Press Play
Monthly Newsletter for Child Nutrition Administrators
"Something special happened today
I got green lights all the way
With no big red sign to stop me
No traffic jam delay
Well, I was driving over the moon
In my big hot air balloon
Floating high into the darkness
I hope I get there soon
I promise that I'll make it to you very soon
Something special happened today."
Green Lights
— Aloe Blacc
LISTEN TO THE LATEST NEWS
Is It Too Early for Summer?
Summer Mandate
As a reminder, Texas law (Agriculture Code, Title-2, Chapter 12, Section 12.0029) requires public school food authorities (SFAs) with 50 percent or more of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program to provide a summer meal program for a minimum of 30 calendar days during the summer months.
Texas Summer Mandate Form opened in TX-UNPS on November 1, 2023. The deadline to submit waiver intent and any related documentation in TX-UNPS is January 31, 2024.
Schools Operating Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
SFSP training is required before contracting entities can submit the 2024 SFSP application. If training cannot be verified as completed, your application will be returned without being reviewed, and you will not be eligible to operate the program. Training for SFSP can be found here.
REVISED ADMINISTRATOR'S REFERENCE MANUAL (ARM)
Updates to the ARM
- Section 7 — Breakfast Meals
- Clarified guidance regarding milk requirements for ages 1-5 (page 10)
- Crediting information for Nixtamalized products (crediting corn as grain) to align with SP 34-2019 (page 27)
- Section 8 — Lunch Meals
- Clarified guidance regarding milk requirements for ages 1-5 (page 10)
- Crediting information for Nixtamalized products (crediting corn as grain) to align with SP 34-2019 (page 32)
- Section 10 — Afterschool Snacks & Meals
- Use of USDA Foods in afterschool snacks and meals (page 9)
- CACFP At-Risk educational and enrichment activities (page 8 and see At-Risk Afterschool Care Center Handbook for additional guidance)
- CACFP At-Risk field trip meal service (page 17)
- Open to all (page 12)
- Section 17 — Procurement
- Example that restricts full and open competition (page 15)
- Self Certification of a higher micro-purchase threshold (page 22)
- Section 17b — Buy American
- Clarified guidance on the requirement of documenting solicitations (page 6)
- Section 19 — Meal Pricing
- Removed unnecessary language (page 8)
- Section 22 — Competitive Foods
- Clarified guidance on the allowability of coffee beverages (page 17)
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (Project SCALES)
Led by the Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University, these projects will increase the procurement of locally sourced foods by developing innovative partnerships between schools and producers, growers, and processors. In addition, schools will be supported in the preparation of these foods and promoting them to students. Project SCALES was awarded $16.1 million and will provide two cohorts with sub-grants of up to $150,000 each (70 total). Two informational webinars on this grant opportunity will be held on December 6, 2023 (English) and December 13, 2023 (Spanish). Applications for the first cohort will close on January 26, 2024. Applications for the second cohort will open in 2025.
Find more information HERE.
Partnerships for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS)
Led by the Chef Ann Foundation, these projects will support regional efforts to expand scratch-cooked meal programs, increase equity, foster a resilient supply chain, and create scalable and sustainable change for school districts across the country. Chef Ann Foundation's PLANTS was awarded $7.8 million and will provide sub-grants of $500,000-$600,000 to each of the eight awardees. These grants will increase opportunities for regional small- and mid-scale producers, aggregators, and processors to become part of the K-12 school food market. Applications will close on January 22, 2024.
Find more information HERE.
FY2025 Reaching for Excellence
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) invites school districts, charters, and campuses to apply for the Reaching for Excellence (RFE) in Texas School Health Grant. The goal of the RFE grant is to fund projects that inspire students to live healthier lives. Awardees can receive up to $10,000. Applications are due January 22, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CT. For more information, please view the DSHS Grants and Awards Program webpage.
Child Nutrition at Winter Meeting
WBSCM TIMELINE — WHERE ARE WE NOW?
We are currently in the launch phase of Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM)! During the launch phase, we are logging into the live WBSCM system and placing requests. This phase is also called Round 1.
Gearing up to order — it is recommended you do the following:
- Check your entitlement balance in WBSCM (will show both entitlement and DoD)
- Review the USDA Foods Ordering Schedule
- Gather the needed documents and resources
- Review the WBSCM Requisition Checklist
There are some direct delivery seasonal and one-time order items during this round. To find out what items are listed as seasonal or one-time orders, download the 2024-2025 Direct Delivery NSLP Available Foods. TDA also has a list of items available for direct delivery HERE.
TRAINING ON REPEAT
If you would like self-paced training, visit the WBSCM Transition Page, where there are one-page helper sheets as well as demos, supplemental materials, and presentations.
TDA has planned weekly labs to assist Contracting Entities (CEs) with the ordering process. There will be three to four one-hour sessions each day for six weeks. Each week will focus on a different WBSCM ordering topic. The schedule for the planned TDA weekly labs is below.
REMIX
WBSCM TRAINING SCHEDULE
WEEK 1 • JANUARY 8-12
WBSCM Prep Activities with TDA
WEEKS 2 & 3 • JANUARY 23-26
Create draft Direct Delivery Requisitions with TDA
WEEK 4 • JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 2
QA WBSCM Direct Delivery Requisitions and submit
WEEK 5 • FEBRUARY 5-9
Week off
WEEK 6 • FEBRUARY 12-16
Create draft Processing Requisitions with TDA
WEEK 7 • FEBRUARY 20-26
QA WBSCM Processing Diversion Requisitions and submit
*Registration for these events has closed*
STILL NEED ASSISTANCE?
Starting January 22, ESC Region 11 will host weekly WBSCM Labs via Zoom every Monday at 1:30 p.m.
There is no pre-registration. To join the WBSCM lab, click here.
TURN UP THE VOLUME: DEADLINES APPROACHING
JANUARY 1
Financial Report Opens
JANUARY 31
Summer Mandate Due in TX-UNPS
FEBRUARY 1
On-Site Reviews Complete
March 1
WBSCM - Round 1 Closes
MARCH 4-8
National School Breakfast Week
MARCH 20
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Report in TX-UNPS Complete
MARCH 31
NSLP Financial Report Due
RESOURCES AND LINKS
- Administrative Review Resources on our website
- SNA 2023-24 Promotional Calendar
- 2023-24 Breakfast and Lunch Meal Pattern Chart
- The ICN On-Demand Training
- SNA Recipe Library
- Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum
REQUEST TIME: REGISTER FOR A CLASS
JANUARY 25
The Monthly Rewind Webinar (virtual)
FEBRUARY 28
NSLP Financial Coding and Reporting Requirements
FEBRUARY 29
The Monthly Rewind Webinar (virtual)
MARCH 20
Local Wellness Policy/Smart Snacks
MARCH 28
The Monthly Rewind Webinar
APRIL 10
Food Production Records
APRIL 17-19
Financial Management: A Course for SNP Directors and Procurement of Foods (co-Ops)
ESC REGION 11 CHILD NUTRITION
Email: padams@esc11.net
Website: https://www.esc11.net/childnutrition
Location: 1451 South Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX, USA
Phone: 817-740-7545
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ESC11ChildNutrition