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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, Saturday, April 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 April 17.
Best Practice: Submit claims early in case an error comes up and you need assistance.
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 February 60-day claim deadline is May 1, 2023.
- 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.
Do you have a question about what purchases are allowable using SCA funding? Unsure what qualifies as minimally processed?
Join OSPI CNS at 3pm the 2nd Wednesday of each month to discuss all things SCA funds! The agenda for each meeting is as follows:
3:00 – 3:05 PM: Introductions
3:05 – 3:10 PM: SCA Funds Overview
3:10 – 3:30 PM: Open forum Q & A
3:30 – 3:50 PM: Guest Speaker
3:50 – 4:00 PM: Guest Speaker Q & A
April’s Guest Speaker will be Michelle Perkins, Regional Sales Lead with Northwest Food Hub Network and Kitchen Sync Strategies. She will discuss how to work with a food hub to source local, raw, and minimally processed products as well as what forward contracting with producers can look like for next year using the SCA funds.
Register for the SCA Funds Office Hours Here
The Proposed Rule Child Nutrition Programs: Revision to Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published in the Federal Register.
Based on the latest nutrition science and feedback from school meal partners across the nation, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is proposing updates to the school nutrition standards. The proposed updates reflect the goals of the most recent Dietary Guidelines, as required by law, and build in time for planning and implementation to ensure the school meals community and the children they serve are set up for success.
Comments on the Proposed Rule can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal through May 10, 2023. Section 16 of the proposed rule provides a summary of the rule and a list of specific questions for which USDA is seeking public comments. For more information on submitting comments, please see Tips for Submitting Effective Comments.
Resources:
As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA Food and Nutrition Service's Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids is offering competitive grants (up to $150,000 per SFA) for small and/or rural school food authorities to support efforts to improve the nutritional quality of their school meals. The deadline for submitting a grant application is May 26, 2023 at 2:00pm.
Register for the Grant Application Launch Webinar
Date: April 11, 2023
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am PT
Grant FAQ Webinar
May 10, 2023 - Save the Date!
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (the Act) (P.L. 117-328). The Act included the authorization of a permanent, non-congregate meal service through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Seamless Summer Option (SSO) for rural areas with no congregate meal service starting summer 2023.
Existing SFSP and SSO sponsors in rural areas, who are in good standing with Child Nutrition Services (CNS), have been contacted with the opportunity to pilot this model at new sites that don’t have current, or have historically not been able to provide congregate feeding options. We will be providing more detailed guidance when our implementation plan is finalized.
Additional information can be found in SFSP 01-2023, SP 05-2023: Implementation Guidance: Summer 2023 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas – Revised.
Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) is required in high-need schools per House Bill 1508: The Washington Kids Ready to Learn Act. High-need schools are defined as any public school where at least 70% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals; or, if operating the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the school has a free claiming percentage of 70% or more.
Join us for a Webinar!
The Breakfast After the Bell webinar will review the requirements, BAB implementation plans, reminders, and next steps.
Register for the Breakfast After the Bell webinar
Date: Wednesday, April 19
Time: 1–2 pm PT
Resources
Questions? Please contact your Program Specialist.
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Application for School Year 2023–24 is now available!
The FFVP provides a fresh fruit or vegetable snack to elementary school students and is an effective and creative way to introduce fresh produce as a healthy snack option.
Funds are awarded to the highest free and reduced-price (FRP) percentage elementary schools. We invite all schools that meet the eligibility requirements to apply for this program.
There are two requirements for eligibility:
- 50% or more of the students enrolled in the school must be eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
- The school must meet the definition of an elementary school; Pre-K/Kindergarten through grade 5 or a variation or, Pre-K/Kindergarten through grade 8.
OSPI Child Nutrition Services will be releasing an application bulletin in the coming weeks. The application deadline for participation for school year 2023–24 is April 30, 2023. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Application Process
Your application will be submitted using the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS).
Questions? Please email Rachel Floyd or call 360-742-4155
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Program operators offering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) during the 22–23 School Year are encouraged to join us for monthly webinars! OSPI CNS will discuss annual program requirements, new policy guidance, important reminders, and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions every month.
April's webinar will focus on Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), and Summer 2023 P-EBT! Please note the time change for April's webinar.
Register for the School Meal Programs Monthly Webinars Here!
Date: April 13, 2023
Time: 3–4 pm PT
Please note: You only have to register once and you will receive updates and reminders for each webinar.
Reminders
- Save us on your calendar! When you register, there is an option to add us to your calendar at the bottom of the confirmation email.
- A reminder email with your link to login to the webinar is sent 1 hour before the session starts.
- Follow up emails with a copy of the slides are sent to everyone registered for the session, even if they did not attend.
- We do not post recordings to the CNS webpages.
- Please keep an eye out in your inbox for these emails. If you do not see them in your inbox please check your SPAM box.
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To support schools in integrating local foods into your meals, OSPI CNS is excited to feature a new Harvest of the Month section in our newsletter. Each month we will highlight one local food that will be in season the following month. The highlight will include recipe ideas, educational resources, and procurement tips.
While asparagus easily grows on both sides of the Cascades, many Washington asparagus growers are located in dryer areas like the Columbia Basin, Yakima Valley and the Walla Walla area. You only have six weeks to enjoy Washington grown asparagus while it is in season. The short season is due to asparagus rapid growth with stalks growing 1 inch per hour and up to a foot in one day!
Asparagus is a good source of dietary fiber, folate, glutathione as well as vitamins C, E, A, and K. While asparagus is typically green, it also comes in purple which has more sugar and less fiber than green, as well as white which is covered with soil as it grows to keep green pigments from developing. Make eating fun by providing your students with a variety of colors on their plates.
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Selection and Storing Tips:
- Look for firm asparagus with closed, compact tips.
- Wrap the bottom of the stalks with a damp paper towel and store them in the crisper section of your refrigerator or cover with plastic bag.
- For the best flavor and quality plan to use within 2 to 3 days.
Cooking Tips
There are many ways to cook asparagus:
- Boil or blanch in enough water to cover the stalks.
- Steam over boiling water.
- Sauté or stir-fry in a small amount of oil or fat.
- Roast or grill until lightly browned.
You want to cook it until it is barely tender. Keep in mind that asparagus cooks quickly. Overcooking asparagus will make it bitter, stringy, and mushy.
Recipes:
Educational Resources:
In honor of National Nutrition Month in March, USDA’s Team Nutrition released School Meal Trays, Many Ways. The photos show the diversity of school breakfasts and lunches offered across the country to meet students’ nutritional needs and preferences. Less than 20 schools were selected nationally and two school districts from Washington state were featured, Bellingham Public Schools and Washougal School District!
The meals photographed were offered to high school students in School Year 2022-2023 and meet USDA’s Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium.
Bellingham Public Schools’ tray featured Chickpea Masala with local chickpeas, blueberries, and cauliflower
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Washougal School District’s tray featured a Grilled BBQ Chicken Quesadilla lunch utilizing USDA Foods chicken, cheese, and salsa.
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