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This training is meant for Sponsoring Organizations and provides specific CACFP requirements pertaining to oversight of multiple sites. Additional requirements that apply only to Sponsoring Organizations will be reviewed and CACFP Performance Standards will be highlighted. Topics reviewed include Budget and Management Plan development, site monitoring, and recordkeeping. |
The Basics for Multi-Site Sponsors Training is:
- Required for:
- Independent Sponsors becoming a multi-site Sponsor.
- Sponsors assigned this training as part of corrective action from an administrative review.
- Optional for:
- Multi-site Sponsors interested in a "refresher" training.
- Independent Sponsors interested to learn more about becoming a multi-site Sponsor.
This training will be offered three times annually. Two trainings will be conducted virtually, and one training will be held in-person.
Register Here
Training Dates:
January 21, 2025 (virtual)
May 13, 2025 (virtual)
August 2025 TBD (in-person)
The new federal Fiscal Year (FY) started October 1. Please review these program changes to ensure program compliance during FY 25.
State Agency — Program Updates
New/Updated Forms:
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Enrollment & Income Eligibility Form (EIEA)
- Sponsors should use this form for their FY 25 study month, or begin using the new EIEA as their FY 24 forms expire during the year.
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Menu templates
- OSPI requires all sponsors to use the OSPI menu template for FY 25 to eliminate menu errors and reduce fiscal action.
- If sponsors have a menu template they would prefer to use, they may submit their template to OSPI for review and approval.
- New templates are now available in spreadsheet format!
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Monitoring Form for School District At-Risk Sponsors
- An updated monitoring form is now available for school district sponsors who operate the At-Risk Afterschool Meals component of CACFP.
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Food Service Agreement for Vendors
- The new Vended Meal Contract has been combined with the Inter-Agency Agreement. This agreement may be renewed for up to 3 years.
Training
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Bright Track Trainings
- OSPI has contracted with Brighton Training Group to provide over 25 interactive recorded trainings to all Sponsors! Log in today and see what is available! Use the password "cacfp".
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Multi-Site Sponsor Training
- Sponsors of single sites who are interested in operating CACFP at more than one site must attend, The Basics for Multi-site Sponsors training.
- This training will be held three times per year with virtual and in-person options. Contact your Program Specialist for more information.
WINS
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For Profit Sponsors-Free/Reduced Price Tracking in WINS
- If your sponsored site(s) do not meet the F/RP For Profit eligibility threshold, continue to submit claims for these sites during FY 25. Please note, claims will remain in error status.
Administrative Reviews (AR)
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Documentation must be provided on the day of review. If not provided, it will be considered a finding, and the AR will continue without the requested documentation. Fiscal action will result if meal counts or Free/Reduced-Price categorization are not supported.
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Meal counts must be consolidated for the review month for the AR.
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Consolidated attendance reports are required for the study month and the month of review.
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Fiscal Action (FA) Repayment
- OSPI will accept a check for the full amount of repayment within 30 days of the FA Letter. However,OSPI will no longer accept monthly checks for repayment of FA.
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Reminders:
- Program Specialists will coordinate and conduct visits with sponsor monitors.
- Program Specialists will also conduct unannounced visits without the monitor.
USDA Program Updates
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, on April 25, 2024. This rule finalizes practical, science-based nutrition requirements, and includes minor updates to align USDA Child Nutrition Programs. This final rule:
- Explains in regulation that state licensed healthcare professionals and Registered Dietitians may submit medical statements in CACFP. Effective October 1, 2024.
- Allows sponsors, institutions, and facilities serving primarily American Indian or Alaska Native participants to substitute vegetables to meet the grains requirement. Effective July 1, 2024.
- Allows nuts and seeds to credit for the full meats/meat alternates component in all USDA Child Nutrition Programs. Effective July 1, 2024.
If you would like additional information on these changes, please watch the "FY 25 Annual Updates" webinar found in Canvas. You will need a free account to access this training. If you do not have a Canvas account, please create an account and join the course using this link.
The Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) has been revised to reflect the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
This important resource assists Child Nutrition Program operators, food manufacturers, and others with purchasing the correct amounts of food and determining the contribution that each food makes toward meal pattern requirements.
The FBG is available as a Web Tool, Mobile App, and downloadable PDF.
The USDA requires each CACFP sponsoring organization (sponsors with two or more sites on the CACFP) to provide adequate supervisory and operational personnel. This is to maintain effective management and monitoring of the program at all sponsored sites. Each sponsoring organization must employ monitoring staff sufficient to meet the federal requirements set forth in 7 CFR 226.16(b)(1).
The beginning of the fiscal year is an ideal time to create a monitoring schedule that includes unannounced visits and incorporates observation of a variety of meal types. This helps ensure monitoring requirements are met. Additionally, if you have had a new site begin operation in FY 25, it must be monitored within the first four weeks of operation.
Keep these CACFP monitoring requirements in mind when creating your schedule:
- Child Care Sites need to have three monitoring visits each FY.
- At least two of the reviews must be unannounced.
- At least one unannounced review must include observation of a meal service.
- At least one review must be during each new facility’s first four weeks of operation.
- No more than six months may elapse between reviews.
- Local Education Agencies (LEAs) operating At-Risk only school sites only need two monitoring visits per school year (SY). Please use the updated LEA Monitoring Form.
Visit the Program Requirements and Materials page and use the “Multi-Site Sponsor” dropdown for monitoring forms and other resources for Sponsors of multiple sites.
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.
Distribute Information
Distribute Enrollment and Income Eligibility Applications (EIEAs), Enrollment Forms and Sample Income Eligibility Parent Letters to participant’s families.
*Please note, a new EIEA has been created for FY 25! Use the current version of the EIEA posted on our website at the time of enrollment. As EIEAs expire during the year, be sure to provide families with the most current version of our form to complete. New Enrollment Forms and Adult Care EIEAs were not created for FY 25.
Visit the 'Study Month' dropdown on the CACFP Requirements and Materials webpage for these study month documents, Attendance Rosters, Study Month Tips sheet, and recorded Study Month training.
OSPI has contracted with the Brighton Training Group to offer CACFP sponsors access to an assortment of CACFP trainings!
To access Bright Track 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 Bright Track 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
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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