Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Funds–Updates

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the following updates to the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Fund guidance:

Use of KIT Training Funds with Food Service Management Companies (FSMC)

To help clarify if and when a local educational agency (LEA) can use KIT training funds to pay for an FSMC training, the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) has outlined the following:

• KIT funds must be used to train LEA food service staff. FSMC staff may attend if there is no resulting additional cost to the training.
  
  
• KIT training funds cannot be awarded to an existing FSMC to provide training if training is already a part of an existing contract. Any KIT-funded training provided by an FSMC must be above and beyond current contracted activities and trainings.

Use of KIT Training Funds for Professional Standards

To help clarify the use of KIT training funds in connection with professional standards, the NSD has outlined the following:

• Trainings that fulfill the KIT training purpose, and also address the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) professional standards learning objectives for school nutrition professionals, can be paid for using KIT funds.
  
  
• Time spent in trainings that fulfill the purpose of the KIT training funds may also be counted towards the professional standards training requirements of USDA as applicable.
  
  
• If an eligible staff member is enrolled in a college degree program, KIT training funds cannot be used to pay for a degree program. However, KIT training funds can be used to pay for individual college courses that also meet the purpose of the KIT training funds.

Use of KIT Training Funds for Travel

To help clarify the use of KIT training funds for travel to allowable training opportunities, the NSD has outlined the following:

• KIT training funds can be used for applicable travel expenses (including, but not limited to, registration fees, airfare, car rental, meals, etc.) within or outside of California in order to attend trainings that meet the purpose of the KIT training funds.
  
  
• Travel expenses must follow the organization’s policies and be reasonable and necessary.

The NSD is currently in the process of updating the CDE KIT Funds web page to reflect these changes.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please email Nutrition Services Division staff at KITfunds@cde.ca.gov.