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Join us for the next California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Tuesday @ 2 Town Hall, scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 2 p.m. During the Town Hall we will share an overview of federal and state policies, funding and training opportunities, and best practices for operating Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs).
Draft webinar slides will be available by 10 a.m. on the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) web page on the date of the Town Hall.
Important Operational Dates: Next 30 to 90 days
- March 28, 2025: Complete the electronic CDE Cooperative and Piggyback Participation Survey.
- May 1, 2025: Expend all your Department of Defense, DoD entitlement in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS).
- Prior to the start of Seamless Summer Option (SSO) operations: Submit and receive CDE approval of your summer 2025 SSO applications.
- May 15, 2025, or 30 days prior to the start of Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operations, whichever comes first: Submit your summer 2025 SFSP applications.
Town Hall Webinar PowerPoint
Use the following steps to access slides on the CNIPS web page after 10 a.m. on the morning of the Town Hall:
- For School Food Authorities (SFA): Select Applications and Download Forms.
- For Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operators: In the SFSP Module, select Applications and Download Forms.
The Town Hall slides in CNIPS are marked “Draft” and are subject to change. If updates are needed, the CDE will upload the revised slides in the same location following the Town Hall.
After the Town Hall, the CDE posts the final Town Hall PowerPoint slides on the CDE Food Service Staff Education and Training web page under the Town Halls tab.
Background
The Tuesday @ 2 Virtual Town Hall events typically occur on the fourth Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise noted. The Town Halls provide an opportunity for schools to learn about policy guidance, program requirements, and best practices for operating CNPs. The desired audience includes CNP Program Operators and Food Service Directors.
Participation Information
Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration and Cost
This town hall is free to attend. Register in advance for this webinar
After registering, you will see a screen that says Webinar Registration Approved with a link to the webinar. You will also receive several emails with information about joining the webinar: First, you will receive confirmation the day you register and then you will receive two reminder emails one day and one hour prior to the webinar. If you cannot find the email confirmation, or do not receive the reminders, you can always reregister.
Tip for Attendees
To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Zoom.
- Visit the Zoom test link
.
- If you experience issues, visit the Zoom Help Center web page
for assistance.
If you receive an error message that the host has declined your webinar registration, try using an alternate email address. While not ideal, you may also join by phone if you have technical issues logging in from your computer.
Professional Standards Crediting Information
- Key Area: Administration (3000)
- Training Topic: Program Management (3200)
- Learning Objective: Manage Staff Work Including Scheduling (3210)
- Instructional Hours: 1.5 hours
Reasonable Accommodation
Pursuant to state and federal statutes, individuals with a disability may request reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in the Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall. Send direct requests for reasonable accommodations to the CDE by email to NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov, no later than seven days prior to the event. Live captioning will be available during the webinar.
Town Hall Informational Links and Resources Provided on February 25, 2025
The following resources were shared in the chat during the recent town hall:
- A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the CDE School Nutrition Programs Specialist Directory - School Nutrition web page or SNP staff can be reached via email at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov.
- Find your assigned Child Nutrition Assistant or Consultant information by visiting the CNIPS web page in the Applications Download Forms section and using the Form ID Caseload.
- Learn information about the Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) eligibility, awardee benefits, and application resources on the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative - Action for Healthy Kids web page
.
- Request a CDE HMI letter of support by emailing HMILetterOfSupport@cde.ca.gov.
- View February’s Featured Standardized Recipe on the CNIPS web page in the Applications Download Forms section under NSD Town Hall Recipes.
- Send your questions regarding SFSP reimbursement rates to the Summer Nutrition Programs and Grants Unit by email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.
- Review the Summer Food Service Program 2025 Reimbursement Rates on the CDE 2025 Child Nutrition Programs Reimbursement Rates web page.
- Direct questions regarding the And Justice For All Posters (AJFA) to the AJFA team by email at AJFAPosters@cde.ca.gov.
- Review the new SNP regulatory updates on the CDE Proposed Rulemaking and Regulations-School Nutrition Programs web page.
- If you have questions about USDA foods ordering and timelines, please email the Food Distribution Program at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.
- Complete the electronic CDE Cooperative and Piggyback Participation Survey.
- Find the CDE Waiver for Non-congregate Meals During Ramadan Opt-in Survey.
- Review the CDE News Release, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Summer Food Service Program Applications on February 18; Applications Due by May 15.
- For more information about the School Breakfast Program and Summer Meal Program grants, eligibility requirements and the link for the online application, visit the CDE School Breakfast and Summer Meal Grants web page. If you have questions, please contact the Breakfast Grant team by email at breakfastgrant@cde.ca.gov.
- For more information on how to apply, please visit the CDE Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Request for Applications (RFA) web page.
- For more information and detailed FFVP Try Agriculture Samples with Tastes and Education (TASTE) Grant application instructions, interested parties can visit the CDE RFA TASTE Incentive Grant web page.
- Check out the National Nutrition Month®
, Food Connects Us resources available on Eat Right website
.
- For National School Breakfast Week Resources
, visit the School Nutrition Association’s website.
- Sign up to receive updates by joining the electronic CA Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative newsletter
.
- Check out the CA Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative website
to view training opportunities and resources.
- Send your celebration photos to NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov to share during a future Town Hall.
- Check out the Plastic Free Lunch Toolkit
available on the Cafeteria Culture website
.
- Find CDE Child Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC) Recruitment Opportunities coming soon on the CNAC web page.
- Review the NSD’s Learning Site Soft Launch listserv available under the Training tab on the Nutrition What's New web page.
- For learning site questions or support, contact the team at NSDLearning@cde.ca.gov.
- View the U.S. Department of Agriculture Capital Expenditure Approved List available on the CDE website.
- If you have any questions regarding school food authority equipment purchases, contact the Resource Management Unit at SNPCafeFundQuestions@cde.ca.gov.