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Child Nutrition Services seeks School Meal Programs Advisory Council members.
The School Meals Advisory Council is a voluntary group, comprised of a diverse group of sponsors from different geographic regions, size representation, and meal production methods. The purpose of this advisory council is to provide a forum for collaboration and understanding between OSPI and sponsors of the School Meal Programs.
While not a decision-making authority, the advisory council will serve a critical role by:
- Providing input on and sharing of best practices;
- Providing input on training and resource needs; and
- Engaging in peer-to-peer learning and peer support.
Interested? Complete this interest form by Friday, October 18, 2024.
Member Selection
OSPI will select members to best represent sponsors in Washington based on size, geographical location, meal production method, and sponsor type. Sponsors may volunteer and/or be invited by OSPI. Advisory Council members agree to be honest, transparent, and respectful while participating in and representing the Advisory Council.
Questions? Please email the School Meals inbox.
Participation in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) school meal programs requires program operators to meet certain annual requirements. These include:
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Direct Certification: Required by the USDA and must be conducted monthly by all Local Education Agencies (LEAs), including those operating CEP and Provision 2 district-wide, under Washington state law. Please review the Direct Certification and Direct Certification-Medicaid Reference Sheets for more information.
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Verification of Eligibility: Begins October 1 and ends November 15. The Verification Summary Report is due to Child Nutrition Services by February 1. The summary report will be submitted in WINS.
- All sponsors who collect school meal applications must complete the annual verification process for SY 2024–25.
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October Building Data (OBD): Report OBD on the October claim for reimbursement by December 30.
- All School Meal Program sponsors, including those operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), or Special Milk Program (SMP), must report OBD. OBD documents the number of enrolled children eligible for free, reduced-price, and paid meals who traditionally have access to meals in the NSLP, SBP, or SMP.
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Onsite School Reviews: Complete by February 1. Use the On-Site Review form.
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Food Storage Evaluation: Complete by February 1. Review the Storage Facility Review Reference Sheet for additional details.
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Food Safety Inspections: Two food safety inspections by the local health jurisdiction are required for each site, each school year. If two inspections are not conducted, document a written request to the local health department for two inspections.
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Civil Rights Training: Required annually for all staff who work in USDA Child Nutrition Programs. Training must include the organization’s civil rights requirements and procedures and meet the training requirements outlined in the School Meal Programs Canvas course.
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Professional Standards: All food service staff must complete annual training requirements according to their job role and responsibilities in one of the USDA’s Key Areas.
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Afterschool Snack Program (ASP) Reviews: Complete twice annually. The first review must occur within the first four weeks of program operation. Use the ASP On-Site Review Form.
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CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program Reviews: Complete twice annually. The first review must occur within the first four weeks the program is in operation. Use the At-Risk Review form.
Keep forms on file for Administrative Reviews. Completed forms do not need to be submitted to OSPI.
Reminder
The School Meal Programs have other requirements that must be completed throughout the program year. The School Meal Programs Requirements Reference Sheet and School Meal Program Monthly Requirements Reference Sheet summarize program requirements.
Instructions, forms, and tools are available on the Program Materials and Requirements webpage..
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
The NSLP serves nearly 30 million children every school day in cafeterias, classrooms, and when necessary, even at home! National School Lunch Week highlights the importance of school lunch as well as the critical role school nutrition professionals play in helping children succeed.
This year’s theme is School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure
How to participate
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Deck out your cafeteria with NSLW posters and other artwork portraying nutritious lunch foods. This is a great opportunity to make use of the annual theme to highlight lunchtime favorites.
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Share your upcoming celebration on social media! Download the official #NSLW24 graphics to start promoting.
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Get in touch with local personalities! Invite teachers, administrators or even your school principal to stand in as guest servers for lunch one day.
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Offer a tasting of new menu items and talk to students about the nutritious benefits they get from certain foods.
Visit the NSLW24 webpage for additional tools and resources!
We Want to Celebrate YOU!
Send pictures and stories of your NSLW celebrations to the School Meals Team inbox!
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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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Program operators offering the NSLP and SBP during the 2024-25 school year are encouraged to join us for monthly webinars!
OSPI will discuss annual program requirements, new policy guidance, important reminders, and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions. The next webinar is November 7!
Register for the School Meal Programs Monthly Webinars here!
Dates: Monthly, September 2024 – June 2025
Time: 2–3pm PT
Please note: You only have to register once, and you will receive updates and reminders for each webinar.
Reminders
- Save these webinars on your calendar! When you register, there is an option to add the event to your calendar at the bottom of the confirmation email.
- A reminder email with the webinar link is sent one hour before the session starts.
- Webinar slides are sent to everyone registered for the session, even if they did not attend.
- We do not record monthly webinars.
Please keep an eye out in your inbox for these emails. If you do not see them in your inbox, please check your SPAM box.
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We proudly announce that Seattle Public Schools received a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award for making improvements to the nutritional quality of their district’s school meals.
Awarded by the USDA in collaboration with Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), Seattle Public Schools received the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of Schools Meals Award!
Find more information about these awardees: https://healthymealsincentives.org/awardee-spotlight
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Team Nutrition’s Serving School Meals to Preschoolers Training Worksheet *Updated*
Team Nutrition’s Serving School Meals to Preschoolers training worksheet has been updated to be consistent with the Final Rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” This four-page worksheet assists NSLP and SBP operators to plan menus that meet the preschool meal pattern.
New Foods & Revisions in the Food Buying Guide
New foods are now available in the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-based Tool and Mobile App. New yield data is available for the following, which are identified as traditional Indigenous foods in Tribal communities: huckleberries, bison, canned steelhead trout, halibut, walleye, white perch, and whitefish. Stay tuned for additional yield data releases coming soon. Explore the FBG today!
The 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 (CNP) operators, food manufacturers, and others to purchase the correct amounts of food and determine the contribution of a food toward meal pattern requirements. The FBG is available as a Web Tool, Mobile App, and downloadable PDF.
The Revised Whole Grain Resource for NSLP/SBP
The Whole Grain Resource for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs has been revised to reflect the Final Rule, "Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans". It is a must-have resource for anyone involved in planning school meals. This important resource provides examples of various grain products often served in schools and walks through the process of determining whether products are whole grain-rich, creditable as enriched, or not creditable.
The Spanish translation is coming soon!
Print copies of the resource in English and Spanish will be available later.
OSPI is one of 11 states awarded a Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Team Nutrition Training Grant for Meal Pattern Modernization and Retention and Mentorship Opportunities. This 3-year grant project will provide additional training opportunities to support the implementation of the Final Rule: Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Trainings will be sequenced to the gradual roll-out of Final Rule changes.
School Year 2024–25
- Virtual training series about traditional Indigenous foods
- Six regional train-the-trainer workshops focused on Final Rule changes to meal pattern, geographic preference, and the Buy American provision
School Year 2025–26
- Six regional train-the-trainer workshops focused on Final Rule changes to added sugar and sodium dietary specifications
- Subgrant opportunities to partner with a chef for scratch recipe development and standardization
School Year 2026–27
- Six regional culinary trainings to support meeting the added sugar and sodium dietary specifications
Stay tuned for more information and registration links for these exciting new training opportunities!
Questions? Contact Erica Lamson.
Happy National Farm to School Month!
Join OSPI and thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations across the country to celebrate food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients. Consider doing one or more of the following activities:
- Feature one local item that is in season.
- Serve a meal that is 100% locally sourced.
- Engage students in a taste test of a local food.
- Bring students out to the school garden for a lesson or activity.
- Educate students about your region's agricultural community.
- Share and promote your activities on social media using the hashtags #F2SMonth, #farmtoschool, and #WAfarmtoschool.
Check out the National Farm to School Network’s Toolkit to find resources and tips to help celebrate local food all month long!
Harvest of the Month
Fall brings rain, cooler temps, and shorter days known in the farming world as the shoulder season. We are featuring Asian Pears in November. If you don’t have access to Asian Pears near you or want to feature another food item, check out our past Harvest of the Month resource pages on the OSPI Farm to School webpage under the Harvest of the Month drop down menu.
Events and Webinars
Cafeteria to Compost, School Based Composting Programs – 10/16/24 at 11:00 am Garden School Foundation will present their Cafeteria to Compost Program, a food waste recovery and diversion program in elementary school cafeterias. This webinar will include an overview and history of the program, the impact of the program in the last school year, a menu of programming options that they are developing, and next steps if you are a school, teacher, or district interested in adopting an on campus food waste diversion program.
National Farm to School Network's Movement Meeting – 10/7/24 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm
The Movement Meeting is an opportunity to connect with others, reflect on the progress made in Farm to School programing, and set a course for the future. Register today and be part of the growing movement to bring nourishing, local food to schools across the country.
Grant Opportunities
Community Food Projects Grant RFA — Deadline: 11/7/24
The USDA Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program released its annual Request for Applications (RFA). $4.8 million is available for projects that build community food self-reliance and address food insecurity. Grants may range from $25,000 to $50,000 for planning grants, and $125,000 to $400,000 for implementation grants. Eligible organizations include public food program service providers, tribal organizations, or private nonprofit entities, including gleaners are eligible to apply.
Waste Not Washington School Awards — Closes 10/31/24
The Waste Not Washington School Awards promote sustainability and reward school efforts to reduce waste, recycle, and teach environmental curriculum. Up to $5,000 awarded per project.
Save the Date — 2025 USDA Foods Show
OSPI is hosting a USDA Foods show for School Meal programs sponsors. The food show will include education sessions relevant to USDA Foods and a tasting event to sample USDA Foods available to order.
Dates:
- January 27, 2025 — University Place, WA
- January 31, 2025 — Spokane
Call for Presentations
Interested in facilitating an education session or want to suggest a topic? Complete the Presentation Submission Survey by Monday, October 28, 2024. Presentations should focus on topics relevant to the USDA Foods Distribution program.
Why present?
- Professional development opportunity.
- Collaborate with other child nutrition professionals.
- Receive recognition for and feedback about your best practices or program administration.
- Expand your professional portfolio.
Possible Presentation Topics
- USDA Foods 101
- USDA Foods Resources
- Processing
- Nutrition and Menus
- Procurement and Buying
- Communication and Marketing
- Policy News and Updates
Keep an eye out in future newsletters for registration information.
Last year, OSPI was able to provide LFS foods at no cost through a grant from USDA. In School Year (SY) 2024-25, LFS foods are offered both at a cost and for free. This transition helps ensure sustainability of the project. LFS addresses common barriers to Farm to School by lowering procurement, transportation, and logistical hurdles.
Three Ways to Get LFS Foods in SY 2024-25:
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Pre-ordered: If you pre-ordered LFS foods in February 2024, place orders during the open order period. The cost of these foods is listed under “processing fee.”
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Surplus Order Period: If you didn’t pre-order LFS foods, extra LFS foods will be available on a first-come, first-served basis during the Surplus order period. The same cost applies.
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Bonus Foods: A limited number of items are available for free during the Surplus order period.
See the Order and Delivery Schedule 2024-25 for Surplus order periods.
Note: OSPI is covering delivery costs for LFS foods through January 2025.
See the CNP Web message board for a complete list of products and processing fees.
See the Local Food for Schools website for LFS Fact Sheets and educational materials.
USDA recently announced additional funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program. We will share updates, including any impact to the Washington LFS project, when we receive additional information from USDA.
Questions? Contact Sarah Davis.
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October 15
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September Claims Due in WINS by 5pm
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October 28
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Submit the USDA Foods Show Presentation Submission Survey
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October 30
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August 60-Day Claim Deadline
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