CEP State Requirements
RCW 28A.235.300 requires participation in CEP for all schools with an ISP of 40% or greater. For more details about the ISP and state requirements, please review the CEP Reference Sheet and the CEP in Washington State Reference Sheet.
State funding will supplement federal funds in schools with an ISP of 40% or greater.
The state legislature provides state funds to CEP schools with an ISP of 40% or greater. When a school’s Free Claiming Percentage (the ISP multiplied by 1.6 (federal multiplier)) is less than 100%, state funding will supplement federal reimbursement so that all meals served are reimbursed at the federal free rate. Please note that state funds will only be provided to CEP school(s) with an overall ISP of 40% or greater.
Resources
Questions? Contact your School Meal Programs Specialist.
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All public school districts and private schools must conduct outreach for summer meals each school year as required by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) even if the LEA is not operating a summer meal program. |
LEAs must advertise the availability of summer meals before the end of the school year. Outreach information includes distribution locations, meal times, and contact information through your regular communication channels.
These resources are available to share in both English and Spanish.
USDA Resources
- USDA Hunger Hotline is available Monday–Friday. Call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) for English and
- 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) for Spanish.
- Summer Meals Locator is an online map of meal locations available in English or Spanish.
No Kid Hungry Resources
- Texting Line - Families may text "Food" or "Comida" to 509-509 to find free summer meals near them.
- Promote the Meal Site Locator
OSPI Communication Toolkit
- The OSPI Communication Toolkit is located on the SFSP Requirements & Materials webpage, under the "Promotional Materials" dropdown. There you'll find:
- Social media graphics and sample social media posts
- Marketing materials such as flyers, banner imagery you can use to print materials, and more!
SP 13-2025, CACFP 10-2025, SFSP 06-2025: Full Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs
USDA released SP 13-2025, CACFP 10-2025, SFSP 06-2025 regarding the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. There are no significant changes to program operations for SY 2025–26.
Crediting of Vegetables at Breakfast
Starting in SY 2025–2026, consistent with current School Breakfast Program (SBP) requirements [7 CFR 220.8(c)(2)(ii)], schools must offer at least two vegetable subgroups at breakfast per week, if offering vegetables in place of fruit at breakfast more than once per week.
Prohibition on the Use of Chicken and Seafood from China
The 2025 Appropriations Act extends the 2024 provision that Program funds may not be used to procure raw or processed poultry or seafood products from the People’s Republic of China. This prohibition applies to all child nutrition programs and remains effective through September 30, 2025.
Other USDA Updates
The USDA released SP 10-2025, CACFP 08-2025, SFSP 04-2025: Rescission of Guidance on Promoting Access to Voting through the Child Nutrition Programs, which rescinds SP 07-2022, CACFP 06-2022, SFSP 02-2022: Promoting Access to Voting through the Child Nutrition Programs.
The state legislature appropriates funding to support school meal programs, including breakfast meal assistance funds for free and reduced-price breakfast meals. During School Year 24–25, these funds were paid out at a rate of $0.03 per breakfast. Recent calculations indicate that funds are underspent. Therefore, we will retroactively increase the per breakfast assistance rate for September 2024 – March 2025 breakfast meals. These funds will be paid out in a one-time, lump sum payment with your June apportionment.
Note: These funds are available for public school districts, tribal compact schools and charter schools.
Questions? Contact cnsfiscalservices@k12.wa.us.
OSPI will conduct Administrative Reviews (ARs) and Procurement Reviews (PRs) for sponsors operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the School Breakfast Program (SBP) in SY 2025–26. USDA regulations direct AR and PR procedures.
For SY 2025–26, the administrative and procurement review will continue to be conducted separately. Sponsors will receive two email notification letters, one for the administrative review and one for the procurement review.
AR notification letters will be sent to sponsors selected for review by June 27, 2025.
PR notification letters will be sent to sponsors selected for review by July 31, 2025.
Who will be selected for an Administrative Review?
LEAs that last received a review in SY 2019–20 will most likely receive an AR in SY 2025–26.
Who will be selected for a Procurement Review?
LEAs that last received a review in SY 2019–20 or SY 2020–21 will most likely receive a PR in SY 2025–26.
Material Due Dates
- Preliminary materials for both reviews are due September 30, 2025, and must be received prior to approval of your renewal application.
- Submit AR materials to the School Meals inbox.
- Submit PR materials to the Procurement Team inbox.
Questions about Administrative Reviews? Please contact your School Meal Programs Specialist.
Questions about Procurement Reviews? Please email Barbara Krogstad, Procurement Specialist.
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The 2025-2027 Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Farm to School Purchasing Grant Application is NOW OPEN.
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The WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grant is a competitive reimbursement grant available to school districts and childcare centers for the purchase and use of Washington-grown foods in child nutrition programs.
Important
WSDA Plans to offer one Farm to School Purchasing Grant application for the entire 2025-2027 biennium. This period includes the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. WSDA does not intend to offer a second grant application within this period.
Who Can Apply:
- Schools or early learning programs operated by Federally Recognized Tribes.
- Organizations that operate one of the following USDA Child Nutrition Programs: National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP - childcare).
Timeline:
- Application Open Date: Friday June 6, 2025
- Applications Close Date: Thursday July 3, 2025, at 5:00 PM PST
- Grant Period: Date of Grant Agreement Execution - June 30, 2027
How to Apply:
- Read the Grant Guidelines.
- Watch the Application Webinar recording (coming soon).
- Register for Application Question and Answer Sessions:
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Register for Tuesdays: June 10. 17, and 24 from 3 pm – 4 pm
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Register for Wednesdays: June 11, 18, and 25 from 7 am – 8 am
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Register for Wednesdays: June 11, 18, and 25 from 12 pm – 1 pm
- Create an account in the Application Portal.
- Complete the Profile. This step is required before starting the application intake.
- Complete the Application Intake for each program type you are applying for (school meals and/or childcare meals). Application Intake includes 3 required sections: Application, Budget Proposal, and Attestations and Signature.
- Click the “Submit” button by Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 5 pm PST.
Technical Assistance:
Staff from WSDA, OSPI, and partner organizations are available to provide assistance and answer questions about the grant program and application. See the list of contacts in the “Technical Assistance” section on the grant webpage.
For more information, visit the WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grant webpage.
Questions? Contact Farm to School Purchasing Grant Specialist at: farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov.
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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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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
Registration closes July 18!
Review the Annual Training Announcement for additional details.
Questions? Contact the School Meals team.
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