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Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Sponsors must annually renew their Application with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) by September 1. Sponsors who submit their application for approval past the September 1 deadline may not be approved in time to receive reimbursement for meals served during October 2024.
For more information on the renewal process, renewal bulletins and resources, please review our August 19th CACFP Update.
Sponsors of USDA Child Nutrition Programs enter into a permanent agreement with OSPI when initially approved to operate. This agreement remains in effect as long as the annual program renewal is approved. OSPI has recently updated the permanent agreement to reflect the following changes:
- Replaced all references to Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) with Assistance Listing Number (ALN).
- Added information about Vended Meals and clarified Sponsor responsibilities in the Food Service Management Company (FSMC) Section.
- Updated the language for clarity and to reflect federal updates to 2 CFR 200 in the Federal Award and Audit Requirements Section.
- Moved the requirement for electronic funds transfer (EFT) payments from the NSLP section to the Claims for Reimbursement section, making it a requirement for all sponsors.
These updates do not change the nature of the agreement, so new agreements between Sponsors and OSPI are not necessary. To review the changes, please visit the Child Nutrition Programs Updated Permanent Agreement Terms and Conditions on our New Sponsor Webpage.
Monthly claims are due by the 15th of each month following the claim period. All claims entered into WINS and in “OK to Pay” status will process for payment at the end of the month.
New Deadline: Starting November 15, 2024, claims data must be entered into WINS by 2 pm PT on the 15th of each month to be processed and paid by the end of that month. WINS will automatically log all users out of the system on the 15th of each month at exactly 2 pm PT.
All claims that are in "OK to Process" status will process for payment in the same month.
Didn't submit your claim by the 15th? That's okay! Submit your monthly claim by the 60-day deadline.
NEW! Claim Due Dates 2024-25
Best Practice: Submit claims early in case an error comes up and you need assistance.
Claiming Resources
Visit our Claims, Fiscal Information, and Resources webpage for essential tools and guidance. The Claims Reference Sheet provides key details, including updates and late-claim exceptions. The WINS Claim Status Guide offers solutions for common claim errors.
For any fiscal-related questions, including claims or grant payments, reach out to our Child Nutrition Services Fiscal Team via our shared inbox at CNSFiscalServices@k12.wa.us. We're here to help!
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USDA has released policy memo CACFP 12-2024, SFSP 16-2024: Questions and Answers Related to Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data.
The guidance is intended to assist program operators with the collection of race and ethnicity information from program participants, as required by Federal rules. It offers clarification on earlier policies, including CACFP 11-2021,09-2022 SFSP 07-2021, 05-2022, as well as examples of best practices and challenges sponsors might face, along with useful talking points. Please remember that using visual identification to collect this data is no longer allowed. Some key points to note below:
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Importance of Data Collection: Collecting race and ethnicity data helps ensure compliance with Civil Rights requirements and improves outreach to eligible populations.
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Alternative Data Collection Methods: If self-reporting isn't possible, sites can use aggregate data, such as school enrollment or census data, specific to their service area.
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State and Program Operator Roles: State agencies must ensure annual data collection and maintain it for three years, while Program operators are responsible for collecting and maintaining this data at their sites.
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Timing of Data Collection: Data must be collected annually for each program site or center, with specific guidelines for timing depending on the type of program.
For more information, please review the guidance from USDA.
In the August 19 CACFP Update, we informed Sponsors of the final rule which amended USDA regulations 7 CFR Part 16; related to equal opportunity for faith-based organizations to operate and religious protections for program participants. USDA’s Notice to Beneficiaries and Prospective Beneficiaries guidance/material is hereby retracted as to religious schools and institutions. As appropriate, we will send you USDA’s forthcoming clarification of this guidance/material. If you have any questions, please contact OSPI at cacfp@k12.wa.us .
Family Day Care Home Sponsors and Sponsors of Unaffiliated Centers are invited to attend our “Oversight at Unaffiliated Sites” in-person training. This training is intended for Sponsor staff with administrative duties and staff with monitoring responsibilities.
Topics Reviewed During this Training:
- Financial Management
- Recordkeeping
- Claims Processing Best Practices
- Civil Rights
- Corrective Action Plans
- Monitoring/Oversight
- Management Plans
- Outreach
- Onboarding
Training Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Time: 9 am–3:30 pm
Location: Hotel Windrow, 502 N Main St, Ellensburg, WA
Register Today!
This training is optional, but it is highly recommended that all Sponsors of unaffiliated facilities attend.
All Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Fiscal Year 25 (FY 25) Required Training modules are now available!
Please refer to the FY 25 Training Checklist to see which trainings are required for your Sponsor type and population served.
Who Must Attend Annual Training?
- All institutions participating in the CACFP.
- All institutions planning to participate in the CACFP in Fiscal Year 2024–25 (FY 25).
- At a minimum, the person responsible for oversight of the CACFP must attend. These training modules are intended for directors and administrators, not Program staff.
How Will Annual Training be Conducted for FY 25?
All required annual training modules may be accessed virtually through our Canvas training platform. You will need to create a free account to access these trainings. If you do not have a Canvas account, please create an account and join the course using this link.
Please note, during renewal Sponsors must attest to having completed OSPI required annual training in the Sponsor Application. CACFP sponsors must complete OSPI’s required training annually to continue participation in the Program.
The Crediting in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet series has been updated to match the new guidance in the Final Rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This series includes seven tip sheets covering the five meal components: fruits, vegetables, meats/meat alternates, fluid milk, and grains (three separate tip sheets). The updates show the menu-planning flexibilities beginning July 1, 2024 and changes for the coming school years in a quick-reference format
View the tip sheets here.
The Spanish series will be available online in September and print copies of both the Spanish and English tip sheets will be available at a later date!
United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Team Nutrition initiative will present a CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays webinar on “Choose Yogurt That Is Lower in Added Sugars in the CACFP.”
This webinar will highlight the new added sugars limit for yogurt and how to identify yogurt that meets this limit.
Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024
11-11:30 am PT - English Webinar Register Now
12-12:30 pm PT - Spanish Webinar Register Now
Both webinars will be recorded and made available at a later date. Team Nutrition will provide certificates of participation to individuals who attend the entire thirty-minute webinar.
View in Spanish | Vea en español
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The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) hosted a webinar for Sponsors and contractors with CACFP vended meal agreements on August 19. If you plan to continue vending meals in FY 25 and did not attend the live webinar, please view the recording in Canvas in the “FY 25 Optional Refresher Trainings” module. If you do not have a Canvas account, please create an account and join the course using this link.
During this webinar we highlighted:
- Recent changes to the vended meal contract
- Additional documentation required for FY 25 agreements/contracts
- Contractual responsibilities for Program compliance-Contractor
- Contractual responsibilities for Program compliance-Sponsor
- Inter-agency agreements and circumstances of appropriate use
View the new Foodservice Agreement for Vendors, found in the Vending Meals dropdown. All Sponsors are expected to use the new Foodservice Agreement for Vendors for FY 25. This Agreement may be renewed for up to 3 years.
Please note, if you have a vended meal contract or Inter-Agency Agreement that was signed prior to August 19, you may submit the older version of the contract. However, you will need to upload the following items in addition to the agreement in WINS:
- Copy of Vendor’s current food-service Inspection Report from licensing agency.
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Vendor’s current license to operate a food service facility.
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Menu (1 month or cycle) for each type of meal service vended using the OSPI Menu Template
- Signed the Debarment & Suspension Certification
Please contact your Program Specialist if you have changes.
OSPI has contracted with Brighton Training to offer all CACFP Sponsors access to an assortment of CACFP trainings!
To access Brighton trainings:
Note that this is separate from your user account password.
If you need assistance enrolling and creating an account, view this short video.
Available Brighton Trainings:
- Civil Rights-Required for FY 25
- CACFP Annual Sponsor Training for Centers-Required for FY 25 for new Program administrators
- General Recordkeeping and At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program Recordkeeping
- Meal Counting, Claiming and Documentation
- Menu Building Basics: Utilizing CN Labels and USDA Recipes to Build a Cycle Menu
- Diversifying Meals in Child Nutrition Programs
- All Aboard the Whole Grain Express!
- Navigating Special Dietary Needs
- Build it Once; Serve it Time and Time Again: Using Cycle Menus and Standardized Recipes
- Sponsor Monitoring
- Successful Monitoring
- CACFP Basics: Orientation for New Staff
- Milk Substitutions: Serving Creditable Milk Alternatives in Child Nutrition Program
- Feeding Infants in Child Nutrition Programs
- Recordkeeping and Claims for Reimbursement in the CACFP
- CACFP Budgets
- Financial Viability
- Monitoring and Oversight
- Serious Deficiency
- Management Plans
- Internal Controls
- Corrective Action in the CACFP
Power Up Your Program is a new opportunity designed to bring Child Nutrition Program peers together to network, learn together, and take action on similar goals over the school year.
If you serve school-age children through the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program, you are eligible to register now!
Two action-focused pathways are available for 2024–2025:
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Nutrition education to power up healthier choices
- Culturally inclusive meals, menus, and nutrition education
Each pathway begins in October 2024 and will support successful local actions through:
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Online training—completed at your convenience
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Peer-to-peer connections and monthly networking calls
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Support from community partners
- One-on-one support from the OSPI Training Team
We’ll start by identifying opportunities and teaming up with partners. From that, you will choose which actions to take and learn how to sustain and build on your efforts. Along the way, there will be opportunities for local, statewide, and national recognition of your efforts. Join us to Power Up your program!
Ready to Register? Please complete the registration form to enroll. *Note: Each pathway is limited to 25 participants. We encourage you to register early.
Power Up Your Program is funded using U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition grant funds. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Harvest of the Month
OSPI is excited to feature a 2024–2025 School year Harvest of the Month Calendar and resource sheets. Each month we will highlight one local food that will be in season the following month. The resource sheets will include fun facts, nutritional information, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and educational resources/activities. We are featuring Cauliflower for the month of October. If you don’t have access to cauliflower near you or want to feature another food item, check out our past Harvest of the Month resource pages on the OSPI Farm to CACFP webpage under the Harvest of the Month drop down menu.
National Farm to School Month/ Farm to CACFP Week
October is National Farm to School Month! Did you know Farm to School includes early childhood and care settings? Join OSPI and thousands of early care and education sites, farms, communities, and organizations across the country as we celebrate food education, school gardens and meals filled with healthy, local ingredients. Farm to CACFP helps kids enjoy and eat more fresh meals, while also fostering a lifelong appreciation for where their food comes from. These activities can boost the effectiveness of CACFP by increasing the intake of healthy foods served in childcare settings and supporting local farmers, ranchers, dairies, food processors, and distributors.
To recognize our CACFP sponsor’s Farm to Early-care and Education efforts, OSPI is celebrating Farm to CACFP Week September 30 to October 4, 2024! The week is all about connecting children with nutrition education, Washington-grown foods, and gardening opportunities. Your center can participate by doing one of the following:
Take the Pledge
It is that easy to participate in Farm to CACFP Week in 2024! We invite you to click here pledge to participate in Farm to CACFP or scan the QR code below, letting us know why you’re joining in! Participating sponsors may be celebrated on OSPI’s social media.
Questions? Please email farmtocnp@k12.wa.us
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