Food Service Staff Education and Training

New Food Service Staff Web Guide

The purpose of this web guide is to help acquaint new food service directors and staff operating the SNPs with the content on this web page and to act as a gateway to other important NSD web pages.

Overview of School Nutrition Programs

Below is an overview of the School Nutrition Programs (SNPs), administered by the USDA and overseen by the CDE NSD. For more information, visit the CDE’s SNP web page.

• Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) – This broad term encompasses all of the federal meal programs that provide healthy, nutritious meals and snacks to the children. Through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), children have access to healthy meals and snacks during the school day. Through the Special Milk Program (SMP), school children who do not have access to other meal programs can supplement their day with a serving of milk. Through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), children are provided healthy meals during those times when school is closed for the summer or extended breaks. Another option for summer meal service is the Seamless Summer option (SSO), a federal program that encourages schools participating in NSLP and SBP to provide meals in low-income areas during the summer. Through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), children in childcare settings have access to healthy meals and snacks. Day care centers and home day care providers can participate in the CACFP programs. Please note: As of July 1, 2021, the administration of the CACFP in California has moved to and is now administered by the Department of Social Services. Visit the CDSS CACFP web page for information on the CACFP.

• School Nutrition Programs – The term SNP is used to refer to the federally funded meal programs operating in public and nonprofit private schools, charter schools, and residential child care institutions throughout the United States. The term includes the NSLP, NSLP Afterschool Snack Program (ASP), SSO, SBP, SMP, and Food Distribution Program (FDP). Each of these programs plays a role in supporting and providing nutritious and culturally relevant meals to students during the school day. The USDA administers the SNPs nationally and in California, these programs are overseen by the CDE NSD.

• Universal Meals Program – Starting in School Year (SY) 2022–23, the California state meal mandate expanded, and the set of requirements are often collectively referred to as the Universal Meals Program. California’s state meal mandate requires public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to make available a nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch for all pupils each school day at no cost to the student, regardless of their meal program eligibility. The state meal mandate also requires all public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools with high poverty schools to adopt a federal provision, such as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2. Ultimately, Universal Meals builds on the foundations of the federal NSLP and SBP, maximizing federal reimbursement through these programs and providing additional state funds so that all meals served are reimbursed at the federal ‘free’ rate.

• National School Lunch Program – The NSLP is a federal meal program operated in public and nonprofit private schools, charter schools, and residential child care institutions and is designed to provide culturally relevant, nutritious lunches to children each school day. Meals include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk, and meat/meat alternate options, and must meet specific nutritional standards. Schools participating in the NSLP receive federal meal reimbursement for meals served. Federal meal rates are established at the paid, reduced-price, and free levels. Schools participating in the NSLP and SBP can also receive additional state reimbursement through the Universal Meal Program, so that all meals served under the NSLP are served at no cost to the students.

• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) – The FFVP is a federal grant program that provides an additional free fresh fruit or vegetable snack to students during the school day as a supplement to (and not part of) the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and teaches students about good nutrition. The FFVP also encourages grantees to develop partnerships at the state and local level for support in implementing and operating the program.

• School Breakfast Program – The SBP is a federal meal program operated in public and nonprofit private schools, charter schools, and residential child care institutions and is designed to provide culturally relevant, nutritious breakfast to children each school day. Meals must meet specific nutritional standards. Schools participating in the SBP receive federal meal reimbursement for meals served. Federal meal rates are established at the paid, reduced-price and free levels. Schools participating in the NSLP and SBP can also receive additional state reimbursement through the Universal Meal Program, so that all meals served under the SBP are served at no cost to the students.

• Seamless Summer Option – The SSO is a federal option for NSLP and SBP Operators to provide summer meals for children in areas with low-incomes. The SSO combines features of the NSLP, SBP, and SFSP. Program Operators of the SSO may operate at community or recreational centers, libraries, camps, schools, and other eligible summer meal sites. Participating in the SSO reduces paperwork and administrative burdens, and makes it easier for SFAs to feed children during traditional summer vacation periods in neighborhoods experiencing low incomes and, for year-round schools, during school vacation periods of more than ten days.

• Summer Food Service Programs – The SFSP is a federally funded program that reimburses operators 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. 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 is open to both school and community operators.

• NSLP Afterschool Snack Program (ASP) – The NSLP ASP is a federal SNP that provides students in afterschool programs a nutritious snack and education activities. The NSLP ASP must follow the NSLP ASP federal meal pattern and provide organized, regularly scheduled activities in a structured and supervised environment. Afterschool programs may also choose to participate in the SFSP to provide a meal to students in their programs, in addition to the NSLP ASP.

• Special Milk Program – The SMP is a federal program that assists schools and other agencies to provide milk to children at reasonable prices. This program, with one exception, is available to local educational agencies (LEA) that do not participate in NSLP, SBP, CACFP, or SFSP. Participating schools and institutions receive reimbursement from the USDA for each half-pint of milk served. The program must be open to all enrolled students and must operate on a non-profit basis.

• Food Distribution Program – The Food Distribution Program is a federal Child Nutrition Program that is available to NSLP and SFSP sponsors. The USDA purchases 100 percent domestically-grown foods to support the American agricultural market. These USDA Foods help schools create appealing, nutritious, cost-effective menu options and help schools comply with USDA meal pattern requirements. In addition to USDA Foods, the USDA contracts with the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Supply Office to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to participants under the DoD Fresh program. The value of USDA Foods and DoD Fresh produce agencies receive is based on a formula that multiplies the number of lunches claimed during the previous year by a per meal rate, which is adjusted annually. This is referred to as entitlement. USDA Foods and DoD Fresh produce may be used in all school meals served to children, including school snack programs and supper.

School Nutrition Program Policy

The School Nutrition Programs are guided by federal and state law, regulations, policy, and guidance. The CDE relays these state and federal requirements to SNP Program Operators through email communications, web pages, webinars, trainings, and management bulletins.

To become an SNP Program Operator, the agency must enter into an official, binding agreement, called the Permanent Single Agreement (PSA), with the CDE. The PSA provides an overview and citations for many of the key state and federal requirements governing the SNPs. The PSA is an excellent reference to help connect operational guidance with the state and federal requirements that shape them. To review your agency’s PSA, visit the Program Operator’s Child Nutrition Information Payment System (CNIPS) account, select Download Forms Section, the PSA is form SNP- NSLP-01, and A-E are associated addendums and attachments.

Below is a listing of the various state and federal sources where SNP rules and requirements can be found.

Federal Policy

• Code of Federal Regulations – The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is an arrangement of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The purpose of the CFR is to present the official and complete text of agency regulations in one organized publication and to provide a comprehensive and convenient reference. Specifically, Title 7 of the CFR (7 CFR) contains all of the regulations under the USDA, including the large majority of the SNP rules.
  
  
  • National School Lunch Program (NSLP) 7 CFR Part 210
    
    
  • National School Breakfast Program (SBP) 7 CFR Part 220
    
    
  • Special Milk Program (SMP) 7 CFR Part 215
    
    
  • Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) 7 CFR Part 225

Note that the NSLP SSO does not have a separate Part in the CFR, rather it uses a combination of the NSLP and SFSP regulations.

• USDA Policy and Question and Answer (Q&A) documents: The USDA routinely releases policy memorandums to states to inform and guide the administration of the SNPs. To help illustrate the application of policy guidance issued, the USDA will frequently release accompanying Q&A documents. These documents anticipate likely questions or scenarios where the policy will be applied and attempt to provide more specific, situational guidance. As the state administrative agency, the CDE then shares the guidance with Program Operators within the context of state law and policy.

State Policy

• California Education Code –The California Education Code (EC) is a collection of all of the state laws directly related to California’s kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) public schools. EC sections are created or changed by the state Governor and Legislature when laws are passed. Chapter 9 of the EC contains many of the state laws related to the implementation of the SNPs in California, specifically articles 8–12.
  
  
• The California Code of Regulations – The California Code of Regulations (CCR) is a collection of all of the state regulations created by the executive departments and agencies of the state of California. Title 5, CCR (5 CCR), Division I, Chapter 15 contains requirements of the Child Nutrition Programs set forth by the CDE.
  
  
• California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Food and Drug Branch – The CDPH Food and Drug Branch provides information on food safety regulations and best practices. It also houses the California Retail Food Code (CalCode), a section of the California Health and Safety Code that contains the health and sanitation standards for retail food facilities, including schools.
  
  
• California Contract Law – California Contract Law is an umbrella term for a group of statutory laws, including Common Law, Division 3 of the California Civil Code and Uniform Commercial Code , California Public Contracts Code Sections 20110 through 20118.4 , and case law. Combined, these define a contract and how a contract can be procured and enforced. These laws also define competitive bidding requirements in order to ensure proper use of public funds, to stimulate competition, and to ensure all qualified bidders have a fair opportunity without concern for favoritism, fraud, and corruption. Specifically, California Public Contract Code Sections 20110-20118, as explained in CDE’s Management Bulletin CNP-12-2018 permit public school districts operating Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) to follow the federal procurement standards in Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), sections 200.31-326, which addresses requirements for advertising, contract award, small purchase thresholds, and purchasing through cooperative agreements, agents and third-party services. In summary, when implementing CNPs, California Contract Law, as well as federal contract requirements, will impact how goods and services are procured.

Policy Guidance

• School Nutrition Programs (SNP) Management Bulletins (MB) web page – The SNP MBs are released by the CDE NSD to communicate federal and state policy information related to assist Program Operators with the SNPs.
  
  
• Summer Food Management Bulletins web page – The Summer Food MBs are released by the CDE NSD to communicate federal and state policy information related to assist Program Operators with the Summer Food Programs.

For more resources and information visit the CDE’s Legislation, Regulations, & Policies web page.

Trainings and Education

A strong training and education plan is essential for new food service directors and staff for successful operations of the SNPs and to meet the Professional Standards requirements. Additionally, all staff involved with SNP operations must complete annual training. For details on annual training requirements, refer to the CDE Professional Standards Requirements web page.

In-Person Trainings

Information on in-person or one-time online trainings is announced on the Nutrition What's New web page and shared through listserv communications.

Online Trainings

The list that follows is a menu of foundational trainings for new food service directors and staff. While the course catalog has a more extensive inventory of trainings, this listing is meant to support new staff in developing a training plan starting first with the most critical items, which have been listed with tips below. Use this list as a starting point and then move to the course catalog once this content has been mastered.

Nutrition
Administration
Operations

Nutrition

Administration

Operation

Town Halls

The Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Halls provide an opportunity for program operators to learn about policy guidance, program requirements, best practices, new resources, and training opportunities for operating the school nutrition programs. Typically, Town Halls occur each month on the fourth Tuesday, unless otherwise noted.

The primary target audience is SNP Operators and Food Service Directors (FSD).

The day of the Town Hall, the CDE posts “Draft” webinar slides in the Download Forms section in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) website . The slides are subject to change. Use the following steps to access slides in CNIPS:

• For School Food Authorities: Select Applications and Download Forms
  
  
• For SFSP operators: Go to the SFSP Module select Applications and Download Forms

Below are the available final Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall slides and resources for the past 12 months. Information on participating in the live Town Hall meetings is posted on the CDE Nutrition What’s New web page under the Training tab.

Important Dates

Below are dates that may be important to program operators of the CNPs. The dates will include general application timeframes, grant and recognition programs, celebratory occasions and more. As the specific dates become available each year, you can select the links in the descriptions for more information.

For a consolidated SNP Task Checklist of monthly to-do’s, due dates, and reminders, visit Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) website , select the School Nutrition Programs box, select Applications, scroll down and select Download Forms, and scroll down and select Form ID SNP Task Checklist. 

 

Resources

Key resources. Curated list of resources to support priority activities.

General
Nutrition
Policy

General

Nutrition

Policy

Definitions

Definitions and Acronyms

• After School Programs
• Child Nutrition Programs
• Food Distribution Program
• Local Educational Agency
• National School Lunch Program
• Professional Standards
• Program Operator
• School Breakfast Program
• School Food Authority
• School Nutrition Programs
• Summer Food Service Program
• Seamless Summer Option

After School Programs: The programs that give children and teenagers the nutrition they need, and draw them into constructive activities that are safe, fun, and filled with opportunities for learning after the school day. The federally reimbursable after school programs are under the NSLP and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) .

Child Nutrition Programs: The global terminology used to represent the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), NSLP Afterschool Snack Program (NSLP ASP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Special Milk Program (SMP), Food Distribution Program (FDP), NSLP Seamless Summer Option (SSO), Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) .  In California, the CACFP is administered by the California Department of Social Services.

Food Distribution Program (FDP): The Food Distribution Program assists agencies by making U.S. Department of Agriculture Foods available to enhance the feeding programs of participants of the Child Nutrition Programs.

Local Educational Agency (LEA): A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a state for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state, or for a combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a state as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools.

National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The NSLP assists schools and other agencies to provide nutritious lunches to children at reasonable prices.

Professional Standards: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create professional standards for state and local SNP personnel. Professional standards for school nutrition professionals establish hiring requirements for certain food service positions and require a minimum amount of annual training hours for all state directors of SNPs, state director of distributing agencies, SNP directors, managers, and staff. Helpful information can be found on the USDA's Professional Standards web page

Program Operator: the organization approved by the state administrative agency to operate any one of the federal child nutrition programs.

School Breakfast Program (SBP): The SBP assists schools and other agencies in providing nutritious breakfasts to children at reasonable prices.

School Food Authority (SFA): An administering entity for the operation of a school feeding program. It can receive federal meal reimbursements for administering the meal programs. An SFA may be a school district, several school districts, or individual schools.

School Nutrition Programs (SNP): Within California, any of the following programs: the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), NSLP Afterschool Snack Program (NSLP ASP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Special Milk Program (SMP), Food Distribution Program (FDP), and NSLP Seamless Summer Option (SSO).

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): A 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 15 or more consecutive school days.

Seamless Summer Option (SSO): A program that encourages more public-school districts and county offices of education to provide meals in low income areas during summer and certain other school vacation periods. The SSO combines features of the NSLP, SBP, and SFSP. The SSO reduces paperwork and administrative burdens and makes it easier for sponsors to feed children in low income areas during traditional summer vacation periods and during school vacation periods of longer than 10 days for year-round schools.

Contacts

There are a number of specialized resources to assist you with your questions. Your assigned SNP Analyst is often the place to start. These additional resources may also be helpful.

And Justice for All Posters

You can request And Justice For All posters by emailing AJFAPosters@cde.ca.gov.

Breakfast and Summer Meal Grants

For questions regarding School Breakfast and Summer Meal Grants, contact the Breakfast Grant team by phone at 800-952-5609 or by email at breakfastgrant@cde.ca.gov.

Child Nutrition and Information Payment System (CNIPS)

If you have any questions regarding the CNIPS, email CNIPS@cde.ca.gov. For concerns and complaints regarding CNIPS, contact CNPComplaints@cde.ca.gov.

Claims and Reimbursement Analysts

If you need assistance with claims and reimbursement, contact your assigned fiscal analyst which you can find on the CDE Nutrition Services web page, under the Analyst Directory Tab. To submit a corrective action plan related to late claim requests, please email OTORequest@cde.ca.gov.

Civil Rights

Complaints may be submitted to the NSD by contacting the Civil Rights and Complaints Coordinator by phone at 800-952-5609 or by email at CNPComplaints@cde.ca.gov.

Competitive Foods

For questions related to the California competitive food and beverage requirements, contact the Competitive Foods and Beverages Team by email at CompetitiveFoods@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 NSD Customer Service Survey.

Disaster Reimbursement Claims

If you have any questions regarding the disaster reimbursement claims, contact the NSD at NSDDisasterClaims@cde.ca.gov.

Food Distribution Program

If you have any questions regarding the Food Distribution Program by email at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.

FFVP Team

If you have any general questions regarding the FFVP, contact the FFVP Team at FFVP@cde.ca.gov.

Local School Wellness Policy

If you have any general questions regarding the Local School Wellness Policy, contact the LSWP team at LSWP@cde.ca.gov.

Nutrition Education

For nutrition education resource questions and inquiries, contact NutritionEducation@cde.ca.gov.

Nutrition Education Expenditure

For questions related to assessing allowability of costs associated with nutrition education activities, submit your questions by email to NutrExpenditure@cde.ca.gov.

Professional Standards

For questions related to the education requirements for CNP personnel, submit your questions by email at ProfessionalStandards@cde.ca.gov.

Procurement Resources

For questions related to procurement and procurement resources, email NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov. For questions related to Food Service Management Contract reviews, email SFSContracts@cde.ca.gov.

School Nutrition Program (SNP)

For questions regarding the SNP, contact your SNP Analyst on the CDE SNP Specialist Directory web page.

SNP Cafeteria Fund Guidance

For questions about SNP cafeteria funds, contact the SNP Cafeteria Fund Team by email at SNPCafeFundQuestions@cde.ca.gov.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Team

For questions regarding the SFSP, contact the SFSP team by email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.

School Food Service

For questions regarding Food Service Management Contracts (FSMC) email SFSContracts@cde.ca.gov.

SNP

For general SNP related questions, email the SNP Team at SNPINFO@cde.ca.gov.

Town Halls

If you have any questions regarding the monthly Town Hall webinars, email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.

Universal Meals Program

For questions related to the UMP, email the UMP team at UniversalMealsSY22@cde.ca.gov.

USDA Foods Team

For information about USDA Foods, contact the Food Distribution Unit by email at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.