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At the Sponsor level, the person(s) responsible for oversight of the CACFP is required to attend annual CACFP training provided by OSPI CNS Specialists each year. CACFP Sponsors are responsible for providing required CACFP training to their staff.
Staff Training Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What are the required CACFP training topics that must be included in annual staff training?
- CACFP Meal Patterns
- Meal Counts
- Claims Submission
- Recordkeeping Requirements
- Civil Rights
- Program Updates (as needed)
- Reimbursement Process
Available Resources
- Utilize the Reference sheets that have been developed to outline the required training topics
- Review available videos, webinars, reference sheets and handouts that are available on OSPI’s website that can enhance your staff training – check each year to be sure you are sharing the most current information and resources.
- The Biweekly CNS Update also shares training offerings and current programmatic information.
2. What if there are topics listed on the required training that staff are not responsible for?
- When providing training to staff, some topics may require in-depth training while other topics may need a high-level overview. For example, an extensive training of the CACFP Meal Patterns maybe provided to all staff, whereas a general overview of the reimbursement process may be sufficient so staff can understand how their job relates to that process. Additional training on this topic may be necessary for other staff who submit claims or have more fiscal responsibilities.
- It is important to cross train staff in all CACFP roles & responsibilities. During staffing shortages current staff may need to step into different roles. Cross-training ensures successful CACFP operation will continue
3. When staff are hired, do they need the required training if they missed the annual training?
- Ensure that CACFP training is part of your onboarding/new hire process. Include a section dedicated to CACFP in your organization’s orientation manual or develop a current PowerPoint they can view. This will make certain all staff have received the required CACFP training in a timely manner.
4. What if you observe staff not following the CACFP systems that you trained on?
- It may be necessary to provide training more frequently than annually. You can conduct short follow up trainings as needed at a staff meeting or on a one-on-one basis.
5. Is training documentation required?
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Best Practice: Maintain a binder with:
- Copy of training attestations submitted in the WINS Sponsor Application
- Training Sign-in sheet
- Training Agenda (include topics and date)
- Training materials provided
- CACFP policies and procedures
- CACFP role assignments
- Documentation for CACFP trainings
Are you a Sponsoring Organization with 2 or more sites and would like more information?
In February all Specialists will be providing instruction for multi-site Sponsoring Organizations in regards to administrative requirements for training during their office hours. Sponsoring Organizations of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that serve meals to program participants at more than one site or one or more legally separate sites have additional program responsibilities compared to sponsoring organizations that only have one site that is part of the same legal entity. To attend see the CNS article this week about office hours.
Sponsoring Organization Administrative Requirements for Training Learning Objectives:
- Importance of the Management Plan
- The performance standards
- Monitoring Requirements
- How to use the OSPI monitoring form
- Identification of “key” staff, their CACFP roles & responsibilities
- Training requirements
Questions? Please contact your CACFP Specialist or visit the CACFP Requirements and Materials webpage.
 CACFP week is coming! To celebrate, Child Nutrition Services at OSPI is joining the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) for its annual national education and information campaign. This campaign is designed to raise awareness of how the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) works to combat hunger and bring healthy foods to the table for participants of child care centers, adult day care services and day care homes across the country.
Help celebrate CACFP Week!
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Submit nomination(s) for CACFP Excellence Award(s) (and/or)
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Tell/show us what CACFP Means to you!
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Read Daily CACFP Resource Packets
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Attend a live NCA webinar for each weekday of CACFP Week
CACFP Excellence Award
Who is eligible to receive the CACFP Excellence Award?
Any individual or organization participating in the CACFP (centers, homes, schools, emergency shelters, food banks, etc.) or CACFP Sponsoring Organization can receive this award.
CACFP Excellence Categories include:
- Excellence in Foodservice
- Excellence in Nutrition Education
- Excellence in Mealtime
- Excellence in Menu Planning
- Excellence in Leadership
- Excellence in Innovation
- Excellence in Inclusion
- Excellence in Oversight
Submit your Excellence Award Nomination Here by Friday, March 3
Tell/show us what CACFP means to you!
Submit statements, artwork, photos, or quotes to describe what CACFP means to you, your staff/organization and the families you serve.
Submit your CACFP Testimonial Here by Friday, March 3
Read CACFP Resource Packets
Read the CACFP Resource Packets that will be curated by CACFP Specialists and sent each weekday of CACFP week. These packets will contain valuable information along with some fun activities/resources.
Attend a live NCA webinar for each weekday of CACFP Week
These webinars are centered around the themes of Community, Advocacy, Children, Food Program and Participate.
Monday, March 13 – Community: Building Healthy Bodies with the Foods We Serve
Tuesday, March 14 - Advocacy: Good News! Sharing Your CACFP Story
Wednesday, March 15 - Children: Healthy & Strong with Sesame Street
Thursday, March 16 - Food Program: Explore New Foods with a Taste Testing Adventure
Friday, March 17 - Participate: Tools & Resources for CACFP Success
Register for Live Webinars Here and for NCA CACFP Week Resources
CACFP Excellence Award recipients and CACFP Testimonials will be highlighted the week of March 12 in our CNS Update as well as in a special edition CACFP Excellence Awards communication.
Food establishments will be required to have at least one employee with a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate starting on March 1, 2023, per WAC 246-215-02107.
This includes unlicensed facilities such as LEA & community based At-Risk centers, nonresidential adult care facilities and emergency shelters.
Facilities that are licensed (DCYF, Military, or Tribal) are exempt from this requirement.
The CFPM’s responsibilities include training managers and staff, implementing a food safety program, and ensuring food safety requirements and procedures are followed. A CFPM is not required to be employed at each site. One employee may be the CFPM for all sites within an organization (such as the Food Service Director). If the CFPM leaves employment, a new CFPM must be on staff within 60 days.
The CFPM certificate must be obtained through an ANSI accredited organization. You can view a list of accredited organizations that issue food protection manager certifications on the Washington Department of Health’s (DOH) website. National Restaurant Association ServSafe, Food Protection Manager Training meets the CFPM certification requirements.
Resources:
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Each month your regional staff will be holding office hours. Specialists will start office hours by providing important CACFP updates and reminders. During the remainder the session, specialists will provide technical assistance and training around specific CACFP topics. If a specialist outside of your region is hosting office hours with a topic of interest to you, please feel free to join! |
In February all Specialists will be providing training for multi-site Sponsoring Organizations in regards to administrative requirements for training. Sponsoring organizations of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that serve meals to program participants at more than one site or one or more legally separate sites have additional program responsibilities compared to sponsoring organizations that only have one site that is part of the same legal entity.
Sponsoring Organization Administrative Requirements for Training Learning Objectives:
- Importance of the Management Plan
- Performance standards
- Monitoring requirements
- How to use the OSPI monitoring form
- Identification of “key” staff, their CACFP roles & responsibilities
- Training requirements
Office Hours Schedule
Specialist: Andy Weaver, Region 6
Topic: Recordkeeping
Date 2/27/2023 Time: 1:00 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Eddie Griffin, Region 7
Topic: Monitoring
Date 2/15/2023 Time: 11:00 AM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Jeannette Green, Region 3
Topic: Recordkeeping
Date 2/17/2023 Time: 12:30 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Molly Gleason, Region 4
Topic: Whole Grain-Rich Documentation
Date 2/26/2023 Time: 1:30 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Samantha Evans, Region 2
Topic: Special Dietary Needs
Date 2/17/2023 Time: 11:00 AM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Teresa Diaz, Region 1
Topic: Creating Policies & Procedures
Date 2/21/2023 Time: 1:30 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Arianne McConchie, Region 5&9
Topic: Menu Planning Resources
Date 2/15/2023 Time: 2:00 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
Specialist: Tina Bischoff, Region 8
Topic: Required Staff Training
Date 2/13/2023 Time: 4:00 PM Click Here to Join the Meeting
USDA Child Nutrition Program sponsors have the responsibility to inform applicants, participants, grassroots organizations, and potentially eligible persons of the program availability, changes in your programming, your rights and responsibilities as a program operator, the policy of non-discrimination, and the procedure for filing a complaint. Public notification responsibilities include websites or webpages used for the promotion of the Child Nutrition Programs (i.e., nutrition services homepage).
What is required to be posted on websites?
Sponsors must post:
- The updated USDA Child Nutrition Programs Non-Discrimination Statement
- All information materials and sources, including websites, used by program operators that inform the public about the Child Nutrition Programs must contain the full USDA nondiscrimination statement. It is not required that the nondiscrimination statement be included on every page of the program information website. At a minimum, main landing pages must either have the full nondiscrimination statement, or a link that directs to the full statement on the organization’s website.
- Nondiscrimination statements must be available in a language that users understand, include links in the target language as appropriate. The USDA Nondiscrimination Statement is in the process of being translated into 22 languages.
- Information regarding Child Nutrition Programs in languages commonly encountered
- Operators and sponsors are required to take reasonable steps to ensure program access and benefits to individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). All materials vital to participation must be provided to families at no cost.
- An already translated tagline must be provided at the bottom of your documents and on webpages for families that may need interpretation services. The LEP – Important Information to Translate Notice Reference Sheet includes two tagline options that are already translated into frequently encountered languages in our state.
- Information regarding accommodating disabilities and special dietary needs in the Child Nutrition Programs
- Sponsors must make reasonable accommodations to meal(s) on a case-by-case basis to accommodate disabilities which restrict a child’s diet. Your organization’s Special Dietary Accommodations procedure and Request Form must be publicly available on a program webpage.
- Reference the Special Dietary Needs Reference Sheet for additional information on requirements. OSPI has developed a Request Form for Special Dietary Accommodations that has been translated into seven languages.
- Details on how to file a Civil Rights complaint, including complaint procedures
- Program operators must have separate procedures and logs for handling and documenting USDA Child Nutrition Program Civil Rights complaints. The Civil Rights Complaint Procedure must be publicly available on the program’s webpage.
- All civil rights complaints related to the USDA Child Nutrition Programs must be forwarded to the USDA or to OPSI for forwarding to the USDA. OSPI has developed a sample Civil Rights Complaint Procedure and Complaint Log.
Resources:
Questions? Contact your Program Specialist.
USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative is pleased to announce the release of two slightly revised Nibbles for Health: Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children (“Nibbles for Health Newsletters”). The English and Spanish versions of the following newsletters have been updated to replace “servings” with “ounce equivalents”:
- “Child Care: What Will My Child Eat?” English l Spanish
- “Healthy Snacks with Smiles” English l Spanish
To view the full collection of Nibbles for Health Newsletters, visit www.fns.usda.gov/tn/nibbles.
Questions about this announcement may be sent to TeamNutrition@USDA.gov.
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Ya están disponibles los boletines actualizados de Mordiscos para la salud
La iniciativa Team Nutrition del USDA se complace en anunciar la publicación de dos boletines informativos de nutrición para padres de niños pequeños de la colección de Mordiscos para la salud. Las versiones en inglés y español de los siguientes boletines se han actualizado para sustituir “porciones” por “onzas equivalentes”:
- “Cuidado infantil: ¿qué comerá mi niño?” Español l Inglés
- “Meriendas saludables con sonrisas” Español l Inglés
Para ver la colección completa de boletines de “Mordiscos para la salud”, visite www.fns.usda.gov/es/tn/nibbles.
Las preguntas sobre este anuncio pueden enviarse a TeamNutrition@USDA.gov.
“New and updated Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten materials are now available from USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative!
These fun resources foster the development of healthy food choices and physically active lifestyles during a critical developmental and learning period for children—kindergarten. Now with more recipes, food cards, and emergent readers at fns.usda.gov/tn/discover-myplate-nutrition-education-kindergarten.”
Mensaje de muestra para ayudar a correr la voz
“¡Los materiales nuevos y actualizados de Descubre MiPlato: educación nutricional para el jardín de niños ya están disponibles a través de la iniciativa de Team Nutrition del USDA!
Estos recursos divertidos fomentan el desarrollo de opciones de alimentos saludables y estilos de vida físicamente activos durante un período crítico de desarrollo y aprendizaje para los estudiantes en el jardín de niños. Ahora hay más recetas, tarjetas de alimentos y libros para lectores principiantes en fns.usda.gov/es/tn/discover-myplate-nutrition-education-kindergarten.”
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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 Recruitment
Administrative Program Specialist (In Training) Candidate Pool- Recruitment is ongoing
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While it may not be a great time to start a garden at your center or plant seeds in the ground, winter is a great time to plan for future gardening efforts. Whole Kids Foundation’s Garden Grant Programs can help your center turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity and support classroom curriculum.
Check out the Garden Grant FAQs for basic information about the program and how to apply for the grant. Whole Kids Foundation is hosting a Garden Grant Q&A Webinar on Wednesday February 15, 2023 12 PM PST where you can get your application questions answered.
Did you know you can purchase items using your nonprofit food service account to purchase seeds, fertilizer, watering cans, rakes, etc, to grow food if used as part of a reimbursable meal? The one requirement is that sponsors document the weight of the produce harvested and utilized in meals.
Food grown in the garden can also be a great tool to teach healthy eating habits. Harvest for Healthy Kids activity kits are available for free on their website. The kits connect young children with fresh food grown close to home through science, math, and literacy activities. The kit includes hands-on activities with different fruits and vegetables, colorful picture cards, newsletters for families and background information for adults. All Harvest for Healthy Kids activities are aligned with early learning standards and have been rigorously evaluated.
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The 2022-23 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 Program Reference Sheet provides more details on area eligibility.
Questions? Please contact your program specialist.
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health was a great success due to valuable input provided by conference participants across the country. For more information about the conference, action steps and goals moving forward, please review the following:
Post-Conference Updates
To keep momentum of the Conference, please join the Biden-Harris administration for their first post-Conference monthly update.
Register for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Monthly Update session
Date: Wednesday, February 22
Time: 12:30 - 1:00 pm PT
Register now to attend free, live, interactive training sessions for child nutrition professionals offered by the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN). These virtual training sessions feature individual lessons led by ICN's expert trainers on important topics for child nutrition professionals in child care programs.
Trainings will be held in January–March 2023. Some of the child care trainings include:
- Food Safety in Child care (4 hours)
- Introductions to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care Settings (4 hours)
- Norovirus in Child Care (2 hours)
- Training Culturally Diverse Groups (4 hours)
- Basic Culinary Math (4 hours)
For a list of trainings as well as training dates and times, please visit ICN’s VILT Registration page.
Registration is limited to 25 participants per session, and training sessions will fill up quickly.
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February 15
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January Claims Due in WINS
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February 27
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Semi-Monthly Newsletter Released
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March 1
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December 60-day Claiming Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your claim
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March 3
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CACFP Excellence Award Nominations/Testimonials Due
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March 12-18
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National CACFP Week
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