It’s that time of the year where many of us will take a break from busy work schedules to spend the holidays with family and friends.
OSPI Child Nutrition Services will not be releasing a weekly newsletter on the following dates:
- Monday, November 21, 2022
- Monday, December 26, 2022
- Monday, January 2, 2023
Staff will be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance.
Thank you for all you do to provide nutritious meals to children in our state. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released information regarding a third round of Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funding.
Join us for a Webinar!
SCA funds must be used to purchase domestic, unprocessed, or minimally processed food products for the school meal programs. During this webinar, panelists from across Washington State will provide examples of working with local farmers, broadline distributors and food hubs.
Register for the Utilizing Supply Chain Assistance Funds webinar
Date: Wednesday, November 9
Time: 2–3 pm PT
This webinar will be recorded and posted to the Miscellaneous Trainings tile on the NSLP Public Trainings Moodle within two weeks after the webinar concludes.
Please keep an eye out in future newsletters for updated information.
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
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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, Tuesday, November 15. At 5 pm, WINS will log sponsors out of the system in order to run the monthly payment process and will not be available until after noon on Wednesday, November 16.
Best Practice - Submit claims early in case an error comes up and you need assistance.
October Building Data
General Claiming Reminders
- 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 October 60-day claim deadline is December 30, 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 22–23 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? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
Verification is the process of confirming free and reduced-price meal eligibility based on an application. The verification process begins each year on October 1 and concludes November 15. Results of the verification process (Verification Summary Report) must be submitted to Child Nutrition Services by February 1, 2023.
All Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that determine eligibility for meals using meal applications must conduct verification.
Please review the 9/26 Verification article for more information on Verification methods and materials to complete this requirement.
Timeline
Please use the Timeline for Completing Verification Tasks for complete details of completing this process.
Beginning of the school year to October 1: Process applications and run the direct certification list often. Ensure you have the most up to date information from the LEA Homeless Liaison and Head Start/ECEAP program administrators. Remove and file separately, paper applications for students that are directly certified for Basic Food, TANF, Migrant, FDPIR, Homeless, Head Start/ECEAP.
- October 1
- Count newly submitted applications for SY 22–23.
- Determine the Verification Method and select appropriate sample.
- Conduct a Second Party Confirmation Review or, if applicable, print waiver.
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October 1 – November 15 Send Verification notices. Conduct follow up attempts and send letters of adverse action as applicable
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Last Operating Day in October Count and record the number of newly eligible students in SY 22–23, who are:
- Directly certified for Basic Food
- Directly certified for Medicaid Free
- Directly certified for Medicaid Reduced
- Directly certified for TANF, Foster, FDPIR, Migrant, Homeless, Head Start/ECEAP
- Eligible for free meals; paper applications with case numbers and foster child
- Eligible for free meals; paper application – household size and income
- Eligible for reduced-price meals – household size and income
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Prior to February 1 Complete and submit the Verification Summary Report
Questions about the verification process? Please contact your program specialist.
With the operation of the traditional National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) resuming this school year, there have been questions and confusion surrounding unpaid meal charges and the effective date of eligibility.
What is the effective date of eligibility?
Eligibility for free or reduced-price meals is effective the day the food service department inputs the eligibility determination into their system. Eligibility may be determined by the appropriate liaison, application processing, or by downloading the Direct Certification list.
Can a Local Education Agency (LEA) forgive a student’s meal charges accrued prior to their approval for free or reduced-price meals?
It would be a local level decision whether the school district chooses to forgive the student’s debt. However, these losses must be restored using non-Federal funds. Per SP 23-2017, Non-Profit School Food Service Account (NSFSA) resources may not be used to cover costs related to the debt. Funds may come from the school district’s general fund, special funding from State or local governments, charitable donations, or any other non-Federal sources.
Is there a flexibility available to allow the effective date of eligibility to be backdated to help minimize unpaid meal charges?
LEAs may request flexibility from the State Agency to move the effective date of eligibility to an earlier date under certain circumstances. LEAs must request written approval from OSPI Child Nutrition Services to implement a Flexibility for Effective Date of Eligibility procedure. Review the 10/10 Eligibility Determinations Article for details on flexibilities and additional information.
Is there any flexibility for effective date of eligibility for students eligible during the 30-day carryover who reapplied after the 30th operating day and now have accrued meal debt?
No, there is no flexibility in effective date of eligibility that applies to this situation.
Resources:
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites you to participate in the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs training!
Join the Webinar
This one-hour session clarifies general Civil Rights requirements regarding meal modifications in the School Program.
Register for the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs webinar!*
Date: Tuesday, November 29
Time: 11 am–Noon PT
*Note: Select "WRO" as the regional office when registering.
Do you need an alternative format or accessibility tools to help you participate in this event? Automated Closed Captioning will be offered during this training. Participants who require different accessibility tools to participate should email Sheila Kopczynski by November 15 for assistance.
Standardized recipes are the gold standard for scratch cooking in Child Nutrition Programs. Learn more about recipe development and standardization in this new Moodle online learning module!
Designed with You in Mind
With short video modules, it is easy to pick up and put down as the demands of the kitchen allow. Short video slides introduce topics such as the components of a standardized recipe and the recipe development process, while in-kitchen videos demonstrate these concepts in a real life setting.
Access the Training Now
This new training can be found on the Recipe Development Training Moodle course. Please note: you must have a Moodle account to access this training.
This project was funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Team Nutrition Training Grant. Please send any feedback on this training module to Erica Lamson, Team Nutrition Grant Project Director.
The Washington State Legislature provided $150,000 to support grant for schools seeking to implement more plant-based meal options in school year 2022–2023. These funds will be distributed as competitive grants up to $10,000 per school district to be spent during SY 2022–23.
Who Can Apply?
All K-12 schools, including public, charter, and tribal compact schools, participating in the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program in Washington state are eligible to apply. All districts interested in making more plant-based entrees, sides, and/or dairy alternatives available to students on their menu are encouraged to apply.
Application and Grant Funding Resources
Apply Early!
Consider submitting your application in iGrants as soon as possible to assist CNS in approving your application so purchases can be finalized before the June 30, 2023, deadline.
Plant Based School Meals Grant (Form Package 245) due by 4pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
Why Serve Plant-Based School Meals?
There are a variety of benefits to serving plant-based school meal options, including:
- Supporting Student Health: Well-planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Additionally, many students follow plant-based diets for a variety of reasons.
- Serving Culturally Appropriate Meals: Providing plant-based menu offerings can make school meals more accessible to children following halal, kosher, and other specific cultural dietary practices.
- Supporting Local Agriculture: Washington has a bounty of local farmers and food businesses that are growing and selling plant-based protein foods, like lentils and soy products.
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Child Nutrition Financial Report (CNFR)
Private schools and residential child care institutions (RCCIs) participating in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Programs are required to complete and submit a Child Nutrition Financial Report (CNFR) annually. This includes sponsors that participate in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special Milk Program.
The CNFR reports the net resources for state fiscal year ending 2021 (July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022). The report is filed in Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) and is due by December 31, 2022.
Local Education Agencies who do not submit their CNFR in WINS by December 31 will receive a claim error when submitting claims after this date. Claims will remain in error status until the CNFR is in submitted status.
Resources
Report 1505 for School Districts with FSMC
Child nutrition sponsors with Food Service Management Companies (FSMC) and those with inter-district agreements are required to complete and submit a Financial Information Report (Form 1505) annually.
The financial information gathered in Form 1505 is used to complete the 1800 Report. The 1800 Report is a compilation of reports and statistics for public schools to evaluate the performance of their food service operations.
Form 1505 records the distribution of FSMC expenditures for school fiscal year ending August 31, 2022.
Submit your 1505 report to Hydie Kidd, Fiscal Supervisor by December 31, 2022.
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
You can now request free print copies of Team Nutrition materials. The following items are now available:
For Taste-Testing Events:
For School Lunch Events with Families (e.g., Thanksgiving Meals):
For Spinach and Sweet Potato Month
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USDA want's to celebrate the hard work you all do every day to make sure children are well-nourished and ready to succeed!
Nominate Your School's Meal
You all create menus that are not only nutritious, but also diverse, appealing, and exciting to students. USDA wants to highlight the meals you serve in their School Meals Trays, Many Ways collection!
These photographs highlight just some of the delicious meals from across the United States that students are lining up to eat!
Share your menu and tray picture with USDA's Team Nutrition team and nominate your meals today!
 Students at Clyde Hill Elementary in the Bellevue School District (BSD) recently had the opportunity to sample a new menu item before it was served as part of the Menu!
With the help of BSD's Interim Superintendent, Dr. Jarvis, students were able to sample Mediterranean flavors with the the chicken or chickpea gyro! This taste test was part of Bellevue School District's new Passport to Flavors of the World program.
The Results
Students had the opportunity to give the gyro sample a thumbs up or a thumbs down by putting their empty trays in labeled bins. By the end of lunch, it was clear there was an overwhelmingly positive response to this new menu item.
This is one of many opportunities that students will have during the school year to sample flavors from around the globe.
Great job to the BSD team for including feedback from your customers, and thank you for sharing!
Does your district do something to involve students in the menu decisions? Share your stories and pictures with us!
December orders opened Wednesday, November 2, and will close Wednesday, November 9, at 4 pm.
Surplus orders will open Thursday, November 10 at 1pm for groups 1 - 3, and 2 pm for all other groups. Surplus closes Monday, November 14, 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
- Review the messages on the CNP Web message board for a current list of product availability and shortages
- New Fees - Delivery Fee Schedule for SY 2022–23
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New - Minimum 20 cases per warehouse (dry vs frozen).
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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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
Fiscal Analyst 3- Recruitment closes November 27, 2022
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Please remember all shipping pallets must be returned to the delivery company. Please have your pallets available for pick up at the time of your next USDA Foods shipment.
Unreturned pallets can lead to increased shipping costs for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation.
Have a Broken Pallet?
If a pallet is broken, please do not return to the delivery company. Broken pallets can be a hazard to employees and also increase costs to you.
Questions? Please email Food Distribution team or call 360-725-6204.
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