters for the Family Income Survey and an updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.
Join us for a CEP Webinar!
During this webinar, we will review the yearly timeline of operating under CEP, best practices, and common questions. Additionally, we will share old and new resources.
Register for the SY 22–23 CEP Webinar
Date: Wednesday, September 28
Time: 1:30–3:00 pm PT
What Are Your Next Steps When Operating CEP?
Notify households about CEP operation and the availability of breakfast and lunch meals at no cost.
- Ensure that an accurate meal counting system is in place that includes safeguards to prevent second meals from being counted and claimed.
- Connect with the department in charge of distributing the Family Income Survey and share resources provided on the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Provision 2 webpage and Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Title I, Part A webpage.
- Serve all students at participating school(s) breakfast and lunch at no cost for the 4-year cycle.
Resources
It's More Than the Family Income Survey Toolkit- This toolkit is designed to help districts promote the importance of families filling out the Family Income Survey each year. The information collected on these forms can help schools receive funding for important programs.
Family Income Survey- Notice of Eligibility for Reduced Fees:
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released several tools, resources, and webinars to assist with the upcoming school year.
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USDA Back-to-School Media Toolkit webpage features sample social media posts, downloadable flyers and fact sheets and video soundbites from USDA's Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity on topics such as the importance of school meals and what parents need to know about School Meals.
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USDA and the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) present Tips and Tools for Produce Safety Training. This webinar will share resources for training others on produce safety.
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Supply Chain Assistance Best Practices Webinar will provide best practices on how these funds have been used to enhance local school districts’ ability to purchase foods for school meals. These additional resources are supporting schools through supply chain challenges.
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Meal Talk: Taste-Test Events Webinar will share tools, tips, strategies, success stories, and best practices related to hosting taste-test events with elementary and secondary school students. Attendees will hear about new ideas and tools for conducting taste-test events as well as strategies for incorporating taste-test results into menu planning.
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Transitioning to Standard Child Nutrition Operations in School Year (SY) 2022–23 Resources
October 1-31: National Farm to School Month
Celebrate by offering farm to school activities at least once or all month long! Some ideas include: taste tests, nutrition education, farm visits, and garden harvest parties!
Serving local food items as part of your menu is another great idea way to celebrate! More ideas and specific resources are found on National Farm to School Network’s website.
OSPI and USDA support the use of Farm to School activities in your program. In fact, they’re considered a best practice!
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October 5: Taste Washington Day!
Taste Washington Day is a celebration of your Farm to School efforts! October is National Farm to School Month. So it’s a great time to highlight all of your Farm to School activities.
How can your school district participate?
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Sign your district up online and share your plans!
- The WSDA Farm to School program will help connect you with farms in your area.
- Serve breakfast or lunch with local ingredients on October 5 (or another day in October).
- Celebrate with some Farm to School activities, such as:
- Market your Washington grown ingredients by displaying posters or special salad bar signs (See WSDA Farm to School Toolkit or Team Nutrition websites)
- Do a Washington Apple Crunch
- Invite Farmers to the cafeteria
- Do a local foods taste test
- Partner with teachers or school gardeners to teach a lesson on nutrition and agriculture
Questions? Email Annette Slonim, WSDA Farm to School Lead or call 206-714-2757.
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October 5 at Noon: Washington Apple Crunch
The statewide Apple Crunch also occurs on October 5 and purchasing local apples for the Crunch can count towards both events! Taste Washington Day is a great way to kick-off Farm to School Month! Celebrate with us on October 6 and count the efforts towards your participation in Farm to School Month!
Print and send home the 2022 Apple Crunch Flyer with info about how to do the apple crunch, and Washington apple facts!
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October 10–14, 2022: National School Lunch Week
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves nearly 30 million children every school day in cafeterias, classrooms, and when necessary, even at home! National School Lunch Week highlights the importance of school lunch as well as the critical role school nutrition professionals play in helping children succeed.
This year’s theme is Peace, Love, & School Lunch
How to participate?
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Join the USDA Meal Talk: Taste-Test Events Webinar on Wednesday, October 12! During this webinar, speakers will share tools, tips, strategies, success stories, and best practices related to hosting taste-test events with elementary and secondary school students. Attendees will hear about new ideas and tools for conducting taste-test events as well as strategies for incorporating taste-test results into menu planning. Register for the USDA Meal Talk: Taste-Test Events Webinar | Date: Wednesday, October 12 | Time: Noon–1pm PT
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Deck out your cafeteria with NSLW posters and other artwork portraying nutritious lunch foods. This is a great opportunity to make use of the annual theme to highlight lunchtime favorites.
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Share your upcoming celebration on social media! Download the official #NSLW22 social media graphics to start promoting.
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Get in touch with local personalities! Invite teachers, administrators or even your school principal to stand in as guest servers for lunch one day.
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Offer a tasting of new menu items and talk to students about the nutritious benefits they get from certain foods.
Visit the NSLW22 webpage for additional tools and resources!
Share Your Celebration with the School Nutrition Association!
We Want to Celebrate YOU!
Send pictures and stories of your Farm to School Month celebrations to the School Meals Team inbox!
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Child Nutrition Services is looking for members for the SY 22–23 & SY 23–24 School Meal Programs Advisory Council
The CNS Advisory Council is a voluntary group, comprised of a diverse group of sponsors from different geographic regions, size representation, and meal production methods. The purpose of this advisory council is to provide a forum for collaboration and understanding between OSPI and sponsors of the School Meal Programs.
While not a decision making authority, the advisory council will serve a critical role by:
- Providing input on and sharing of best practices;
- Providing input on training and resource needs;
- Engaging in peer to peer learning and peer support.
Submit Your Interest Form Today!
If you are interested in participating in this group, please complete this interest form by Friday, October 7, 2022.
Member Selection
Member selection will be based on size, geographical location, meal production method, and type sponsor type, to best represent sponsors in Washington. Sponsors may volunteer and/or be invited by OSPI CNS. OSPI CNS will make final decision on members. Advisory Council members agree to be honest, transparent and respectful in their dialogue with other Advisory Council members and while representing the Advisory Council.
Questions? Please email the School Meals team inbox.
Using “share tables” is an innovative strategy to encourage the consumption of nutritious foods and reduce food waste in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
About Share Tables
Policy Memo SP 41-2016, CACFP 13-2016, SFSP 15-2016 provides information about share tables and gives an overview of the food safety requirements child nutrition program operators must follow when choosing to include share tables in their meal service.
Share tables allow food or beverage items to be reused in a number of ways, depending on the Program’s preference:
- Children may take an additional helping of a food or beverage item from the share table at no cost;
- Food or beverage items left on the share table may be served and claimed for reimbursement during another meal service (i.e., during an afterschool program when leftover from a school lunch); and/or
- Food or beverage items may be donated to a non-profit organization, such as a community food bank, homeless shelter or other non-profit charitable organization (see Memo Policy SP 11-2012, CACFP 05-2012, SFSP 07-2012: Guidance on the Food Donation Program in Child Nutrition Programs)
Reminder that share tables are not for adult consumption or to be used for programs outside of child nutrition, with the exception of food donation outlined in the above policy.
The revised WA state food code also talks about share tables on page 40 of the document.
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
The Direct Certification system for SY 22–23 opened earlier this month.
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)
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.
Contact Information
Preparation for applying for grant projects takes time. We wanted to share some upcoming opportunities so you can start planning for your projects now.
Child Nutrition Services will have the following grants available in the coming months. These grants will be available in the OSPI iGrants system.
- Breakfast Meals for Kids Grant (planned release date: November 2022)
- A state funded grant to start or expand the School Breakfast Program.
- Applicants must be a public school district, charter school or tribal compact school and have an approved application or be in the approval process to operate the USDA School Breakfast Program. This grant may also be utilized to purchase or renew a license for nutrient analysis software used to support the School Breakfast Program.
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Grant Criteria- Start or expand the School Breakfast Program
- Grant funds must be utilized by June 30, 2023.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Equipment Assistance Grant (planned release date: January 2023)
- A federally-funded grant for equipment that costs $1,000 or more per unit.
- Applicants must be a public or private school, charter school, tribal or tribal compact school, or a residential child care institution and have an approved application to operate the USDA National School Lunch Program.
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Grant Criteria- Purchase equipment to serve healthier school meals, improve food safety, and help support the establishment, maintenance, or expansion of the School Breakfast Program.
- This grant has a 2-year project period and is suited for complex projects and long lead times for equipment. Grant funds must be utilized by September 30, 2024.
Note: For both grants, construction costs are not an allowable cost and must be paid for by the Local Education Agency.
Getting Ready to Apply
- Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure your project meets the needs of your students.
- Ensure to work with administration so you can get proper approvals for your project.
- Start gathering complete specifications for the equipment needed and estimate the complete cost for the grant application. You’ll need the following:
- Three quotes from potential suppliers
- Tax, shipping/freight
- Cost of installation
- Review the CNS Grant Writing Tips and Tricks Reference Sheet for important reminders and considerations.
Questions? Please email the CNS Grants team inbox.
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Upcoming Scratch Cooking Recipe Development Trainings
At this free, half-day training, you’ll learn the basics of recipe standardization from how to find and analyze a starting recipe through taste testing and scaling to volume. Other useful scratch cooking topics such as determining crediting information, using local ingredients, and how to promote your new recipes will also be covered.
Register Today!
This training will be most useful for nutrition professionals responsible for scratch recipe development and menu planning.
Each participant must register for the event using their own pdEnroller account.
Funding for this training is provided by a USDA Team Nutrition Grant. For additional information about this or other Team Nutrition Grant activities email Erica Lamson, Team Nutrition Grant Coordinator.
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