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School Nutrition Bulletin 2425-17

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

  • Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Updates from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Nutrition Team
  • Other Updates and Information

Upcoming Events: Let us know if you are planning something special!

Email DPIFNS@dpi.wi,gov your event plans and post-event photos so we can share them!

National Nutrition Month (March)

National School Breakfast Week (March 3-7, 2025)

 

Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

 

Health Meals Initiative Updates: Illinois Public Health Institute: Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Grants

The new application period opens February 14, 2025. Awards range from$30,000 to $100,000. A launch webinar will be on February 27, 2025.

English Webinar: Thursday, February 27, 2025 – 11 AM CST

Spanish Webinar: Thursday February 27, 2025 – 10 AM CST

 

Register Now for Team Nutrition’s Meal Talk: Reducing Sodium in School Meals WebinarThursday, February 20, 2025

2-3 PM CST

USDA’s Team Nutrition Initiative will present a Meal Talk webinar on Reducing Sodium in School Meals to meet the Final Rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-25 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

Healthy Meals Incentives Lunch Trailblazer Awardees from Prescott School District 402-37 in Washington and Urbandale Community School District in Iowa will share innovative ideas and best practices in reducing sodium and engaging students in menu planning. In addition, participants will learn about USDA’s Team Nutrition resources, the Institute of Child Nutrition's Shaking It Up! resources, and the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards.

This webinar will be recorded and made available at a later date on the Team Nutrition website. All who register will receive an email when the recording is available. 

Certificates of participation will be provided for those who attend the entire webinar.

This webinar may count toward USDA Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs, Key Area 1000: Nutrition and Training Topic 1100: Menu Planning.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify strategies to reduce sodium in school meals that reflect local food preparation practices and taste preferences.
  • Summarize best practices for incorporating menu items to reduce sodium in school meals.
  • Discuss how resources from Team Nutrition and the Institute of Child Nutrition can help improve the nutritional quality of school meals and meet sodium limits.

This webinar will be offered with closed captioning and participants who require a different accessibility tool are asked to reach out by February 6 via email to TeamNutrition@USDA.gov.

If there are any other questions about this webinar, please reach out to the Team Nutrition email above

Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team

 

Feeding Children in Summer 2025

Summer is frequently the most challenging time of the year for children at risk of food insecurity when they no longer have access to daily school meals. School food authorities (SFAs) are encouraged to continue to provide healthy meals during the summer months.

SFAs may be eligible to provide free meals to all children 18 and under by participating in either the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) if one of the following eligibility criteria are met:

  • One or more of your schools have at least 50% of the children eligible for free and reduced-price meals based on the October 2024 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) claim.
  • One of more of your Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools has an Identified Student Percentage (ISP) x 1.6 of 50% or more.
  • There are areas within your community that qualify based on census tract data. The USDA Capacity Builder can be used to determine if a location is eligible using census data. A list of census eligibility for Public Schools is posted to our website.

Option 1: Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) - Must meet eligibility criteria above.

  • Provides an additional shipment of SFSP USDA Foods in June.
  • Provides free Outreach Materials to promote your Program (posters, door hangers, banners, lawn signs, etc.).

To operate the SFSP in summer 2025 email your intent to SFSP@dpi.wi.gov and a member of the SFSP Team will contact you with instructions to apply.

*Approval is required prior to starting the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

 

Option 2: Seamless Summer Option (SSO) - Must meet eligibility criteria above.

To operate the SSO in summer 2025 email your intent to SSO@dpi.wi.gov and a member of the SSO Team will contact you with instructions to apply.

* Approval is required prior to starting Seamless Summer Option (SSO).

 

Option 3: National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP)

All SFAs providing summer school may choose to continue operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP); however, it is most frequently chosen when your schools do not meet the eligibility requirements of Option 1 or 2.

  • Allows SFAs to provide meals to students enrolled in academic summer school. This option does not allow for providing meals to other children in the community, nor does it allow for meal service when school is not in session.
  • Schools do not need to meet the eligibility criteria above.
  • Students are counted and claimed based on individual student name and eligibility. Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools continue to provide free meals to students and are reimbursed at the established claiming percentage.

If you have further questions about offering meals through the NSLP or SBP, you may reach out to the Nutrition Program Consultant assigned to your SFA or email the School of Nutrition Team Inbox.

For further details on summer meal options, please review the Comparison of Summer Meal Programs chart.

Although the summer meal programs mentioned above are an important source of nutrition for many children, program access remains a challenge. To expand the reach of summer meal programs, Summer EBT has been established as a permanent program that aims to reduce summer hunger by providing families with a grocery benefit similar to Foodshare to feed their children when school is not in session. In general, children who meet the free and reduced price meal requirements are eligible for Summer EBT.

For more information about Summer EBT, please visit the Summer EBT Webpage or email summerebt@dpi.wi.gov .

 

Non-Congregate Feeding  

In summer 2025, all Seamless Summer Option (SSO) sites are expected to serve meals in a congregate (group) setting unless approved to serve meals in a non-congregate manner by the DPI School Nutrition Team. Sites will only be approved to distribute non-congregate meals if located in a Rural Area that does not have congregate meal service.

For more information, please view the Rural Non-Congregate Meals in the SSO In a Nutshell and contact SSO@dpi.wi.gov for approval.

 

Serving Summer Meals in School Based Childcare Centers

As a reminder for schools that operate year-round childcare centers, meals can only be claimed under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) on days when school is in session. If the childcare center is operating on any holiday breaks, teacher in-service days, and/or summer months when school is not in session, meals cannot be claimed under the NSLP/SBP. Meals served to children enrolled in the childcare program can be claimed when summer school is in session.

Schools have the following options for serving a school-operated childcare center:

  • Pay for meals served to children enrolled in childcare on non-school days, including during the summer, from a fund other than the non-profit food service account. These meals cannot be claimed.
  • The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) can be used year-round to claim meals served to children enrolled in the childcare center. The CACFP requires a separate contract, training, and review process. To learn more, visit the Join the CACFP Webpage.

Operate the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) if the school qualifies under program eligibility requirements. This would allow meals to be claimed during the summer; however, meals cannot be claimed during any breaks of fewer than 10 days under the SSO or SFSP.

Other Updates and Information

 

January STAR Webinar: Reading and Understanding Food and Nutrition Facts Labels

Thursday, January 30, 2025 (This week!)

2-3 PM CST

The January STAR webinar will cover the essentials of food labels, strategies for evaluating products and ensuring compliance with child nutrition program requirements. This session will provide valuable insights to enhance your understanding of food labels and equip you with practical tips for effectively communicating food label information with your staff.

SNA Key Area(s): 2 – Operations

USDA Professional Standards Code(s): 2100 – Food Production

Learning Objective(s):

By the end of this webinar, attendees will:

  • Recall strategies for accurately reading and understanding food labels to ensure compliance with meal pattern requirements.

 

Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition: How to Transition to Scratch Cooking in Schools – First Steps

Thursday, February 6, 2025

2-3 PM CST

Transitioning to scratch cooking in schools can feel like a significant shift, but with the right approach, it can transform the quality of meals served to students. In this session, Seattle Public Schools’ school nutrition experts will share some foundational steps for introducing scratch cooking, including strategies for sourcing high-quality ingredients, developing practical, culturally relevant recipes within budget, managing operational challenges that come with the transition, and more. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and first steps to begin their scratch cooking journey, ensuring healthier, freshly prepared meals for students in the school meals program.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the critical first steps to successfully transition to scratch cooking in schools.
  • Describe how scratch cooking positively impacts students’ health, meal quality, and engagement in school meal programs.
  • Recall techniques for preserving freshness and utilizing fresh produce when preparing practical, culturally relevant recipes.
  • Identify strategies for sourcing high-quality ingredients while staying within budget constraints.

Hours of Instruction: 1

Key Area(s): 1-Nutrition, 2-Operations, 4-Communications/Marketing

Professional Standard Code(s): 1100 – Menu Planning 2100 – Food Production 4100 – Communications and Marketing

 

February STAR Webinar: Mastering Scratch Cooking in Schools

Thursday, February 27, 2025

2-3 PM CST

Join this session to hear from school nutrition experts as they share insights on incorporating scratch cooking into school meal programs. Learn tips to help schools overcome common challenges and adopt best practices for preparing foods from scratch. This session will also highlight the benefits of scratch cooking and proven strategies to enhance meal quality and boost student satisfaction.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify practical tips for preparing fresh foods to increase meal quality and student satisfaction.
  • Recall effective methods for a smooth transition in the day-to-day operations when incorporating scratch cooking in the school meals program.

Hours of Instruction: 1

Key Area(s): 1-Nutrition, 2-Operations

Professional Standard Code(s): Menu Planning – 1100 Food Production – 2100