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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.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides healthy meals to all children ages 18 & under, and students ages 21 and under enrolled in a Washington school district.
SFSP sponsors must promote meal access to all children. This includes providing accommodations for children with disabilities who have special dietary needs.
Typically, accommodations can be made within the meal pattern requirements. If this is the case, a medical statement is not required. Examples of this may include modifying the texture of meals (pureed, chopped, etc.) and substituting food items from the same component.
Potential Substitutions
Gluten Free Grains
- Corn Products, such as tortillas, tortilla chips, popcorn, corn-based cereals
- Rice Products, such as rice crackers, enriched white or brown rice, rice cereals
- Oat Products, such as gluten-free oatmeal or oat-based granola bars
Allowable Milk Alternatives*
- Lactose-free milk
- Lactose-reduced milk
*Please note that non-dairy milk substitutes are not creditable in SFSP without a note signed by a state-recognized medical authority.
Meat Alternates
- Yogurt, flavored or unflavored and nonfat, low-fat, or whole
- Cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, American, or Swiss
- Beans or Peas, such as black beans, refried beans, chickpeas, or hummus
- Nuts/Seeds, such as almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds
- Please note that Nuts/Seeds may only comprise 50% of the M/MA component at lunch/supper.
- Nut/Seed Butters, such as almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower butter
- Eggs
Important Note: Tofu is not creditable under the SFSP.
Substitutions Outside the Meal Pattern
If an accommodation cannot be made within the meal pattern requirements, a statement signed by a state-recognized medical authority must be submitted. The statement must detail:
- Food(s) to be avoided
- How the food impacts the participant
- Food(s) to be substituted
OSPI has developed the Special Dietary Accommodations Form, available in both English & Spanish, as a resource. When supported by a signature from a state-recognized medical authority, meal modifications that do not meet meal pattern requirements can be claimed for reimbursement.
Resources on Special Dietary Accommodations
Questions? Please 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 USDA requires SFSP sponsors to have appropriate arrangements for food service during periods of inclement weather (7 CFR 225.6(c)(2)(i)(D)). Although all outdoor sites are not required to have an alternate temperature-controlled site, sponsors should have a contingency plan for dealing with extreme weather conditions such as thunderstorms, excessive heat, or poor air quality. Options may include:
- Using a tent to provide extra shade on extremely hot days.
- Partnering with a housing community to use an air-conditioned lobby or community room on extremely hot days.
- Discontinuing meal service if safety is a concern.
If safety for staff and families is a concern and you plan to discontinue meal service, or the meal service will take place at an alternate site, plans must be in place for how the community will be notified. Sponsors are encouraged to plan for emergency situations in advance to ensure a rapid response.
If you plan on using a backup site that is not already included in your SFSP application, reach out to the Summer Meals team and request the site be added in WINS. Backup sites must still meet SFSP area-eligibility requirements.
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.
In May 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced changes to the USDA nondiscrimination statement.
OSPI CNS has ordered updated “And Justice for All Posters”, we are waiting to receive these items and will announce when distribution begins.
The most current version that you may have is the 2019 “And Justice for All” poster. The 2019 poster was updated to have the USDA building as the image and should say “Revised September 2019” in the bottom left-hand corner. Please continue using the 2019 “And Justice for All” poster in areas where participants will see it.
Need the 2019 Poster? Please contact your OSPI Program Specialist.
Crediting Grains in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheets provide guidance on crediting grains in a quick reference format across all Child Nutrition Programs and are broken down into three topics:
- Part 1: Creditable Grains in Child Nutrition Programs
- Part 2: Identifying Grain Products that are Whole Grain-Rich
- Part 3: Program Requirements
Check out the first four tip sheets in the series (Crediting Fruits, Crediting Vegetables, Crediting Meats/Meat Alternates, and Crediting Fluid Milk) on the Crediting Tip Sheets in Child Nutrition Programs webpage.
The entire tip sheet series will be available for print at a later date. Stay tuned!
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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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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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