FNS is extending a nationwide waiver to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the novel coronavirus. This extension applies to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program.
This memorandum includes questions and answers intended to provide clarification to state agencies and program operators on the operation of the child nutrition programs during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency.
This memorandum provides the information needed to conduct the FY 2020 reallocation of SAE funds.
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide updated guidance on the child nutrition program flexibilities available during unanticipated school closures. Schools may face unanticipated closures due to natural disasters, unscheduled major building repairs, court orders relating to school safety or other issues, labor-management disputes, or, when approved by the state agency, a similar cause.
This memorandum, SP20 CACFP07 SFSP06-2019, notifies all child nutrition program state agencies and program operators of guidance the Food and Nutrition Service received from the Office of Management and Budget, OMB M-18-18, authorizing increases to the value of the micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds.
This memorandum rescinds and replaces SP19-2018, issued Aug. 6, 2018. This updated memorandum clarifies regulations that water made available to students in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program shall not compete with the milk requirement.
Attached are Q&As on the final rule Child Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Requirements (83 FR 63775, Dec. 12, 2018), which provides menu planning flexibilities in the child nutrition programs beginning July 1, 2019.
The Special Milk Program provides milk to children in schools, child care institutions and eligible camps that do not participate in other federal child nutrition meal service programs. The program reimburses schools and institutions for the milk they serve. In 2011, 3,848 schools and residential child care institutions participated, along with 782 summer camps and 527 non‐residential child care institutions. Schools in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs may also participate in the Special Milk Program to provide milk to children in half‐day pre‐kindergarten and kindergarten programs where children do not have access to the school meal programs.
School programs policy memo SP 14-2019 provides SY 2017-18 reporting guidance for the FNS-640 report. The FNS-640 form became available in FPRS on March 1, 2019. State agencies may use the attached instructions and business rules/edit check to begin and/or finalize implementation of processes for reporting and any system updates for School Year 2017-2018 reporting.
School meals are required to meet specific nutrition standards to operate the school meals programs. The standards align school meals with the latest nutrition science and the real world circumstances of America’s schools.