Guidance | Manuals | Resources
Guidance
Cafeteria Fund Loan Guidance
Provides districts with information and instructions pertaining
to federal and State statutes and regulations that govern school
cafeteria accounts, and clarifies section 39(a) of Assembly Bill
(AB) 1754, (Chapter 227, Budget Committee, Statutes of 2003).
Direct Certification (New Apr-2012)
A federally mandated process that sponsors must use to certify school-age recipients of CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits as eligible for free school meals without further application.
Disaster Relief Guidelines for School Food Services
Providing meals to children and food to affected communities during State or federally declared disasters.
Eligibility Materials
Applications, forms, and other materials for school meal, milk,
and State Meal Program eligibility.
Food Service Management Company Services Procurement
Explains regulations regarding procurement of services offered by a food service management company (FSMC).
Forms
Forms and completed sample forms for use by School Nutrition Programs (SNP) sponsors.
General Information Sheets
Information to assist sponsors with program administration.
Information Alerts
SNP information alerts organized by calendar year.
Management Bulletins
SNP management bulletins organized by calendar year.
Nutrition Requirements
Information and resources on menu planning, preparation documentation, and meal patterns for sponsors participating in the in the SNP.
Payment Information and Forms
Instructions, forms, and worksheets to assist with filing claims
for reimbursement.
Providing Meals During an H1N1 School Closure (Dec-2009)
Sponsors approved for Meal Programs may continue to provide reimbursable meals to low-income children during school closures and/or student dismissals caused by the H1N1 influenza virus.
School Menu Planning Options
Information and resources on the School Meals Initiative menu planning options, nutrient analysis, competitive foods, and meal patterns for the national school lunch and breakfast programs.
Verification Materials (Updated Oct-2011)
School Nutrition Programs verification materials including applications, forms, and materials for the annual, mandatory verification process for eligibility of a sample of completed household meal eligibility applications.
- Verification Reporting
In February of each year, all LEAs must complete and submit a verification report through the Child Nutrition and Information Payment System (CNIPS) using the verification report function.
Manuals
USDA Manuals
- Eligibility
Manual for School Meals (Updated Oct-2011; Outside Source)
Guidance from the USDA for determining children's eligibility for free and reduced-price meals.
Note: Management Bulletin with additional information specific to California pending. - Food Buying Guide (Outside Source)
USDA's guide to plan, purchase, prepare, and serve nourishing meals for the Child Nutrition Programs. For a hard copy, call the Nutrition Services Division toll free at 800-952-5609. - Provision
2 Guidance Manual (PDF; Outside Source)
USDA's guidance for schools participating in the Provision 2 alternative for collecting and certifying free and reduced-price eligibility under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
Resources and Reports
California Fresh Start Program (CFSP) Evaluation Report
Executive Summary of findings from the comprehensive evaluation of the pilot implementation of the CFSP mandated by SB 281, and CFSP Evaluation Report.
Feed More Kids: Improve Program Participation
A series of four brochures and other information featuring field-tested strategies for increasing school lunch and breakfast participation and improving meal program quality and operations.
No Child Left Behind
California's Home page for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).
WestEd Breakfast Study (Outside Source)
The Legislature required
the CDE to contract for a study to evaluate the cost and feasibility of mandating that all severe need schools in California offer the School Breakfast Program (SBP). The Feasibility of Mandating School Breakfast in California's Severe Need Schools: Costs, Challenges, and Recommendations is a final report of that study, following interviews with 44 school districts (60 schools) that did not offer the SBP and interviews with seven school districts (7 schools) that recently adopted the SBP. Results also used CDE data obtained from 6,523 severe need schools in California about their SBP status.
USDA Resources
- Healthy
Meals Resource System (Outside Source)
Provides recipes, resources, and information on food safety and the preparation of nutritious meals. - School Breakfast Toolkit (Outside Source)
An online resource to help promote and expand School Breakfast Programs as a way of supporting positive health and educational outcomes for children. - School
Meals (Outside Source)
USDA's Web site for information about the administration of school nutrition programs. - Team
Nutrition (Outside Source)
USDA's Web site for nutrition education and training materials.
