This memorandum provides guidance to Child Nutrition Program (CNP) operators regarding Sections 739, 747, 748, 769, and 770 of Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 which:
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Allows the substitution of vegetables, including starchy vegetables, for fruits without including vegetables from other subgroups in weekly menus under the School Breakfast Program (SBP) in SY 2024–25.
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Prohibits funds from being used to procure raw or processed poultry and seafood products from the People’s Republic of China in Child Nutrition Programs through September 30, 2024.
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Provides guidance related to pricing of paid lunches for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), during school year SY 2024–25.
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Requires the USDA to allow the service of low-fat and fat-free flavored milk for grades K–12 in NSLP/SBP and for participants over age 6 in CACFP.
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Maintains current sodium limits in NSLP/SBP through SY 2026–27 and prohibits the sodium limit from being more restrictive than the Target 2 sodium limit published in the 2012 Final Rule ‘Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.”
This memorandum provides initial implementation guidance on the Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Final Rule. The memorandum:
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Includes an initial implementation chart,
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Provides an overview of the provisions finalized in the rule,
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Outlines which Child Nutrition Programs are impacted,
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Details the implementation date for each provision.
SP 22-2024, CACFP 08-2024, SFSP 13-2024: Geographic Preference Expansion Related to the Final Rule titled, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
This memorandum provides a detailed explanation of the expanded geographic preference option, which allows program operators to:
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Use local as a specification for local unprocessed agricultural products;
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Use a defined scoring advantage for local unprocessed agricultural products;
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Adopt a mix of both strategies.
Questions? Please contact your CACFP Program Specialist
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.
Review Bulletin 030-23 Waiver of Eligibility for Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program for more information. An official bulletin for FY 25 will be released in the coming weeks.
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 bulletins can be located on OSPI's Bulletins and Memos webpage.
Questions? Please contact your CACFP Program Specialist
OSPI is hosting an in-person training for Independent Sponsors who would like to become a Sponsor of multiple sites. This training will be required to transition to a multi-site Sponsoring Organization in FY 25. If you are interested in expanding your CACFP oversight to more than one site, please complete our Multi-Site Sponsoring Organization Interest Survey.
Multi-site Sponsors have additional responsibilities including monitoring all sponsored sites, and completing a Management Plan and Budget in WINS. For more details on these requirements, please review the resources below.
Resources:
The renewal closing date for the current program year is June 30, 2024.
If your organization is planning to operate the CACFP during August or September 2024 and is not operating the program this school year, you must complete the program renewal application in WINS no later than June 30, 2024.
Sponsors most affected by this change are those who plan to operate At-Risk or Pre-school programs.
To start the FY 24 renewal process, refer to the CACFP Application and Renewal Reference Sheet and the CACFP Preparing to Complete Renewal Application Checklist.
Questions? Contact your Program Specialist.
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May 30
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March 60-Day Claim Deadline —if you haven't already, submit your claim
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June 30
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CACFP Renewal for FY24 Closes
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