The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) is pleased to announce that the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) 2026 Program Year is now open. Application packets must be completed and submitted for approval by Friday, May 15, 2026.
- Please submit your complete application through the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) no later than 30 calendar days prior to the start of SFSP meal service, or by May 15, whichever comes first, to ensure that the CDE can review, provide technical assistance, and approve your applications prior to your service start date.
- For further information on application deadlines, please see the SFSP 03-2019 Application Deadlines Management Bulletin web page.
Application Updates
To update your application, please visit the CNIPS website and have your user ID and password ready.
Instructions on how to complete your application are available in the CNIPS (SFSP) Application tab - Download Forms section - Form ID SFSP Job Aid 2 Application Packet.
Operators should review each section carefully before completing. Some application packet components auto-populate certain information that is entered in other application sections. The NSD recommends that operators complete sections and steps in full, in the following order.
- Complete the Sponsor Application
- Complete the Management Plan
- Complete the Food Production Facility
- Complete ALL site applications in full
- Complete the Budget Details
- Complete the Checklist Summary
- Submit the Application Packet by selecting the Red Submit for Approval button on the sponsor application main screen
If the Red Submit for Approval button is not visible, revisit each section to ensure completeness and that there are no warnings displayed.
SFSP Annual Mandatory Training
Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, sections 225.7(a) and 225.15(d)(1), requires all participating operators to annually attend state agency training and to train all administrative staff and site staff before they undertake their responsibilities. This training requirement must be met by all current, new, or returning SFSP operators. The CDE cannot issue approval of SFSP Sponsor Applications until this training requirement is met.
The CDE SFSP Mandatory Training has been recently updated for Program Year 2026 and is available now on the NSD Learning Site.
Instructions on how to register on the NSD Learning Site and access and navigate the 2026 SFSP Mandatory Training are available in the CNIPS (SFSP) Application tab - Download Forms section - Form ID LMS 001 and Form ID LMS 02, respectively.
In addition to the mandatory training, operators are required to review and follow all program regulations and policies pertaining to their program operations, which are located in the SFSP Administration Guide
and on the following web pages:
- CDE SFSP web page
- CDE Summer Food Management Bulletin web page
- US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Policy Memorandum web page
Contact Information
If you have questions regarding any of these subjects, please reach out to the Summer Nutrition Programs and Grants Unit by email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.