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School Nutrition Bulletin 2324-09

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

National School Lunch Week is October 9 - 13!

  • Proclamation and Memo from State Superintendent, Dr. Jill Underly
  • The School Nutrition Association has Resources to help you celebrate!

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

 

SP 22-2023 Community Eligibility Provision: Implementing the New Minimum Identified Student Percentage

This policy memorandum provides information and guidance on the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision - Increasing Options for Schools, which amends Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent. Changes made by the final rule are effective on October 26, 2023.

Additional information from the DPI School Nutrition Team regarding CEP is below.
 

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

Food Safety Resources en Español!
The Food Safety Team at FNS develops and delivers food safety education, training, and technical assistance to support FNS program operators, with an emphasis on Child Nutrition Programs. The Food Safety Team has resources available in Spanish to help operations who may feel more comfortable working and reading in Spanish, like

  • The Emergency Response Pocket Guide
  • A Flash of Food Safety, a video series
  • The Food Allergy Book
  • Reducing the Risk of Choking in Young Children at Mealtimes

Team Nutrition Resources in Spanish
Did you know Team Nutrition has many resources available in Spanish?! If a webpage is available in Spanish, it will have, “Español” at the upper right corner of the webpage to switch to Spanish and then “English” to switch back to English. If using a mobile device select, “Menu” at the upper right corner of the webpage and select “Español” towards the end of options. View in Spanish | Vea en español

Team Nutrition’s Back to School (Regreso a clases) webpage is your one-stop for school meals-related resources. Check out the Spanish-translated School Breakfast Materials and the recently updated Discover MyPlate (Descubre MiPlato) materials which include additional food cards, Spanish-language components, and fun new resources showing where food comes from.

Looking for assistance with meeting annual Professional Standards requirements? The Guide to Professional Standards for School Programs and the Professional Standards Summary of Updates Flyer are both available in Spanish.
 

Just in Time for Food Safety Education Month: New USDA Food Safety Fact Sheets!

School meals are an important source of fruits and vegetables for children. You should select and prepare fruits and vegetables safely to avoid foodborne illness. Child nutrition program operators may purchase produce from a variety of sources, including local farmers and producers, food hubs, or distributors. Produce safety is important whether produce is sourced from a large distributor or local farmer. Understanding and using produce and food safety best practices will help keep children safe.

For food safety information and best practices, including information specifically for produce, check out USDA’s Five New Fact Sheets! These resources are designed for USDA’s partners and stakeholders, including child nutrition program operators and agricultural producers. They’re filled with useful information and provide an overview of the following topics related to food safety:

Visit the USDA FNS Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program webpage to learn more about farm to school programs and access additional Farm to School Resources. Visit the USDA FNS Produce Safety at FNS webpage for more about produce safety Training and Resources from the FNS Food Safety Team
 

USDA Produce Safety University 2024

The USDA Food and Nutrition (FNS) Food Safety Branch has opened nominations for 2024 Produce Safety University, or PSU. PSU is a one-week experiential learning program that immerses school nutrition professionals in the fresh produce supply chain and provides them with tools and knowledge to address real life scenarios, critically analyze and respond to food safety issues, and teach others critical produce safety concepts and practices. Participants learn to identify and manage food safety risks associated with fresh produce whether purchased from farmers or distributors, received whole or fresh-cut, or grown in a school garden. It will be delivered virtually and in person this year. This includes six sessions offered March-June 2024.

Session Dates and Locations

March 12-13, 2024 - Virtual
March 25-29, 2024 - Plant City, FL
April 8-12, 2024 - Baton Rouge, LA
April 29-May 3, 2024 - Fresno, CA
May 20-24, 2024 - Denver, CO
June 3-7, 2024 - New Rochelle, NY

More information about PSU and its impact can be found on the USDA Produce Safety University webpage.

The DPI School Nutrition Team can nominate up to four school nutrition professionals. If you are interested in being a possible nominee, complete the WI Produce Safety University Application by October 16, 2023 at 5:00 PM.


New! Team Nutrition Training Grants Fiscal Year 2017 Highlights

USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative is proud to announce the release of the Team Nutrition Training Grants (TNTG) Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Highlights publication. In August 2017, FNS awarded more than 5 million dollars in TNTG funds to 11 State agencies that administered the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

State agencies used these grants to implement and evaluate nutrition education, meal service training, and environmental changes in school or child care settings. Eight State agencies conducted grant activities to assist students participating in the NSLP and the School Breakfast Program with meeting the recommendations set forth in the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans by providing appealing and nutritious meals, nutrition education, and school environments conducive to healthy eating. Three State agencies conducted grant activities to improve the nutritional content of meals and snacks offered in child care centers and family day care homes participating in the CACFP.

Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team

 

Meal Service Time Information

USDA regulations regarding meal service are general and indicate the following:

  • Lunch must be served between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (7 CFR 210.10)
  • Schools are encouraged to provide sufficient lunch periods that are long enough to give all students adequate time to be served and eat their lunches.
  • Breakfast must be served in the morning hours and shall be served at or close to the beginning of the child’s day at school. (7 CFR 220.2)

In Wisconsin schools, meal-time length is determined at the local level. The specifics regarding the amount of time allowed for meal service at each grade level should be addressed in the Local Wellness Policy (LWP) along with the wellness goals established for the school food authority’s (SFA’s) students. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also offers a Making Time for School Lunch resource which may be shared with local policy makers who determine meal-time length.
 

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Final Rule

On September 26, 2023, the USDA released the Child Nutrition Programs – CEP Increasing Options for Schools Final Rule. This was followed by the USDA memorandum SP 22-2023 Community Eligibility Provision: Implementing the New Minimum Identified Percentage. The following information is to provide clarification on the final rule and things to consider for CEP.

Overview of Final Rule:
The final rule reduced the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) to be eligible for CEP from 40 percent to 25 percent.

  • The multiplier has not changed and remains at 1.6. It is very important to determine if electing CEP is financially viable for your local education agency (LEA) -- see below.
  • This change will be in effect beginning in school year (SY) 2024-25, and an application process is required to elect CEP. Applications will be accepted beginning May 2024. At this time, Wisconsin does not plan to pursue the waiver that would allow mid-year CEP elections for SY 2023-24.

CEP Eligibility
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a four-year reimbursement option for eligible LEAs and schools participating in both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) that wish to offer free school meals to all children without collecting free and reduced price meal applications.

To be eligible for CEP, an individual school, group of schools, or LEA must meet or exceed the established, minimum identified student percentage (ISP) in the school year prior to implementing CEP. Under the final rule the minimum ISP has been reduced from 40 percent to 25 percent. Therefore, beginning in SY 2024-25 to be eligible for CEP, an individual school, group of schools, or LEA must have an ISP greater than, or equal to, 25 percent (ISP ≥ 25 percent) as of April 1 of the school year prior to implementing CEP.

The ISP is the percentage of enrolled students who are certified for free school meals via Direct Certification, extended free benefits, certified homeless, migrant, runaway, or foster. For CEP, students who are certified for free meals without a household application are “identified students.” The ISP is calculated by dividing the total number of identified students by the total number of enrolled students:

Identified Student Percentage = # Identified Students / # Enrolled Students

Considerations
CEP is an exciting opportunity for qualifying LEAs, as it increases students’ access to healthy, no-cost school meals; eliminates unpaid meal charges; reduces stigma; and streamlines program administration and meal service operations.

Prior to participating in CEP, LEA decision makers should consider student nutrition, educational, administrative, and financial factors. Assessing the financial feasibility of CEP for your LEA is important, especially for schools that have a lower ISP.

Operating CEP allows all meals to be provided to students at no charge, but it does not necessarily mean all meals are reimbursed at the free reimbursement rate. The Reimbursement that will be received for meals is dependent on the ISP. The ISP is multiplied by 1.6 to calculate the percentage of meals that will be reimbursed at the Federal free rate. The remaining meals, up to 100 percent, will be reimbursed at the Federal paid rate. There are no reduced price meals in CEP.

Example: Acme School District is operating CEP district-wide with an ISP of 30 percent.

  • 30.00% x 1.6 = 48.00% of meals served will be reimbursed at the free reimbursement rate.
  • 100 – 48.00% = 52.00% of meals served will be reimbursed at the paid reimbursement rate.

If Federal reimbursement does not cover the cost of offering all students meals at no charge, the LEA must contribute non-Federal funds. Please remember that in CEP, household payments for paid or reduced price student meals are no longer a source of revenue.

To assess if CEP may be financially viable for your LEA, it is recommended to utilize the USDA Monthly Federal Reimbursement Estimator.

Applying for CEP
All LEAs that are interested in newly electing CEP for SY 2024-25 must apply. Applications will be accepted between May 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024. A full enrollment Direct Certification run is required on or shortly before April 1, 2024, to determine eligibility. More information will be provided in early spring.

Webinar
A Webinar will be held for school food authority staff on October 5, 2023 at 1:00 PM CST.

Additional information and resources on CEP are available on the SNT Community Eligibility Provision webpage, including the USDA Community Eligibility Provision Planning and Implementation Guide.

Contact DPI.CEP@dpi.wi.gov with questions regarding CEP.

Other Updates and Information

 

Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch

Registration for the 2023 Great Apple Crunch is open! Register for this fun event today!
 

October is Farm to School Month!

Check out these great Resources from the National Farm to School Network!
 

Webinar: Strategies for Training Staff on Using Kitchen Equipment

Date: Thursday, October 5, 2023
Time: 2 - 3:00 PM CST

Modern commercial kitchen equipment offers more features and technology than ever before. Does your staff know how to use each piece of equipment in your program’s kitchens? Guest presenters include Mike Burke, ICN Consultant Trainer, and Alexandra Epstein-Solfield, MS, RD, SNS, Child Nutrition Director from Ellensburg (WA) School District, who will discuss best practices for training staff on using new and existing kitchen equipment. Presenters will highlight the importance of establishing policies and procedures for training staff and how to establish an annual training calendar.

SNA Key Area(s): 2 – Operations, 3 – Administration
USDA Professional Standards Code(s): 2100 – Food Production, 3400 – Human Resources and Staff Training
Learning Objective(s):

  • Identify and describe key features and technology in modern commercial kitchen equipment.
  • Discuss best practices for training kitchen staff in operating new and existing kitchen equipment.

Recognize the importance of establishing an annual training calendar for kitchen staff that includes regular equipment training.

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