Summer Food Service Program Information
Administrative and operational information and guidance for organizations that participate in the program.Overview
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) federally funded program that reimburses sponsors for administrative and operational costs to provide meals for children 18 years of age and younger during periods when they are out of school for fifteen (15) or more consecutive school days. Good nutrition is essential for learning in school. The SFSP provides an opportunity to continue a child's physical and social development while providing nutritious meals during vacation periods from school. Participation in the SFSP helps children return to school ready to learn.
Summer Meal Locations
Summer Meal Service Sites and Sponsors
A list of locations where children may receive free nutritious meals during school vacation and off-track periods.
Announcements
Summer Meal Program Announcements
The California Department of Education (CDE) provides all announcements relating to the Summer Meal Programs on the CDE Nutrition What's New web page. Announcement topics include policy requirements, management bulletins, disaster information, food recalls, trainings, funding opportunities, recognition programs, and more.
SFSP Application Deadline
The CDE requires that new and returning SFSP applicant sponsors submit complete and correct SFSP application packets through the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) no later than 30 calendar days prior to the first SFSP meal service day, or May 15, whichever comes first. These deadlines do not apply to sponsors applying to serve in areas impacted by an unanticipated school closure during the period from October through April (or at any time of the year in an area with a continuous school calendar).
For more information, please view the CDE SFSP Application Deadlines Management Bulletin.
New Sponsors
New Sponsor Questions and Answers
The following information is for all organizations interested in applying to the SFSP as new sponsors. Please read the following information regarding eligibility, financial viability, administrative capability, and operational requirements.
Who can be an SFSP sponsor?
What are some basic eligibility requirements for becoming an SFSP sponsor?
What are financial eligibility requirements for becoming an SFSP sponsor?
What are the essential administrative eligibility requirements to become an SFSP sponsor?
How can my organization become an SFSP sponsor?
My organization wants to participate in the SFSP but we are not ready to operate as a sponsor. How can my organization become an SFSP site?
Who can be an SFSP sponsor?
Eligible SFSP sponsors include public or private nonprofit school food authorities (SFA); public or private nonprofit colleges or universities; public or private nonprofit residential summer camps; units of local, county, municipal, state, or federal governments; or any other type of tax-exempt private nonprofit organizations. Special rules apply to private nonprofit organizations. Private nonprofit sponsors must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRS) of 1986.
Although faith-based organizations must be tax-exempt, there is no federal requirement that they provide documentation of their tax-exempt status. Faith-based organizations are the only private nonprofit organizations not required to provide the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) with documentation of federal tax-exempt status; all other private nonprofit organizations must provide documentation from the IRS of their tax-exempt status.
All organizations, regardless of sponsor type, must meet the eligibility standards as described in the following questions.
What are some basic eligibility requirements for becoming an SFSP sponsor?
- A potential SFSP sponsor must not have been declared seriously deficient or terminated from the SFSP or any other federal child nutrition program in previous years.
- The potential sponsor’s nonprofit organization must not have been on the National Disqualification List for seven years (this includes personnel).
- Nonprofit organizations that have outstanding judgments, liens, or unpaid debts cannot participate in the SFSP.
- Ensure that personnel with outstanding judgments, liens, or unpaid debts do not have management responsibilities or decisions over SFSP funds.
- All sponsors who plan to operate the SFSP must be registered with the Secretary of State
in order to conduct business in California.
- The potential sponsor’s nonprofit organization has a proven and demonstrated history of providing year-round community services.
- All SFSP sponsors, regardless of sponsor type, must demonstrate that they meet the SFSP performance standards for financial viability, administrative capability, and program accountability, which are referred to as VCA.
What are financial eligibility requirements for becoming an SFSP sponsor?
Potential sponsors must be able to demonstrate that they are financially viable. Financial viability is the sponsor’s ability to demonstrate they have resources and can generate income to meet the programs operating obligations and debt commitments. In other words, a potential sponsor must be able to make all program-related payments when such payments become due. This includes, but is not limited to:
- All food costs
- Rental agreements
- Labor costs
- Transportation costs
- Other program activity costs
In addition, if a potential sponsor does not have a central kitchen to prepare their own food and must enter into a food service vending agreement or contract, they must have the finances to pay the contractor for meals ordered before receiving any SFSP reimbursement.
The California Department of Education (CDE) is required to assess the financial viability of new potential sponsors. This evaluation consists of the review and approval of financial records and risk assessment, administrative budgets, and components of the management plan. Potential sponsors must be prepared to provide the CDE with financial documentation, such as tax returns and/or bank statements, indicating that they have a present net value that is positive, taking all costs (existing and future) into account.
Please note, for potential new sponsors, documentation to support the financial records and risk assessment are required to be submitted to the CDE no later than March 15 of the corresponding SFSP application year. For more information, please view the CDE VCA Performance Standards in the SFSP Management Bulletin.
What are the essential administrative eligibility requirements to become an SFSP sponsor?
SFSP sponsors must be able to assume responsibility for the entire administration of the program. As a sponsor, an organization at a minimum is required to:
- Complete the California Department of Education’s annual mandatory training
- Locate and recruit eligible sites
- Hire, train, and supervise staff and volunteers
- Competitively procure food to be prepared/contract with a food vendor for delivery of meals
- Monitor all sites
- Prepare claims for reimbursements
- Ensure that the sites are sustainable
- Ensure the sponsor application is updated as necessary and submitted for approval before changes take place.
- Maintain all program documents for three years, plus the current year
Sponsors must also ensure that their sponsorship and sites are sustainable through:
- Community partnerships
- Fundraising
- Volunteer recruitment
Organizations may not contract or delegate SFSP responsibilities below the sponsor level. This means your organization must oversee SFSP operations and monitor sites in accordance with Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7CFR) Part 225
.
How can my organization become an SFSP sponsor?
If your organization is interested in becoming an SFSP sponsor and meets the eligibility criteria listed above, please contact the Summer Nutrition Programs and Grants Unit at SFSP@cde.ca.gov and an SFSP Program Specialist will assist you through the process.
An SFSP Program Specialist will conduct a brief prescreening questionnaire and will follow-up with an email containing an SFSP Introduction Packet. The Introduction Packet includes specific program information and a list of essential documents needed to apply to become an SFSP sponsor. The timeline to complete this process is dependent on your organization. Please plan ahead to ensure your organization has sufficient time to complete the registration process and submit the necessary documents to move forward.
After the necessary documents have been submitted to the CDE, an SFSP Program Specialist will review each document to ensure that the your organization is a viable candidate for becoming an SFSP sponsor. If all the documents are approved, the Program Specialist will provide your organization with instructions on how to register for the federally-mandated training.
A designated representative or representatives from your organization will learn how to operate the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS). The CNIPS is a user-friendly Web-based management tool that allows both the CDE and SFSP sponsors to manage the program and enables sponsors to submit their meal claims. Two essential components of the CNIPS include the development of a management plan and a financial budget.
During the approval process organizations must:
- Consider where they want to serve meals and ensure that the sites meet eligibility requirements
- Determine the number of days they want to operate
- Specify the times they will operate
Potential sponsors will also need to decide who they will designate and train as the site supervisor for each site they intend on operating. A site supervisor plays a significant role, as they are responsible for all administrative and management activities at the site.
When your CNIPS application is complete, an SFSP Program Specialist will schedule a preapproval visit to your organization. This mandatory visit includes an overview of the SFSP program and an evaluation of the sponsor’s ability to efficiently operate the program. The preapproval visit must be completed before the application can be approved.
Please Note: The CDE requires that all new SFSP applicants and returning sponsors submit complete and correct SFSP application packets through the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) no later than 30 calendar days prior to the first SFSP meal service day, or May 15, whichever comes first.
My organization wants to participate in the SFSP but we are not ready to operate as a sponsor. How can my organization become an SFSP site?
For organizations not yet ready to take on sponsor responsibilities, participation as a site under an existing sponsor is the best option. This is the most effective way to prepare an organization to become a sponsor in future years. To view a list of existing summer meal sponsors in your area, visit the Summer Meal Service Sites and Sponsors web page. On this web page, you can use the interactive map to find summer meal sites and sponsor contact information for your county. The CDE encourages potential sites to contact sponsors directly to learn more about becoming a site under an existing sponsor.
Program Details
Sponsor Meal Site, Meal Preparation, Meal Service and Site Eligibility
What are the meal site types?
Sponsors may operate the SFSP at one or more sites. A site is the place where a child receives a program meal. A site may be the indoor or outdoor location where congregate meals are served, a stop on a delivery route of a mobile congregate meal service, or the distribution location or route for a non-congregate meal service. Eligible sites are those that serve children in low-income areas or those that serve specific groups of low-income children. Sponsors must provide documentation that proposed sites meet the income eligibility criteria required by law. There are three common types of sites: open sites, camps (residential and nonresidential), and closed enrolled sites.
For more information about site eligibility, site types and site definitions, please see the California Department of Education (CDE) Summer Food Service Program Site Types Management Bulletin.
What are open sites?
These are meal sites where meals are available to any child from the community. Open sites are located in areas where 50 percent or more of the children residing in the area are eligible for free or reduced-price (F/RP) school meals.
Meals are made available to all children in the area on a first-come, first-serve basis. Participant enrollment is not necessary at an open site.
What are camp sites?
These are sites that offer regularly scheduled food service along with organized activities for enrolled residential or day campers. The camp receives reimbursement only for meals served to enrolled children who qualify for F/RP meals.
Camps can be residential or nonresidential day camps which offer regularly scheduled food service as part of an organized program for enrolled children.
In residential camps, participants spend the duration of the organized program in a 24-hour supervised care setting and receive a regularly scheduled food service.
Sponsors of nonresidential camp sites must offer a continuous schedule of organized cultural or recreational programs for enrolled children between meal services.
Unlike open, restricted open, and closed enrolled sites, sponsors of both residential and nonresidential camps do not have to establish area eligibility. However, they must collect and maintain individual household applications. Camps are reimbursed only for those enrolled children who meet the F/RP eligibility standards.
What are closed enrolled sites?
These sites are open only to enrolled children or to an identified group of children, as opposed to the community at large.
Closed enrolled sites are usually established where:
- An identified group of needy children live in a pocket of poverty
- Identified low-income children are transported to a congregate meal site located in an area with less than 50 percent eligible children
- A program provides recreational, cultural, religious, or other types of organized activities for a specific group of children
In accordance with Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR) 225.6(a)(2), the CDE must establish criteria for approving closed-enrolled sites to ensure that the operation of a closed-enrolled site does not limit program access in the area where the site is located.
The CDE requires closed-enrolled sites to establish eligibility through the individual income eligibility of the children attending the site. This can be achieved by either:
- Obtaining aggregate data certifying eligibility status of enrolled children for free and reduced-price meals from schools where the children receive meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program
- Requesting that parents or guardians of enrolled children complete an income eligibility form
The CDE may permit a closed-enrolled site to operate and use area eligibility to determine site eligibility if at least one of the following criteria is met:
- A site may operate as closed-enrolled using area eligibility if there is a documented safety concern at the meal site.
- A site may operate as closed-enrolled if there is another nearby open site. In this case, the site operates as closed-enrolled to protect program integrity and prevent duplication of meal services.
Individual income eligibility must be reestablished annually, whereas area eligibility must be reestablished every five years. Sponsors must keep eligibility data updated in each site application and retain the supporting documentation for at least three years plus the current year.
What are non-congregate sites?
A non-congregate site provides meals for children to consume off site. Non-congregate meal service must only be operated at sites designated as "Rural" with no "Congregate meal service," as determine in 7 CFR 225.6(h)(3) and 7 CFR 225.6(h)(4). For more information about operating a non-congregate site, please see the CDE Non-congregate Meal Service Options in Rural Areas Management Bulletin.
What are other specialized site types?
Other specialized site types include:
- For-profit sites
- National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operated sites
- Tribal government sites
- Rural sites
- Conditional non-congregate sites
- Migrant sites
- Continuous school calendar/year-round sites
- The National Youth Sports Program sites
- Upward Bound sites
- Mobile sites
- Farmers market sites
Check with your SFSP Program Specialist for guidance if you are interested in establishing any of these site types.
It is important that a sponsor adequately evaluate the needs and resources of the area they hope to serve before making final plans for site operations. Online mapping and other data tools, like the USDA Capacity Builder Map
, can be used to locate high-need, eligible areas and potential sites, such as libraries, schools, museums, and low-income housing units.
When sponsors have chosen their prospective sites, they must notify their local health department in writing of all prospective site locations and arrange for prompt and regular trash removal.
What are the meal preparation options?
Sponsors have a choice of either having their summer meals vended, or preparing the meals themselves, or both. The following explains these choices.
What is a self-preparation (self-prep) sponsor?
This sponsor type prepares their own meals to serve and does not contract with a food service management company (FSMC) for unitized meals (with or without milk) or for management services. Sponsors that choose this option have maximum control over the quality of preparation and related expenses. Self-prep sponsors also receive the higher reimbursement rate.
For those sponsors choosing the self-prep option, a valid kitchen permit must be obtained from the sponsor’s county environmental health department.
There are 58 counties within the state of California. Each county may have certain requirements that other counties do not. Some counties waive inspection and/or permit fees for nonprofit organizations, while other counties may charge a fee. Some counties are able to complete the kitchen inspections and issue permits within a few weeks, while other counties require notification months in advance.
Sponsors will need to contact their individual county environmental health department in order to find out what the steps are required for obtaining kitchen permit(s).
Some sponsors have self-prep kitchen locations in different counties. The sponsor will need to contact each county environmental health department the kitchens are located in, and coordinate with each county inspector.
Sponsors that will prepare their own food must also contact their local county environmental health department for guidance and proper certificates for food preparation staff.
Preparing food includes the following:
- Washing, cutting, or opening cans/packages of any fruits or vegetable
- Pouring milk
- Reheating food
- Placing food onto plates
- Any other direct contact with food items
Sponsors must submit their kitchen permit, health permit, and food handler certificates when they submit their SFSP application. The inspection and permitting process can take months to complete, so sponsors need to plan accordingly in order to meet application deadlines.
What is a vended sponsor?
Summer meal program sponsors who do not have a central kitchen to prepare their own meals can purchase unitized meals, with or without milk, from a commercial vendor. Meal vendors can be a school or commercial food vendor, a school food authority (SFA), a community kitchen, a hospital, or a local caterer.
Sponsors must enter into a contractual agreement with the commercial food vendor or SFA and a copy of the Vended Meal Agreement must be submitted with the sponsor’s application.
Working with a vendor to procure quality summer meals can be a particularly challenging process. Unlike self-prep sponsors, sponsors who use commercial food vendors have to communicate their expectations to an external organization and may have to deal with a variety of frustrations including late deliveries, lack of variety, frozen sandwiches, having food delivered at inappropriate temperatures, and ensuring their documentation meets all program regulations.
Sponsors who contract for meals from vendors that are not public or private schools, and whose contracts for those meals would total more than $250,000 during a program year, must complete a bid package.
Federal law requires that sponsors conduct an open and competitive bid process so that all interested vendors have the opportunity to bid for the summer meals contract. The sponsor signs a contract with the vendor that is ultimately selected.
The bidding process can be time consuming so it is recommended you start early!
What types of meals can be served?
Open and closed enrolled sites can be approved to serve up to two types of meals. Allowable meal combinations for these types of sites are:
- Breakfast only/lunch only/snack only/supper only
- Breakfast and lunch
- Breakfast and snack
- Breakfast and supper
- Two snacks
Migrant and camp sites can be approved to serve up to three types of meals. Snacks are considered to be meals. Allowable meal combinations for these types of sites include:
- Breakfast/lunch and supper
- Lunch only/snack only/supper only
- Breakfast and lunch
- Breakfast and snack
- Breakfast and supper
What are the meal service time requirements?
When establishing meal service times, program operators are encouraged to establish meal service times that best accommodate the needs of participating children and each site’s operational requirements, while also meeting the following requirements:
- Meals claimed as breakfast must be served at or close to the beginning of the day and cannot be served after lunch or supper.
- A minimum of one hour must elapse between the end of one meal service and the beginning of the next at all sites, except residential camps and rural sites approved for a non-congregate meal service.
- Please visit the CDE Summer Food Service Program Meal Service Times Management Bulletin for more information.
What type of food must be served?
All meals and snacks must follow the SFSP meal pattern as prescribed by the USDA. For more details regarding meal patterns please visit the USDA SFSP Meal Patterns web page
.
When can I begin serving meals?
The SFSP operates when school is out for 15 or more consecutive school days, primarily during the summer months. A sponsor may also provide meals during vacation breaks in schools that are operated on a year-round basis or a continuous school calendar, or during emergency school closures from October through April.
What is site type eligibility and how is it determined?
The two primary sources of data that may be used to determine whether the area that will be served is eligible are school data and census data. There are online mapping tools available that are used to determine site eligibility. You can find census data mapping tools on the USDA SFSP Mapping Tools for Summer Meal Programs web page
. Please contact your assigned program specialist to learn more about these tools.
How is school data used?
Sponsors can use school data to establish area eligibility, excluding camp sites. For a site to be determined area eligible, school data must indicate that the proposed meal site is located in a school attendance area where at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for F/RP school meals.
Sponsors may use data from elementary, middle, or high schools as long as the site is located in the attendance area of the school. This data should be based on the percentage of children in the school attendance area in which the site is located that are certified eligible for F/RP school meals, not the actual school meal participation rates. In most cases, current-year school data provides the most accurate representation of an area’s current economic circumstances.
How is census data used?
Sponsors may document the area eligibility of their proposed open or restricted open sites on the basis of census data. SFSP sites that choose to establish eligibility using census data are required to use the most recent data available. Once area eligibility is established, the duration of determination for site eligibility is five years. Eligibility must then be reassessed every five years for SFSP sites relying on census data to establish eligibility.
Sponsors can use either Census Block Groups (CBG) or Census Tracts to determine SFSP site eligibility. Sites located in a CBG or Census Tract where 50 percent or more of the children are eligible for F/RP school meals are considered area eligible.
What is Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) data?
As an alternative to collecting individual applications for F/RP meals, CEP allows schools and local educational agencies (LEA) with a high percentage of low-income children to offer free meals to all students. Qualifying schools serve free lunch and breakfast through the NSLP and the School Breakfast Program.
How are sponsors reimbursed?
A sponsor submits monthly claims in order to receive reimbursement. The SFSP reimburses sponsors by the number of eligible meals served multiplied by the current reimbursement rate, regardless of the sponsor's administrative and/or operating expenses.
California Department of Education (CDE) Current Reimbursement Rates
Scroll down the page to find SFSP annual reimbursement rates.
Meal Claims Submission Deadlines and Meal Claims Technical Assistance
SFSP Meal Claim Deadlines.
Training
Below is information on the annual mandatory training and other training opportunities used for continuing education for summer meal program operators.
Annual Mandatory Training
Online Trainings
Additional Training Databases
In-person Workshops
Annual Mandatory Training
Policy Guidance
Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7CFR), sections 225.7(a) and 225.15(d)(1), requires all participating SFSP sponsors to annually attend state agency training and to train all administrative staff and site staff before their SFSP operations begin.
Training Announcement
Information on how to register for the 2025 SFSP Mandatory Training will be posted on the California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition What’s New web page and shared by Listserv announcement.
Attendance
All sponsors are required to designate a supervisory personnel staff member or authorized representative responsible for food service to attend the mandatory training. Additional staff who will be administering the SFSP are encouraged to attend the mandatory training as well.
The training covers SFSP regulations, how to run a successful summer program, and best practices for operating meal sites. In addition to the training courses, sponsors are required to review and follow all program regulations and policies pertaining to their program operations, which are located on the following web pages:
Online Trainings
The following training(s) are for continuing education for summer meal program operators.
| Course Number | Course Name | Training Topic | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA External | Interim Final Rule for Non-Congregate Summer Meal Service Webinar
|
Non-Congregate Summer Meal Service | Summer Meal Program Sponsors and Program Operators |
| CDE Course Catalog – Course Number 755 | USDA Foods for the Summer Food Service Program | Purpose and benefits of participating in the Food Distribution Program (FDP) and how to enroll in the FDP | Summer Food Service Program Sponsors |
| USDA External | Safe Meals, Healthy Kids: Food Safety for Summer Meals
|
These resources provide food safety best practices for summer meals served by community operators, including in rural non-congregate settings | Summer Meals program sponsors and program operators |
Additional Online Training Databases
- For food safety resources for summer meal programs in English and Spanish, visit the Institute of Child Nutrition at Summer Food Service Programs web page
.
In-Person Workshops
When announcements for conferences, in-person, and other training opportunities are offered for summer meal program operators, they are announced on the CDE Nutrition What’s New web page under the Training Tab.
Policy Guidance
Summer Meal Program (SMP) operators are required to follow both federal and state policy outlined below. Additional policy information can be found on the USDA SFSP Policy Memo web page
and the California Department of Education (CDE) SFSP Management Bulletin web page.
|
Procurement
Effective November 17, 2021, the USDA issued a new Procurement Threshold Policy (SFSP 01-2022)
.
SFSP Procurement Standards
All new and returning sponsors must fully adhere to the USDA regulations regarding procurement of food, supplies, goods, and other services.
Federal and State Procurement Regulations
All procurement of food, supplies, goods, and other services with Program funds by sponsors must comply with procurement standards prescribed in Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations located at Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR) Part 200 as well as Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR) Part 225. Procurement standards are specifically located in 7 CFR Part 225.17 and 2 CFR sections 200.318-326.
You can also view detailed regulatory language regarding this subject on the U.S. Government Publishing Office Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 2: Grants and Agreements, Part 200—Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, Procurement Standards web page
.
All new and returning sponsors must fully adhere to the USDA regulations regarding procurement of food, supplies, goods, and other services.
Resources
SFSP participants can use these resources to help with federal and state compliance, identifying where summer site locations are, increasing participation and more.
SFSP Policy Guidance
Summer Site Location Tools
Administration and Operation Resources
Civil Rights Compliance Resources
Meal Pattern Support
Outreach and Increasing Participation
Procurement
Farm to Summer
SFSP Policy Guidance
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition What's New | This CDE web page provides up to date news and announcements from the CDE relating to the summer meal programs. Topics include policy requirements, management bulletins, disasters information, food recalls, trainings, funding opportunities, recognition programs, and other topics for program operators of the summer meal programs and the Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). |
| CDE Summer Food Management Bulletins | Management Bulletins are state notifications clarifying USDA policy memos. |
| USDA Policy Memos
|
SFSP policy and program regulations. |
Summer Site Location Tools
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| CDE CA Meals for Kids Mobile Application | The CA Meals for Kids mobile application helps you find nearby California Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs Sites through your iOS, Android, or Microsoft devices. |
| CDE Summer Meal Service Sites by Year | The CDE provides a California state map with county-by-county listings of sponsors and meal service sites by year. |
Program Administration and Operation Resources
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| USDA Commodity Food Donations Flyer (DOCX; Posted 17-May-2018) | Did you know that all Summer Food Service Program sponsors can receive a minimum of $1,000 in USDA Foods? For more details view the referenced SFSP USDA Foods flyer. |
| USDA Administrative Manuals
|
USDA program guides for SFSP sponsors. |
| USDA SFSP Administration Guide
|
The SFSP USDA Administration Guide for sponsors describes the policies and best practices for successful SFSP operation. |
| CDE SFSP Forms Page | Essential forms and documents for SFSP sponsors. |
| USDA SFSP Mapping Tools for Summer Meal Programs
|
Census data mapping tools to determine area eligibility for meal sites. |
Civil Rights Compliance Resources
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| USDA Policy Memo CACFP 12-2024, SFSP 16-2024
|
This guidance assists state agencies and program operators in the SFSP in meeting the longstanding federal requirements to collect race and ethnicity data of program participants. |
| USDA Policy Memo CACFP 09-2022, SFSP 05-2022
|
This guidance provides clarification on questions related to CACFP 11-2021, SFSP 07-2021. |
| USDA Policy Memo CACFP 11-2021, SFSP 07-2021
|
This guidance for state agencies and program operators in the SFSP removes visual observation and identification as an allowable practice in obtaining race and ethnicity data from SFSP participants. |
| Civil Rights in the Child Nutrition Programs Online Training | This online training fulfills the mandatory annual civil rights training for sponsors, as designated by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Instruction 113-1. |
| CDE Civil Rights and Complaints webpage | Information and resources about nondiscrimination in the administration of child nutrition programs. |
| USDA Civil Rights Webpage
|
Information and resources from the Civil Rights Division of the USDA. |
Meal Pattern Support
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| USDA SFSP Meal Patterns
|
All meals and snacks must follow the SFSP meal pattern as prescribed by the USDA. |
| Guidance and sample menus for Child Nutrition Program (CNP) Operators. | |
| USDA Food Buying Guide
|
Essential food procurement and meal pattern details. |
| USDA Food Buying Guide Calculator | Provides the steps for using the USDA Food Buying Guide Calculator to determine required quantities of foods to purchase to meet the meal pattern requirements. |
| USDA Food Buying Guide Mobile Application
|
CNPs, food manufacturers, and other stakeholders can now access the USDA Food Buying Guide on their mobile communication devices. Whether it's for procurement of foods, ensuring meal pattern compliance, or just getting nutrition information for foods, this is a must have application for those involved with CNPs who are always 'on the go.' |
Outreach and Increasing Participation
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| USDA Summer Food, Summer Moves Resource Kit
|
This fun, hands-on resource kit is designed to get kids and families excited about healthy eating and physical activity during the summer months. |
| California State Library Lunch at the Library
|
Lunch at the Library assists libraries in providing free summer meals and programming at libraries. It also takes pop-up libraries to other community-based meal sites like parks and schools, provides free books to children, and delivers summer reading and learning programs. |
Procurement
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| USDA Procuring Local Foods for CNPs
(PDF) |
An increasing number of program operators are sourcing local foods and providing complementary educational activities that emphasize food, agriculture, and nutrition. While interest in buying local foods has grown, uncertainty about the rules for purchasing locally grown products persists. This resource covers many key topics to assist with this process, such as: Buying Local Foods for Summer, Using USDA Foods and USDA Department of Defense Fresh, Comparing Procurement Methods, and more. |
| California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Certified Farmers Market Locator by County
(PDF) |
Need assistance finding farmers markets for hyper-local foods for your summer meal programs, Farm to Summer Celebration week, or both? The CDFA provides a Certified Farmers Market Locator by County list in California to assist with locating these markets. |
| CDFA Certified Producers by County
(PDF) |
Need assistance finding local producers and foods for your summer meal programs, Farm to Summer Celebration week, or both? The CDFA provides a Certified Producers by County list in California to assist with locating certified producers. |
Farm to Summer
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| CDE California Farm to Summer Celebration Week web page | This web page provides information about California’s Farm to Summer Celebration Week for summer meal program operators, including background, how to participate, past successes, trainings, partners, resources, best practices, and list of awardees. |
Contacts
California Department of Education (CDE)
Summer Food Service Program
For questions regarding the SFSP, contact the SFSP team by email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.
SFSP Mailing List
To sign up for our email list to receive regular announcements, visit the CDE Summer Food Service Program Information by Email web page.
Farm to Summer
For questions about Farm to Summer (Farm2Summer) Celebration Week, contact the Farm2Summer Team by email at Farm2School@cde.ca.gov.
Procurement
For questions related to procurement and procurement resources, email SFSP@cde.ca.gov.
School Breakfast and Summer Meal Grants
For questions regarding School Breakfast Program and Summer Meal Start-up and Expansion Grants, contact the grant team by email at breakfastgrant@cde.ca.gov.
Customer Service
We encourage you to share your experience with us or tell us more ways we can help by taking a few minutes to complete the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Customer Service Survey.
Town Halls
If you have any questions regarding the monthly Town Hall webinars, email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.
California Department of Food and Agriculture Team Contacts
For assistance locating and procuring local foods, contact the Farm to School Network Team at the California Department of Food and Agriculture by email at cafarmtoschool@cdfa.ca.gov.