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Planning to operate this summer? Ensure your application is submitted by the recommended deadline to guarantee it’s reviewed before your planned start date.
Completed applications must be received no later than the federal deadline of June 15 to sponsor the SFSP this summer. Please note, it can take up to 30 days to process a complete and correct application.
Application Materials
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Summer 2023 SFSP Application Checklist – This checklist will help ensure all application requirements are met.
- A complete SFSP application contains both the required WINS components in submitted status and the 2023 Application Submission Survey. The link to the survey can also be found in the checklist document. Please help us expediate the approval process by reviewing the checklist.
Application Reminders
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Required Training: Training is required to participate in the SFSP. Please review appropriate sessions, as required.
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SFSP Sponsor Staff Training Dates: Be sure to have the date you provided/will provide the SFSP training for your staff. This training is in addition to the required OSPI sponsor training, and the date when it occurred/will occur is asked in the sponsor application.
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New Sites or Renewing Site Eligibility: Please supply verification of the site eligibility (i.e. school boundaries or census maps) and either upload them into WINS or in the application survey.
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Health Department Notification Letters and Media Release Notices: Please upload these with the application survey and be sure the days/times are reflective of the meal service at each site. Links for templates can be found in the checklist.
Application materials can be found on the SFSP Program Materials/Forms webpage.
Questions? Please email the Summer Meals Team.
Join us for office hours held every other Wednesday through June from 2–3 pm.
Come talk to SFSP specialists and fellow sponsors about all things SFSP.
Register for Office Hours here
Please use the https://www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids web address when sharing out the USDA Summer Meal for Kids Site Finder. This new link is both desktop and mobile friendly unlike the original link provided by USDA.
We understand the difficulty many of you have faced and will continue to face as SFSP operations return to traditional requirements, including congregate feeding. The safety of sponsors, staff, and participants is our priority. If you experience any challenges and/or safety issues during SFSP operations, please reach out to the summer meals team to discuss options.
Questions? Email the Summer Meals Team.
In accordance with the USDA SFSP Program Integrity Final rule; SFSP 08-2023: Guidance on Site Selection Criteria during Reviews in the SFSP; and SFSP 10-2023: Initial Site Visits in the Summer Food Service Program, there have been some permanent changes to how monitoring may be conducted in SFSP.
Review the SFSP Monitoring Requirements Reference Sheet for additional information.
Important Changes
SFSP Administrative Reviews
In addition to these new flexibilities, OSPI as the state agency must review at least 10% of a sponsor’s sites or 1 site, whichever is greater, when conducting an administrative review for SFSP. The following factors will be considered when conducting site selection for these A/Rs as listed at 7 CFR 225.7(e)(5)(i):
- The maximum number of meals approved to serve under 7 CFR 225.6(h)(1) and 7 CFR 225.6(h)(2)
- Method of obtaining meals (i.e., self-preparation or vended meal service)
- Time since last site review by the State agency
- Type of site (e.g., open, closed enrolled, camp)
- Type of physical location (e.g., school, outdoor area, community center)
- Rural designation (i.e., rural, as defined in 7 CFR 225.2, or non-rural)
- Affiliation with the sponsor, as defined in 7 CFR 225.2.
Compliance with the provisions of this rule must begin by May 1, 2023.
Questions? Email the Summer Meals Team.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released SFSP 09-2023: Approved Levels of Meals for Vended Sites in the Summer Food Service Program. The purpose of this memo is to provide guidance on establishing and revising the approved level of meals, also known as “site caps,” for SFSP sites serving meals prepared by food service management companies, known as “vended sites.”
About "Site Caps"
The approved level of meals is the maximum amount of children’s meals that can be claimed for reimbursement by a vended site. Establishing an approved level of meals helps to ensure only one meal per child is served and claimed per approved meal service as required under 7 CFR 225.15(b)(3).
During the approval process of an application for a site that will serve vended meals, OSPI Child Nutrition Services is responsible for establishing an approved maximum number of children’s meals that may be served under the program. The approved level of meals must be set in accordance with 7 CFR 225.6(h)(2). Provisions include:
- Establishing the initial maximum approved level of meals to be served at vended sites, prior to the beginning of meal service for the summer.
- Determining the maximum approved level of meals to be served at vended sites based on actual site operations.
- Ensuring appropriate adjustments are made to approved levels when necessary.
Questions? Email the Summer Meals Team.
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 areas that have the USDA rural designation with no congregate meal service starting summer 2023.
OSPI Child Nutrition Services (CNS) has contacted existing SFSP and SSO sponsors in these rural areas who are in good programmatic standing to offer the opportunity to pilot this model. This pilot will be available for new sites that don’t have current corrective action, or historically have not been able to provide congregate feeding options.
The USDA has further clarified the following operational topics in SFSP 07-2023, SP 05-2023: Questions and Answers #2: Summer 2023 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas. This memo review questions related to state agency approval of non-congregate meal service, sponsor/site/participant eligibility, meal service, monitoring, reporting, and general miscellaneous information in regards to non-congregate meal service for SFSP/SSO in rural designated areas.
Questions? Email the Summer Meals Team.
If you did not receive promotional materials at one of our in-person trainings, you may place your order for materials using the link below from our partner, the United Way of King County. They will process and ship materials to you directly.
Order SFSP Promo Materials
Questions? Please email the Summer Meals Team.
Let’s see how much you know about Child Nutrition (CN) labels with Team Nutrition’s latest web quiz!
The Child Nutrition Label Quiz helps operators identify products that may need a CN label and understand the requirements for accepting CN labeled products. The quiz consists of 10 self-paced questions that provide feedback for correct and incorrect answers. The user can retake the quiz and retry the questions as many times as desired. This quiz was created to support information found in the CN Labeling Program and Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs.
Looking for more resources?
The complete web quiz collection is available on the USDA Team Nutrition Quizzes webpage. Upon completion of each 10-question quiz, quiz takers receive a score along with a link to resources that can help expand their knowledge on the topic and build their nutrition skills.
The quizzes are also available as widgets, so they can be easily embedded and displayed on other webpages to support training.
CNS invites you to participate in Farm to Summer Week, July 10–14.
Did you know? Including fresh, local foods in your menus increases meal quality and supports local farmers! Additionally, nutrition and agriculture enrichment activities have been shown to increase kids’ willingness to try new foods!
Now's the time to start planning your program's Farm to Summer Week! All you have to do is include a fresh, local food item in your SFSP menu, and offer a food-related enrichment activity to program participants.
We encourage you to check out our recently updated Farm to Summer Guide Resources for ideas and resources.
Don’t know where to buy local? Use the Washington Food & Farm Finder to find resources near you!
Questions? Please email the OSPI Farm to Child Nutrition Programs team!
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Cherries are available in Washington from early June through August.
Did You Know? Washington is the top sweet cherry producer in the country and second in the world. The majority of Washington’s cherries are grown east of the Cascades.
There are two main types of cherries grown in Washington, sweet and tart. Rainiers are yellow cherries with a red blush. Bing cherries are dark red sweet cherries that ripen mid-season. Tart cherries have a ruby red color and a distinctive sweet-sour taste.
Nutrition Information
- Cherries contain vitamin C, beta-carotene, polyphenols, potassium, manganese, and copper.
- Cherries have anthocyanins which are high in antioxidants.
- Cherries are a source of melatonin.
Selection and Storage
- Select firm, plump, bright, and glossy cherries; avoiding cherries that are soft, dull, seeping, or shriveled.
- Cherries are highly perishable, so refrigerate them as soon as possible for up to 10 days.
- Place cherries loosely in a shallow container so that air can circulate.
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KidsGardening.org’s Culturally Inclusive Teaching in the Garden Webinar Series
This six-part webinar series will delve deep into the significance of culture as it relates to food, gardens, and the diverse populations that you may work with. Join Kidgardening.org as they explore ways to celebrate and center culture through garden-based learning. The webinars include:
- Part 1: Principles of Culturally Responsive Garden Education: Honoring Diversity Inclusion
- Part 2: Honoring Native American, Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Culture in Youth Gardens
- Part 3: Celebrating African American and Black Culture in Youth Gardens
- Part 4: Fostering Hispanic, Latinx and Spanish Origin Culture in Youth Gardens
- Part 5: Nurturing Middle Eastern and North African Culture in Youth Gardens
- Part 6: Featuring Asian and Asian American Culture in Youth Gardens
Quillisascut Farm Culinary 101 Workshop
The Farm Culinary 101 workshop is an intensive farm to table immersion for food service professionals. During the week-long program participants will observe goats being milked, make cheese, help care for farm animals, transplant vegetables, harvest produce from the gardens, visit neighboring organic farms, and hear presentations about market gardening. Students will work with a chef to prepare lunch and dinner using only ingredients from the garden and products from local farms.
Workshop dates are August 23–28 and September 10–13.
Quillisacut has limited scholarships available. Visit the Quillisascut Farm Culinary 101 webpage for more information.
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June 15
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May Claims Due in WINS by 5 pm
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June 15
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SFSP Applications Due in WINS
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