The .gov means its official. SFSP sponsors are still required to comply with application requirements at7 CFR 225.6(c)(2)(i)(B)and(c)(3)(i)(A)to establish meal service times for each site. FNS will consider any state election to participate under this nationwide waiver as a request to withdraw the Section 12(l) waiver of the requirements at 7 CFR 225.16(c)(1) and (2) and 7 CFR 210.10(l) and 220.8(l). In school year 2019-2020, 1.4 million students received free and reduced-price meals thanks to direct certification through Medicaid. Area eligibility established using this option is not valid for five years. This waiver extends for Summer 2022 the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-congregate Feeding in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option - EXTENSION 6granted March 9, 2021, which expired Sept. 30, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022. FNS also extends these meal service time flexibilities to SSO operations for the duration of this waiver.

As part of that effort, FNS identified and will provide the area eligibility flexibilities described below to support program operators as they continue to face challenges and uncertainties in their critical role to provide meals for children. Community Meals Policy Division, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service Time Restrictions for Summer 2022 Operations EXTENSION 4. USDA is also supporting the expansion of direct certification, which uses existing data to certify children for free or reduced-price meals without an additional application. An official website of the United States government. State agencies should direct questions to the appropriateFNS regional office. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS This extension is effective immediately and remains in effect through Sept. 30, 2022. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, Turnip the Beet!

All figures based on data available as of January 2021 and subject to revision.

The site is secure. Therefore, pursuant to the FFCRA authority cited above, FNS extends, for all states, the waiver of those requirements at 7 CFR 225.16(c)(1) and (2) that place Federal limits on the amount of time that must elapse between the beginning of one meal and the beginning of the next, and the duration of a meal service. In addition, program regulations at 7 CFR 210.10(l) and 220.8(l), establish requirements on the timing of lunches and breakfasts. As required by Section 2202(d), each state that elects the non-congregate feeding flexibilities must submit a report to the Secretary no later than one year after the date such state received the extension. No matter the circumstances, USDA and all our partners must continue collaborating to provide our young ones with the healthy meals they count on.. FNS is offering a suite of operational flexibilities that will be available to child nutrition programs for summer 2022 and school year 2022-23. FNS appreciates the exceptional effort of state agencies and local program operators working to meet the nutritional needs of participants. FNS also extends these non-congregate feeding flexibilities to SSO operations for the duration of this waiver. Program regulations at 7 CFR 225.16(c)(1) and (2) require minimum elapsed times between meal services and maximum durations of individual meal services in the SFSP. Pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the FFCRA) (PL 116-127), as amended, and based on the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is extending the nationwide waiver to allow meal service operations outside of the standard meal service times in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO) through Sept. 30, 2022. These waivers have the authority to be granted through Section 12(l) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA), using the process described in SP 15-2018 CACFP 12-2018 SFSP 05-2018, Child Nutrition Program Waiver Request Guidance and Protocol- Revised, May 24, 2018. FNS will consider any state election to participate under this nationwide waiver as a request to withdraw the Section 12(l) waiver of the requirements at 42 USC 1753(b)(1)(A), 42 USC 1761(a)(1)(D) and 7 CFR 225.6(e)(15). USDA is issuing this guidance as early as possible to empower communities to establish as many meal sites as they can effectively manage this summer. An official website of the United States government. These resources are periodically updated to reflect changes to the Summer Food Service Program and highlight new resources available for sponsors. Comparatively, only 1.2 million meals were served over the same period in 2019. Therefore, area eligibility determinations made for summer 2022 using SY 2019-20 data are effective through summer 2024, and determinations made for SY 2022-23 may be effective through SY 2024-25 (depending on the designated month selected, per the above). Sponsors are responsible for properly evaluating and determining if a site may participate in the SFSP. Please note that FNS expects that program operators will only use operational waivers when congregate meal service is limited by the COVID-19 pandemic. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. This extension applies to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and FNS is extending this flexibility to the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO). Summer meal sites are places where children and youth age 18 and under can receive meals at no cost in a safe environment. However, FNS recommends that state agencies validate the data if possible. Determinations based on this option for non-CEP schools will only be valid for summer 2022 and SY 2022-23. Contact: USDA PressEmail: [emailprotected]. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers SFSP sites. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act at 42 USC 1753(b)(1)(A), 42 USC 1761(a)(1)(D) and Program regulations at 7 CFR 225.6(e)(15), meals must be served in a congregate setting and must be consumed by participants on site.

However, these options are not available for sites located in the attendance area of schools that operated NSLP in SY 2021-22. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov. Therefore, pursuant to the FFCRA authority cited above, FNS waives, for all states, the requirements at 42 USC 1753(b)(1)(A), 42 USC 1761(a)(1)(D) and 7 CFR 225.6(e)(15) to serve meals through the SFSP in a congregate setting this summer. Section 2202(a) of the FFCRA permits the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a waiver for all states for the purpose of providing meals under the child nutrition programs or to ensure continuity of program operations.

Community Meals Policy Division, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-Congregate Feeding for Summer 2022 Operations EXTENSION 7, Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-Congregate Feeding for Summer 2022 Operations. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Extending nationwide flexibilities to summer meal programs through September 2022, including allowing sites to continue serving meals in all areas, at no cost to families; Providing schools with an additional temporary reimbursement of 40 cents per lunch and 15 cents per breakfast, and child care centers with an extra 10 cents reimbursement per meal; Providing all family day care homes with the higher temporary reimbursement rate for school year 2022-23; Equipping USDA with additional flexibilities to support schools, as needed, based on their local conditions. On our end, this funding boost is yet another step the Administration is taking to ensure every child who needs a meal, gets one.

In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming Americas food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. 1. The site is secure. MDE will be conducting onsite administrative reviews of sponsors and sites. Many children also obtained free meals through the Seamless Summer Option of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs (see FNS's School Meals).. Saied Toossi, Download larger size chart (1024 pixels by 825, 72 dpi), Download larger size chart (1017 pixels by 814, 72 dpi), Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 201519, The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report, COVID-19 Working Paper: Filling the Pandemic Meal Gap: Disruptions to Child Nutrition Programs and Expansion of Free Meal Sites in the Early Months of the Pandemic, Household Food Security in the United States in 2020, The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Transformed the U.S. Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape, USDA School Meals Support Food Security and Good Nutrition, Free School Lunch, Breakfast Participation Rose Between 2009 and 2019, Schoolchildren Consumed More Whole Grains Following Change in School Meal Standards, Volume of Purchases and Regional Location Have Strong Effects on Food Costs for School Meals, Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Reports Database, Food Assistance Data & Collaborative Research Programs, Privacy Policy & Non-Discrimination Statement, The sites operate in areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level; or, Half or more of the children served by the site meet this income criterion (see FNS's. Find a summer site in your community with our Summer Meal Site Finder mapping tool. USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. USDA is committed to working with our partners who provide meals for children at school and all year long through the school meal, afterschool, child and adult care, and summer meal programs.

Biden Administration Takes Additional Steps to Strengthen Child Nutrition Programs, More, Better, and New Market Opportunities, $1 billion in Supply Chain Assistance funds. School data and census data are the primary data sources that may be used to determine whether a site is area eligible.

An official website of the United States government. Any other requirements referenced in these provisions remain in effect. The program expanded rapidly in the early months of the pandemic, serving about 564.4 million meals from March through May 2020. Child nutrition program (CNP) statutory and regulatory provisions require that school data be used to establish area eligibility for at-risk afterschool care centers in the CACFP (42 USC 1766(r)(1)(B) and 7 CFR 226.17a(i)) and for schools providing NSLP afterschool snacks (42 USC 1766a(c)(1)). The 2022 SFSP applications will be available in CLiCS the last week in March. J. Kevin Maskornick Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. A lock ( LockA locked padlock ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Therefore, the individual schools ISP is multiplied by a factor of 1.6. All meals need to be eaten on-site in a congregate setting. State agencies with questions should contact the appropriate FNS regional office. Section 2202(a) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the FFCRA) (PL116-127), as extended by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (PL116-159), allowed the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to issue nationwide waivers related to pandemic conditions. In the absence of complete SY 2021-22 school-level free and reduced price data, program operators may use school data from a designated month of SY 2019-20 to qualify as area eligible in summer 2022 and SY 2022-23. The .gov means its official. FNS explored potential resources and flexibilities within the agencys existing authority to support continuity of operations as state agencies and program operators transition from the nationwide waivers. Minnesota Department of Education sent this bulletin at 03/01/2022 02:54 PM CST, Sites eligible for SFSP based on a COVID-19 area eligible waiver will no longer be eligible to participate in SFSP. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Both actions are a response to the significant challenges child nutrition program operators continue to face, such as high food costs and supply chain disruptions. Typically, sites are eligible to offer free USDA-funded meals and snacks if: In FY 2020in response to the COVID-19 pandemicUSDA waived these restrictions, allowing for the distribution of free meals through SFSP in all areas. Training Opportunities eLearning Option Available, How to Determine Eligibility of Summer Food Service Program Sites, Summer Food Service Program Reimbursement Rates 2022, Minnesota Department of Education website. The .gov means its official. The meals are also available to persons over age 18 with mental or physical disabilities. FNS appreciates the exceptional efforts of state agencies and local program operators working to meet the nutritional needs of participants during this challenging time. A site is a location where meals are served and children eat in a supervised setting. This extension applies to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and FNS is extending this flexibility to the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO). When area eligibility determinations expire and must be re-determined, sites must use existing guidance in SP 08-2017 CACFP-04 SFSP 03-2017 to establish area eligibility. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming Americas food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America.

State agencies should inform local program operators of the flexibilities provided by this waiver as quickly as possible, and work in partnership with local operators to provide meals to all participants in an accessible manner this summer. State agencies should direct questions to the appropriate FNS regional office. This extension is effective immediately and remains in effect through Sept. 30, 2022. However, these schools were required to conduct direct certification with SNAP and may have continued to collect data on other identified students, including those directly certified with other programs or who would have been categorically eligible for free school meals without an application. For example, if a site starts operating on June 13, but is not approved in CLiCS until June 20, meals served prior to June 20 cannot be claimed for reimbursement. Each section contains updates relevant to those nutrition programs. For Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, the 1.6 multiplier provides an estimate of the total number of students eligible for free and reduced price meals in CEP schools; therefore, the product of the identified student percentage (ISP) multiplied by 1.6 is used as a proxy for the percentage of free and reduced price students for area eligibility purposes. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Schools that elect to use this option will have to establish area eligibility for summer 2023 and SY 2023-24 using SY 2022-23 school data. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page.You will need to use your email address to log in. A lock ( Lastly, while state agencies must validate the ISP used when SFAs elect CEP, state agencies are not required to validate the ISP data used by non-CEP schools to establish area eligibility for summer 2022 and SY 2022-23. FNS appreciates the exceptional effort of state agencies and local program operators working to meet the nutritional needs of participants. Individual school data must be used to determine area eligibility, even if the school is participating in CEP as part of a group or district claiming with a shared ISP. WASHINGTON, March 9, 2021 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the nationwide extension of several waivers that allow all children to continue to receive nutritious meals this summer when schools are out of session. WASHINGTON, June 30, 2022 The Biden Administration announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide nearly $1 billion in additional funding to schools to support the purchase of American-grown foods for their meal programs. SFSP training will be offered online again this year and sponsors and staff may access it at any time. The number of meals served through SFSP and expenditures on the program were 8.9 and 8.7 times greater than in FY 2019, respectively. An official website of the United States government. Select. Option 1: Use of School Year 2019-20 Free and Reduced Price Application Data. Find Sites Serving Summer Meals, Summer Food Service Program Memoranda Rescission: SFSP 01-2007 and SFSP 06-2015. These flexibilities apply to the NSLP afterschool snack program, SSO, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at-risk afterschool and family day care homes, and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Child nutrition programs ensure participants have access to the critical nutrition they need through meals that support their health and well-being. However, SFAs that used the nationwide waiver COVID19: Child Nutrition Response #85, Nationwide Waiver to Allow the Seamless Summer Option through School Year 2021-22 to operate the NSLP Seamless Summer Option (SSO) during SY 2021-22 do not have complete free and reduced price eligibility information to make area eligibility determinations for summer 2022 and SY 2022-23. Official websites use .gov Although only schools that operated SSO during SY 2021-22 may determine area eligibility using this option, as noted above, once area eligibility is established all NSLP afterschool snack program, SSO, CACFP at-risk afterschool and family day care homes, and SFSP operators may establish sites based on the determination. will not be reimbursed. High Quality Summer Meals Award Program, Final Rule: Simplified Cost Accounting and Other Actions To Reduce Paperwork in the SFSP, Summer Food Rocks! These increases can be attributed to rising food needs during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and USDAs response to meet those needs, which included waivers expanding the scope and coverage of SFSP. Each location where meals are served must be approved as a site in the Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS). Nonetheless, the department will continue providing other program flexibilities within its existing authority, such as: For next school year, in most school districts, families will need to complete an application through their school to determine if their household is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, as was done before the pandemic. Inquiries can be sent to the Minnesota Department of Education Webmaster: mde.webmaster@state.mn.us. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site.

This waiver extends for summer 2022 the Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service Time Restrictions in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option EXTENSION 3 granted on March 9, 2021, that expired on Sept. 30, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. J. Kevin Maskornick Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site.

Visit the. For the latest information on updates to the program during the COVID-19 pandemic see FNS Response to COVID-19. Equipping schools and program operators to quickly respond to health-related safety issues by offering grab-and-go and/or parent-pickup of meals; and. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, CN Flexibilities for Summer 2022 and School Year 2022-23, AK Department of Education and Early Development, CO Department of Public Health and Environment, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. State agencies are reminded to distribute this memorandum to program operators immediately. For more information, contact: The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded, state-administered program. School Food Authorities (SFAs) that are planning to operate a summer meal program should continue to watch the bulletin for guidance about transitioning from school year operations to summer operations. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. The waivers were previously extended only through June 30, 2021. These percentages can be used for determining area eligibility in the SFSP, SSO, CACFP, and afterschool snacks provided through the NSLP. USDA is working alongside our child nutrition partners to support them in delivering vital, nutritious meals to tens of millions of children every school day, said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary of food, nutrition, and consumer services.