4/20/26 S.S.T.A.R.. - Summer Meal Service Program Newsletter

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 04/20/2026 02:42 PM PDT

Summer Food Service Program S.S.T.A.R.: Week of April 20, 2026

Update: New Summer Rooted in Excellence Award System
Update: Join the Eat Local First Spring Mixer
Farm to Summer Corner
Important Dates to Remember

Update: New Summer Rooted in Excellence Award System

Summer Rooted in Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding summer meal sponsors across Washington State who demonstrate innovation, leadership and commitment to child nutrition.

The award system features two tracks Culinary Cultivator and Nurturing Navigator.

Culinary Cultivator Track

Non-Congregate Excellence
Menu Planning Champion
Culturally Inclusive Meals
Farm to Summer
Scratch Cooking

Nurturing Navigator Track

Marketing and Promotion
Nutrition Education
Partnership and Engagement
Leadership Excellence

OSPI Training Opportunities

SFSP New Sponsor Canvas course

Enroll

SFSP Returning Sponsor Canvas course

Enroll

Training Opportunities Outside of OSPI

Virtual Training from the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN)

Nutrition 101

Applications open in July and close in September. Additional details about how to apply will be provided in a future newsletter.

Update: Join the Eat Local First Spring Mixer

Connect with your local food community and join the Eat Local First (ELF) Spring Mixer!

Looking to strengthen your farm to school connections? The ELF Spring Mixer is a great opportunity to meet farmers, food producers, and other partners from across the region, including fellow school meal professionals!

Enjoy a relaxed evening of networking, seasonal food, and local brews while building relationships that support local sourcing in your programs.

Date: May 19
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: 1701 Ellis St, Suite 221, Bellingham, WA
Cost: Free

Register

Don’t miss this chance to connect, collaborate, and bring more local foods into your meal programs!

Farm to Summer Corner

Introducing Harvest of the Season—Order a poster today!

This summer, OSPI is launching Harvest of the Season, a new initiative that adds flexibility and tools to the Harvest of the Month materials. Funded by a USDA Farm to School grant, OSPI created comprehensive toolkits highlighting 24 Washington-grown and -raised foods for Washington state Child Nutrition Programs. Harvest of the Season includes tips for featuring 24 Washington-grown and -raised foods items in Child Nutrition Programs meal programs, with activities for educators, and for kids to bring home to their families.

Toolkits will also include posters highlighting each Harvest of the Season food item. A limited number of posters will be printed and distributed free of charge to Washington Child Nutrition Program sponsors.

To order, complete this survey by May 15. More information and additional opportunities to order materials will be shared in CNS newsletters.

Questions? Email farmtocnp@k12.wa.us.

New and Featured resources

Find local partners near you: The National Farm to School Network has updated its Interactive Partner Network Map. It features 500+ Partner organizations nationwide, sorted by state and organization type, a useful tool for identifying local food and Farm to CACFP connections in Washington and beyond.
National School Garden Map | School Garden Support Organization Network
The School Garden Support Organization Network (SGSO) works with national and regional partners to collect school garden data and has an interactive map showing school gardens and supporting organizations across the country.
- The map can be used to:
  - Develop Partnerships: Finding other school garden programs or organizations to partner with.
  - Educate Your Community: Help school administrators, parents, local volunteers, district staff, and beyond know where students are growing gardens at their schools!
  - Develop an Outreach Plan: Identify gaps in access and focus on outreach where it is most needed.
New sourcing toolkit: The Urban School Food Alliance has released a free 20-page UrbanSourcing Locally: Regional Sourcing Materials for K12 Foodservice toolkit designed to help child nutrition programs find and source local products, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy, with interactive information tailored to each region of the U.S.

Important Dates to Remember

July 13–17	Farm to Summer Week
July 15	Summer Crunch
2026 SFSP Application Tiered Deadlines
May 1	Returning Sponsors new to Rural Non-Congregate
May 15	Returning Sponsors with first date of operations between June 1-15
June 1	Returning Sponsors with first date of operations after June 15

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.

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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