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School Nutrition Bulletin 2223-5

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)


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

USDA FAQ on School Meal Changes for 2022-23

Many families will see changes in school meals this fall. School nutrition professionals have worked tirelessly to get healthy food to children during COVID-19, and they will keep working hard to serve children healthy meals this coming school year. As we all get through this change, we ask everyone to be patient with school nutrition professionals and thank them for working to help children during such a tough time. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Biden-Harris Administration fully support the school leaders and school meal heroes running the school meals programs. Together, we will keep working to support schools and making sure children can get healthy meals in the coming school year.

Reimbursement Rates for School Meal Programs Published in Federal Register

Note: Below is a summary table of the rates created by the School Nutrition Team

This Notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payments, the amount of money the Federal Government provides States for lunches, afterschool snacks, and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the maximum reimbursement rates, the maximum per lunch rate from Federal funds that a State can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half‑pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program for Children.

This notice also includes temporary increases authorized by the Keep Kids Fed Act which expire on June 30, 2023.

National School Lunch Program Payments

Overall, payments for the National School Lunch Program and the Afterschool Snack Program increased from last year’s payments due to additional funds for lunch reimbursement made available under the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-158) and a 7.40 percent increase in the national average payment rates for schools and residential child care institutions for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the Food Away From Home series.

School Breakfast Program Payments

Overall, payments for the National School Breakfast Program either remained the same or increased from last year’s payments due to additional funds for breakfast reimbursement made available under the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-158) and a 7.40 percent increase in the national average payment rates for schools and residential child care institutions for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Food Away from Home.

Meal Talk: Local School Wellness Policies Webinar

USDA’s Team Nutrition will present a Meal Talk webinar on Local School Wellness Policies.

Register Here
Date: August 17, 2022
Time: 2-3:00 PM CST

Team Nutrition staff and guest speakers from South Carolina’s Local Wellness Policy State Technical Assistance Team and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will share how to energize, strengthen, and assess local school wellness policies. Attendees will leave with new ideas for increasing engagement and excitement about school wellness in their communities, including among administrators, teachers, parents, students, and more.

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.

Do you need an alternative format or accessibility tools to help you participate in this event?
Closed captioning is available for this webinar. Participants who require a different accessibility tool to participate in this webinar, please reach out by August 3 to Sheila Kopczynski for assistance at sheila.kopczynski@usda.gov or (208) 202-2811.

Spanish Version of the Nondiscrimination Statement and Complaint Form

USDA has updated the Spanish version of the Nondiscrimination Statement, which includes a link to the complaint form in Spanish.


Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)
 

Reimbursement Rate Summary

The SNT created a summary document for the School Year (SY) 2022-23 Reimbursement Rates, recently announced by USDA. These rates are effective July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023.

School Year 2022-23 Contract Approvals

School Nutrition Team is working with school food authorities (SFAs) to get contracts ready for approval for school year (SY) 2022-23. Since we are transitioning from the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) to the “traditional” National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Afterschool Snack Program (ASP), all contract approvals will be held until early September. This allows all SSO claims from SY 2021-22 to be processed and paid at the higher SFSP rates. We will then transition the claiming system over to NSLP reimbursement rates for SY 2022-23. Once that occurs, contracts will be approved and SFAs will be notified.

Electing the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Deadline for Summer 2022

Due to the extension of the USDA waivers for summer operations, if your SFA is interested in electing SSO or transitioning from NSLP to the SSO for July-August and have not yet submitted the Summer 2022 SSO Application, the deadline to apply is August 1. More information is available in the July 8, 2022 SNT Bulletin.

Claiming for July and August Meals/Snacks

Since SSO and NSLP are paid through the same claiming portal but have different reimbursement rates, there are some differences in how these claims are entered to ensure the correct reimbursement rate is applied.

SFAs operating NSLP in July and/or August

SFAs operating NSLP in July and/or August will not be able to submit these claims through Online Services until the 2022-23 contract is approved. Please hold onto these claims and we will notify SFAs once these claims can be submitted. We anticipate this will be early September.

SFAs operating SSO in July and/or August

For SFAs operating the SSO in July and/or August, these claims CANNOT be submitted electronically through Online Services. Any SSO claims for July and August need to be sent to Jacqueline.Jordee@dpi.wi.gov using the monthly claim Excel file template and they will be held for payment until the claiming system is set up to pay these correctly. Please note, this may result in a delay in the processing of these claims, which we anticipate will occur in early September. The regular 60-day claim deadlines still apply to these claims.

SFAs operating SSO and NSLP in August

Many SFAs are starting the academic school year in August. All meals and snacks provided once the academic school year begins must utilize the traditional NSLP, SBP and ASP and students will be claimed based on eligibility, unless the site participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or is a non-pricing Residential Childcare Institution (RCCI).

If your SFA is operating SSO for summer meals and NSLP once the academic school year starts in August, the summer SSO meals and the meals/snack provided starting the first day of the academic school year must be kept separate. The SSO claim(s) will be submitted to our office for processing and payment by emailing the Excel claim file to Jacqueline.Jordee@dpi.wi.gov as mentioned above and the NSLP/SBP and/or ASP claims will be submitted through the Online Services claiming portal once the SY 2022-23 contract is approved.

See the Summer 2022 Claiming Manual for detailed instructions.

End of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Household Communication

The SNT has created a template letter that school food authorities (SFAs) may share with their households explaining that the USDA School Meal Programs are returning to their traditional way of operating this school year. Please note that Spanish and Hmong translations of this letter template will be available soon on the Resources to Transition into the 2022-23 School Year webpage in the School Meal Resources section.

Important Reminder: Changes to Claiming for School-run Child Care Centers in SY 2022-23

As announced in the School Meals News Bulletin 2122-41 (April 26, 2022), meals and snacks served to children enrolled in a child care center, located in a school and administered by the school, may not be claimed under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) on days that school is not in-session. This includes holidays, in-service days, winter and spring breaks, and summer break (if summer school is not in-session). Schools that serve meals to school-run child care centers may consider joining the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The CACFP allows children to receive up to two meals and one snack, or two snacks and one meal per day and is not limited to school days. Learn more about the differences in claiming meals under the NSLP/SBP/ Afterschool Snack Program and CACFP in the Infant and Preschool Program Comparison Chart.

Registration Open: Lifecycle of Farm to School Processing Workshop

Join us for a hands-on workshop turning fresh fruits and vegetables from the school garden into foods you can use and serve in school meals. We’ll enter Monona Grove’s brand-new Granite Ridge school kitchen, hosted by Food Service Director Maggie Sanna and REAP’s Allison Pfaff Harris. This is an action-oriented workshop – you’ll learn by doing: washing and storing, chopping and dicing, weighing and measuring, blanching and freezing, packing and serving. Gain the tools and resources to move pounds of produce through your kitchen and right into your school meals. Bring your food service team, your school garden team, or your enthusiastic administrator. We’ll provide the aprons, knives and cutting boards. There is no sitting this one out – it just may be the most adventurous workshop you do all summer!

Have you been wondering:

  • How many servings of applesauce do I get from 10 bushels of apples?
  • How can I use produce from the school garden when it’s not on the menu until November?
  • How do I get my staff to work efficiently with fresh fruits and vegetables?
  • How long does it take to chop carrots into coins?
  • And what is blanching, exactly?

The Processing workshop will answer these questions! Receive instruction from culinary professionals, networking time with other school food professionals, produce handling knowledge, participate in group discussions, create personal action plans for future processing goals, and generally have a fun time.

Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Time: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
REGISTER HERE - Advanced registration is required.

Processing is the 5th workshop in the Lifecycle of Farm to School training series. No previous workshop attendance is required. You can jump in to learn just what you need at this Processing workshop or attend all eight workshops, as you like.

Read the Reviews:

  • About our recent Harvesting workshop: “I was impressed with the scale of all that is being done at this site. I loved the harvesting of everything and tasting our wonderful salad.”
  • Another said “It was great!”.
  • One participant wrote “The whole class was very informational. I really learned a lot. Highlight – chickens & lunch!”
  • About the Seed Starting workshop: “I thought the information, explanations, and demo were great! Thank you!”
  • About the Building & Planting workshop: “Everybody is so friendly and willing to answer questions and listen to stories.”

Questions? Email F2Sgrant@dpi.wi.gov

ServSafe Classes

Registration is open for ServSafe ® class in Laona, WI on August 16-17! Please see the ServSafe® Menu on the SNT’s Training webpage to register. Space is limited and registration will be on a first come, first served basis.

Please note that the cost of the course is $50 plus an additional $50-70 if you need to purchase the 7th Edition ServSafe® Manager coursebook.

We plan to offer additional ServSafe classes and proctoring of exams throughout the 2022-23 School Year.

School Nutrition Skills Development Courses: Update

Confirmation emails for Virtual SNSDC 2022 were sent this morning. If you would like to attend a class during the week of August 8, but did not receive your confirmation email or did not initially register, please email the Training Team at dpisntraining@dpi.wi.gov for assistance.

Please note that if you registered as a group, the confirmation email was sent to the one registrant who completed the form. Please forward the message as necessary or feel free to attend the virtual classes as a group.

Virtual SNSDC 2022 Registration for the week of August 22-25 is still open.


Other Updates and Information
 

Introducing the USDA Recipe Standardization Guide for School Nutrition Programs

Date: Thursday, August 4, 2022
Time: 2-3:00 PM CST
Register Now

The Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) and USDA Food and Nutrition Service recently released the USDA Recipe Standardization Guide for School Nutrition Programs. Join us for an overview of this new resource, including a discussion on the benefits of standardized recipes and the three-phase approach to the recipe standardization process.

 

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563