May claims for reimbursement are due Thursday!
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 pm PT, Thursday, June 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 Thursday, June 16.
Best Practice—Submit claims early in case an error comes up and you need assistance.
Operating Expense Reporting
Operating expenditure reporting is required when entering monthly claims. This applies to all Sponsors who are required to complete a Budget in WINS. Claims will remain in error status until operating expenses have been entered.
When entering your claim:
- Click the “Sponsor Claim” dropdown and enter the Monthly Food Operating Costs under "Expenses".
- Open your site level claim and enter your claim data in the required fields (image below may look different for various Sponsor types).
- Select “Preview Errors” as you enter your site level data, and make revisions if errors occur.
- Once claim data has been entered for all sites, make necessary revisions and correct errors, then select “Recalculate All Claims”.
   To ensure success:
- Track and maintain documentation of all CACFP operating expenses. This will assist in reporting actual monthly expenditures with monthly claims. To help track these expenses, use the CACFP Operating Expenditures Worksheet.
- You must track and maintain documentation of administrative expenses if you have elected to use CACFP reimbursement for administrative purposes. This will assist you in entering monthly administrative expenses by budget line-item. To help track these expenses, use the CACFP Administrative Expenditures Worksheet.
- Ensure expenses are reported in WINS when entering your claim. If not entered, the claim will not be paid.
- Please read the 6/27/2022 Expense Reporting article and watch the CACFP Annual Updates Recorded Training for more details. Note: you will need a Moodle Account to view this training.
Fiscal Year 2023–24 (FY24) Study Month documents are now available!
Institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are required to conduct a study month annually in October. Program reimbursement for each institution is based on the income levels of the families that they serve. The study month establishes the percentages of the meals that will be paid at the free, reduced-price, and above scale rates.
*At-Risk Programs, Emergency Shelters and ECEAP or Head Start only programs are exempt from this requirement.
Get Ready to Distribute Information!
In preparation for the October study month, please print and have EIEAs, EFs and Sample Income Eligibility Parent Letters ready for distribution.
Our Child Nutrition Contacts page has been updated! You will be able to find the phone number and email address of your assigned CACFP Specialist here.
Important: King County Sponsors should email the CACFP Team inbox or call the Olympia office at 360-725-6200 with questions or if assistance is needed.
Not sure who your Region Specialist is?
OSPI CACFP Specialists are listed on your profile page in WINS.
- Log in to WINS.
- Select the "Go to Sponsor Profile" button, you will be directed to your profile page.
- View your specialist information under the "Programs" section.
Join the CACFP Team!
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. Looking to fill positions in both Western & Eastern Washington.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sponsors must complete OSPI’s required training annually to continue participation in the Program.
Who Must Attend Annual Training?
- All institutions participating in the CACFP.
- All institutions planning to participate in the CACFP in Fiscal Year 2023–24 (FY24).
- At a minimum, the person responsible for oversight of the CACFP must attend. This training is intended for directors and administrators.
How Will Annual Training be Conducted for FY24?
Recorded Training Modules—Required
CACFP required training will be provided as recorded training modules in Canvas, OSPI’s new learning platform. These modules will be available to view in July.
In-Person Training—Optional
“CACFP Basics to Advanced Training” will be offered in person the weeks of September 11 and September18 regionally throughout the state. There will be two learning tracks offered.
- Track 1: CACFP Basics- Intended for new staff/new sponsors
- Track 2: CACFP Advanced- Intended for experienced sponsors
Watch for upcoming CNS Updates for required training links and in-person training dates, locations, and registration information.
The Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended the automatic eligibility of participants in Washington State’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) for a one-year period.
Institutions that feed and claim children enrolled in ECEAP are not required to collect income applications. Children enrolled in ECEAP are automatically eligible for free meal benefits without further application or eligibility determination.
B030-23 Waiver of Eligibility for Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program
The waiver covers children participating in child care centers that claim meals under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and children participating in child care centers that claim meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
All Child Nutrition bulletins can be located on OSPI's Bulletins and Memos webpage.
This year, CACFP Specialists have been hosting scheduled office hours and we are requesting feedback on how to better meet your needs.
Specialists start office hours by providing important CACFP updates and reminders. During the remainder of the session, specialists provide technical assistance and training around specific CACFP topics.
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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 of 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! |
Upcoming June Office Hours Schedule
Specialist: Molly Gleason, Region 4
Topic: At-Risk Meal Counts in June
Date: 6/16/2023 Time: 1:30 pm Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Tina Bischoff, Region 8
Topic: Renewal
Date: 6/21/2023 Time: 4:00 pm Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Sandra Goodman, Region 5
Topic: Meet and Greet & Fun CACFP Kids Activities
Date: 6/22/2023 Time: 9:30 am Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Jeannette Green, Region 3
Topic: Renewal
Date: 6/23/2023 Time: 12:30 pm Click here to join the meeting
Specialist: Samantha Evans, Region 2
Topic: Financial Management
Date: 6/23/2023 Time: 10:00 am Click here to join the meeting
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is supporting USDA’s mission of transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on local and regional food production while committing to support Tribal Nations’ goal of food sovereignty. To promote serving traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs (CNP), FNS has created the Serving Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs webpage, as a hub of resources to assist Indigenous communities.
Resources
- The Crediting in Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet series
- Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program
- Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG)
- Gardens in Tribal Communities fact sheet
- USDA standardized recipes
FNS also released an update to the FBG that allows users to search for traditional Indigenous foods such as tepary beans, dandelion greens, and pheasant.
Explore these resources and more on the Serving Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs webpage today!
The way we present nutritious foods to children is a powerful tool that encourages them to eat healthier meals and snacks. Why not make it a little fun?
The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) is hosting a free webinar for tips and tricks on how to plate up fun and appetizing meals for kids!
By introducing fun shapes and designs to a single plate or family style dish, children may be persuaded to try new or challenging foods. Learn how you can easily construct enticing plates and receive recipe ideas to inspire new creations!
Register for the Food Plating with a Purpose Webinar here
Date: Thursday, June 22
Time: 11:00 am–11:30 am PT
Participants can earn 0.5 CEU for attending this training.
Registrants will receive a link directly from Zoom the morning of the event with access instructions.
 Happy Birthday, MyPlate!
To celebrate, USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative is pleased to announce the addition of three videos to the Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten resource for teachers and families.
Click the video titles below to watch (and dance if you’d like)!
Check out more Discover MyPlate materials, including audio-described versions of these videos, on the Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten webpage.
Find more ways to celebrate with MyPlate on the MyPlate webpage.
Looking to increase the amount of locally sourced food served in your meal program?
The WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grant provides funding for child care centers participating in CACFP to purchase Washington Grown foods from November 2023– June 2025.
The application will open this August, please visit the Farm to School Grant webpage.
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