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The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is pleased to share that the Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) Application materials for school year (SY) 2025–26 are available.
The Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) application may qualify households for:
- Meal benefits,
- Summer EBT benefits (if enrolled in a NSLP/SBP school),
- Reduced fees for other programs and activities, and/or
- Help secure funding for the school district.
LEAs may not produce their own materials or alter the state prototype materials (except to include their district nondiscrimination statement) without approval from OSPI. For more information on the CNEEB Application and it’s requirements, please review the CNEEB Application FAQ.
Please note: You must identify on the meal application materials where households should return completed meal applications. Each year, USDA receives meal applications from households in Washington state because households mail applications to the Civil Rights Complaint address in Alexandria, Virginia.
Additional Materials
Additional application materials are available in both English and Spanish on the Meal Application and Verification Information webpage for Pricing Programs and on the CEP & Provision 2 webpage for Non-Pricing and Provision programs.
- Letter to Households—Choose the Letter to Household based on LEA type and program operations.
- Public School Districts
- Private Schools & Residential Child Care Institutions
- Non-Pricing and Provision Programs (CEP, Provision 2, HB 1238)
- Notice of Eligibility Determination Letters
- Combined Approval/Denial of Benefits
- Notice of Eligibility-Direct Certification
- Notice of Eligibility-Direct Certification Medicaid
Web-based and Scanned Meal Application Materials
With the transition to the CNEEB application, LEAs must ensure their web-based meal application systems meet requirements. See the "Meal Application - Web-based and Scanned" reference sheet for requirements for web-based and scanned meal applications. LEAs are responsible for ensuring meal application materials meet all requirements.
Limited English Proficiency
LEAs must ensure students have access to school meals by meeting the language needs of their school district population. The CNEEB Application and supporting materials in additional languages will be available soon.
Questions? Please contact your School Meal Programs Specialist.
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School Meal Programs Annual Training will be held August 5–6 at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA.
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OSPI is returning to a conference format with concurrent sessions for annual training this year. Each day features OSPI Updates followed by four separate breakout sessions focused on program operations and regulations, best practices, and culinary topics. Each day ends with an energetic facilitated networking session with colleagues from around the state. With 16 sessions to choose from, there will be something for everyone!
August 5 sessions will be repeated on August 6 to give participants maximum access to all sessions. Up to 10 hours of Professional Standards credit available. See the School Meal Programs Annual Training Agenda for session titles descriptions, and times.
Concurrent to Annual Training, OSPI is hosting the Basics of Operating the School Meal Programs as a two-day workshop. Day one will focus on food service and menu planning, and day two will focus on program administration. Attendees are not required to attend both days. Day one is intended for food service directors, supervisors, or those with menu planning responsibilities. Day two is intended for staff with program administration responsibilities. Depending on LEA structure and job responsibilities, it may be appropriate to attend only day one, only day two, or both days. Please register for the day(s) that best match job responsibilities.
Registration Information
Training is free to attend; however, participants must pay for meals, parking, and any overnight stays.
Register here for SY 2025–26 School Meal Programs Annual Training
Register here for SY 2025–26 Basics of Operating School Meal Programs
- Each participant must register for the event using their own pdEnroller account.
- While there is an option to register more than one attendee with one account, you will not be able to register each person for different days. Due to this issue, we recommend each participant to register with their own account.
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Create your free pdEnroller account if you do not have one already.
- Registrants will receive a confirmation email after registering. Keep this email for your records.
Registration closes July 18!
Sessions will not be recorded and are only available in-person at Annual Training. Recorded trainings on program requirements, such as meal pattern, processing applications, and verification, are available on the School Meal Programs Canvas Course. Please note: You must have a Canvas Account to access these trainings.
Questions? Contact the School Meals team.
OSPI collects yearly information about food service operations and the management of federal funds. The 1800 report is a collection of reports and statistics for public school districts based on the financial data submitted by sponsors. These reports are designed to help school districts assess the performance of their food service operations.
The Report 1800 for SY 2023–24 is posted to the OSPI Child Nutrition Program Reports webpage. The 1800 Report Reference Sheet provides information and details about the report.
Report 1800 includes:
- 1800 A Revenues and Expenditures (in whole dollars)
- 1800 B Expenditures as a Percent of Revenue
Questions? Email cnsfiscalservices@k12.wa.us.
The USDA released policy memo SP 11-2025, CACFP 09-2025, SFSP 05-2025: Using Federal Funds to Purchase Local Foods reminding schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in an USDA Child Nutrition Program (CNP), including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), Special Milk Program for Children (SMP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in Program meals.
Sourcing and serving locally grown foods, and other farm to school activities, such as taste testing, gardening, and agriculture education, can infuse new energy and vision into CNP operations, support community health, create new opportunities for American farmers, invest federal dollars in local economies, and strengthen strategies to encourage healthy choices.
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Program operators offering the NSLP and School Breakfast Program (SBP) during SY 2024–25 are encouraged to join us for monthly webinars. Don't miss the last one of SY 2025–26!
OSPI will discuss annual program requirements, new policy guidance, important reminders, and provide an opportunity to ask questions. Webinars are scheduled for the first Thursday of every month.
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Register for the School Meal Programs Monthly Webinars here!
Last webinar: June 5
Time: 2–3 PM
Please note: Register once to receive updates and reminders for each webinar.
Reminders
- When you register, there is an option at the bottom of the confirmation email to add the webinar to your calendar.
- A reminder email with the login link to the webinar is sent one hour before the session starts.
- A copy of the slides are sent to everyone registered for the session, even if they did not attend.
- Webinars are not recorded.
- Please keep an eye out for the webinar emails. If you do not see them, check your SPAM box.
Have topic suggestions for a future monthly webinar? Email suggestions to SchoolMeals@k12.wa.us.
Child Nutrition Program sponsors are reimbursed for eligible meals and snacks. Claims are filed and processed electronically in the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS).
Monthly claims are due by the 15th of the 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. Claims left in "error status" will not process for payment.
WINS will automatically log all users out of the system on the 15th of each month at exactly 2pm PT. The system will not allow access to claims until after the monthly reconciliation process is complete. This can take up to two business days.
Didn't submit your claim by the 15th? That's okay! Submit your monthly claim by the 60-day deadline.
Best Practice: Give yourself enough time to input all claiming data, and preview and correct any errors. Completing these steps will help you ensure the claim is in "OK to Pay" status or allow for adequate time to reach out to fiscal or program staff for 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.
Questions? Contact cnsfiscalservices@k12.wa.us.
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