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CACFP Week is March 16–22, 2025
To celebrate, OSPI is joining the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) for its annual national education and information campaign. This campaign is designed to raise awareness of how the CACFP) works to combat hunger and bring healthy foods to the table for participants of childcare centers, adult day services and day care homes across the country.
Help celebrate CACFP Week!
We want to celebrate you and highlight your efforts! Participate in one or all of the following CACFP Week activities. See below for details about each activity.
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Attend an ICN in-person training during CACFP week!
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Submit nomination(s) for CACFP Excellence Award(s)
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Tell/Show us what CACFP Means to you!
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Share your favorite CACFP Standardized recipes with us!
Submit Excellence Award nomination, testimonials, and recipes by Friday, February 27th.
Excellence Award recipients, testimonials and recipes will be highlighted in a special CNS Update during CACFP week!
Attend an in-person training during CACFP week!
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) will offer an in-person training with two focus areas:
- Food Safety in the Child Care Setting
- Introduction to Happy Mealtimes in Child Care Settings
This class is appropriate for Program administrators, site staff, and in-home providers.
Register for this event
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
CACFP Excellence Awards
Who is eligible to receive the CACFP Excellence Award? Any individual or organization participating in the CACFP (centers, homes, schools, emergency shelters, food banks, etc.) or CACFP Sponsoring Organization can receive this award.
CACFP Excellence Categories include:
- Excellence in Food Services
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- Excellence in Nutrition Education
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- Excellence in Menu Planning
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Tell/Show us what CACFP means to you!
Submit statements, artwork, photos, or quotes describing what CACFP means to you, your staff/organization, and the families you serve.
Share your favorite standardized recipes
We are all about the food! Share your most popular CACFP standardized recipes with us. We will make these recipes available to all sponsors and encourage you to try them during CACFP week!
We appreciate all you do to ensure participants receive healthy meals every day!
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an updated worksheet to reflect changes that limit the added sugars in breakfast cereal beginning October 1, 2025.
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Washington Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program gives families access to nutritious food and provides health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health and social services. The program provides essential services for pregnant people, new and breastfeeding persons, infants, and children under five. Most pregnant people and young children on Medicaid or Basic Food qualify for WIC services. |
What Can You Do to Help?
Help the families you serve by sharing WIC benefit information! Post the WIC flyer in your center and/or include it with participant enrollment packets. The Department of Health offers a handout in 14 languages.
Resources:
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Want to learn more about traditional Indigenous foods of the Pacific Northwest? Through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Team Nutrition Grant, OSPI is hosting three virtual training sessions this spring. Each session builds on the last. Plan to attend all three if possible. Contracted training instructors include Valerie Segrest, Maria Givens, and Elizabeth Campbell. |
Indian Country 101
This foundational session introduces the key principles of Indigenous inclusion, covering the history of Native people in the U.S., basics of Tribal sovereignty, and initial steps for respectful engagement with Tribes and Native individuals.
Register: Indian Country 101
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Time: 2:00–3:30pm
Northwest Native Foods
This training emphasizes the cultural significance and nutritional benefits of Northwest Native foods, including wild greens and berries, roots, salmon, and elk.
Register: Northwest Native Foods
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025
Time: 2:00–3:30pm
Food Sovereignty and Education Initiatives in Tribal Communities
This is an in-depth look at Tribal food sovereignty, including the history and impact of Native-led food initiatives across Indian Country. This session highlights the importance of food as a cornerstone of community and cultural resilience.
Register: Food Sovereignty and Education Initiatives in Tribal Communities
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time:2:00–3:30pm
This project was funded using United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant funds.
OSPI has contracted with the Brighton Training Group to offer all CACFP Sponsors access to an assortment of CACFP trainings! These trainings are appropriate for program administrators.
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
Harvest of the Month
Each month OSPI will highlight one local food that will be in season the following month in a Harvest of the Month resource sheet. The resource sheets include fun facts, nutritional information, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and educational resources/activities. We are featuring Buckwheat for the month of February. If you don’t have access to Buckwheat 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. Want to plan for future months? Check out the 2024–2025 School year Harvest of the Month Calendar for what OSPI will be featuring throughout the school year.
Adult Care Resources
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ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
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ADA NOTIFICATION FOR OSPI CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES EVENTS
To arrange accommodations for persons with disabilities for OSPI Child Nutrition Services events, please contact the Child Nutrition Services Team at 360-725-6200, TTY 360-664-3631, or by email, child.nutrition@k12.wa.us at least three business days before the event. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.
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