Join us for the next California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Tuesday at 2 Town Hall, scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 2 p.m. During the Town Hall we will share an overview of federal and state policies, funding and training opportunities, and best practices for operating Child Nutrition Program (CNPs).
Town Hall Webinar PowerPoint
Use the following steps to access slides on the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) web page after 10 a.m. on the morning of the Town Hall:
- For School Food Authorities (SFA): Select Applications and Download Forms.
- For Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operators: In the SFSP Module, select Applications and Download Forms.
The Town Hall slides in CNIPS are marked “Draft” and are subject to change. If updates are needed, the CDE will upload the revised slides in the same location following the Town Hall.
After the Town Hall, the CDE posts the final Town Hall PowerPoint slides on the CDE Food Service Staff Education and Training web page under the Town Halls tab.
Background
The Tuesday at 2 Virtual Town Hall events typically occur on the fourth Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise noted. The Town Halls provide an opportunity for schools to learn about policy guidance, program requirements, and best practices for operating CNPs. The desired audience includes CNP Operators and Food Services Directors.
Participation Information
Date and Time
Tuesday at 2 School Nutrition Town Hall
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Registration and Cost
This town hall is free to attend. Register in advance for this webinar
.
After registering, you will see a screen that says Webinar Registration Approved with a link to the webinar. You will also receive several emails with information about joining the webinar. First, you will receive confirmation on the day you register and then you will receive two reminders one day and one hour prior to the webinar. If you cannot find the email confirmation, or do not receive the reminders, you can always reregister.
Tips for Attendees
To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Zoom.
- Visit the Zoom test link
- If you experience issues, visit the
Zoom Help Center web page
for assistance.
If you receive an error message that the host has declined your webinar registration, try using an alternate email address. While it is not ideal, you may also join by phone if you have technical issues logging in from your computer.
Professional Standards Crediting Information
- Key Area: Administration (3000)
- Training Topic: Program Management (3200)
- Learning Objective: Manage Staff Work Including Scheduling (3210)
- Instructional Hours: 1.5 hours
Reasonable Accommodation
Pursuant to state and federal statutes, individuals with a disability may request reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in the Tuesday at 2 School Nutrition Town Hall. Send direct requests for reasonable accommodation to the CDE by email at NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov no later than seven days prior to the event. Live captioning will be available during the webinar.
Town Hall Information Links and Resources Provided on September 23, 2025
The following resources were shared in the chat during the recent town hall:
- A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the CDE School Nutrition Program Specialist Directory web page or email the SNP staff at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov.
- Find your assigned Child Nutrition Assistant or Consultant information by visiting the CNIPS web page in the Application Download Forms section and using the Form ID Caseload.
- Find the Learning Management System self-registration instructions on CNIPS in the Application > Download Forms section > Forms LMS Reg 001 and LMS Reg 002.
- For learning site questions or support, contact the CDE’s learning team at NSDLearning@cde.ca.gov.
- Connect with a local farmer by contacting the California Department of Food and Agriculture at cafarmtoschool@cdfa.ca.gov to learn what producers are in your region.
- Additional Farm to School resources are available on our CDE Farm to School web page.
- Free stickers are available for order on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program - Stickers web page
.
- Learn more about the USDA Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Farm to School Grant Program on the FY 2026 Farm to School Grant Program web page
.
- Pre-register for California Crunch Day, on the Community Alliance with Family Farmers California Crunch web page
.
- Find the National School Lunch Week graphics and resources on the School Nutrition Association National School Lunch Week website
.
- Find more information about the Celebrating California School Meals Photo Contest on the CDE Celebrating California School Meals Photo Contest web page.
- Find links to the photo contest forms on the CDE Celebrating California School Meals Photo Contest web page, or email questions to the Farm to School team at farm2school@cde.ca.gov.
- Read the article Why It's So Hard to Make School Lunches Healthier
, available on TIME’s web page.
- Check out the LIVE! In the Bay interview, San Francisco Schools Serve Up Fresh, Global Flavors This Fall
available on the KRON 4 website.
- Access the Center for Ecoliteracy's California Flavors, Sabores de California recipes by emailing info@ecoliteracy.org.
- Access the CDE SNP Verification Materials available on the SNP Verification Materials web page.
- Find the USDA Verification Toolkit
available at USDA website.
- For more information on fluid milk substitutes visit CDE’s Milk Requirements in the Child Nutrition Programs web page, under the substitutions tab, and email questions regarding this topic to the team at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov.
- Promptly send Department of Defense (DoD) complaints to the appropriate contacts:
- Food Distribution Program (FDP) team at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov
- Genaro Cordova, DoD Customer Service Representative at genaro.cordova@dla.mil
- Northern California Vendor Pro Pacific Produce at customerservice@propacificfresh.com
- Southern California Vendor Valley Produce at schools@valleyproduce.com
- Pomona Distribution Center at 909-596-7777
- Sacramento Distribution Center at 916-324-0162
- For more information on DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program entitlement review the Management Bulletin NSD-FDP 02-2012 DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Entitlement on the CDE website.
- To request any Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Order Receipt System or FFAVORS account changes contact the FDP by email at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.
- For more information about the Food Safety and Inspection Survey, access the CDE Food Safety Inspection for School Year 2024–25 listserv web page.
- Find the 2025–26 TASTE Incentive Grant recipients on the CDE Funding Results web page.
- For questions on the 2025–26 TASTE Incentive Grant, contact the CDE Farm to School Team at Farm2School@cde.ca.gov.
- Apply for the Super Schools grant on the GENYOUthSpecial Funding Opportunity web page
. For grant questions contact Lauren Izzo by email at Lauren.izzo@genyouthnow.org.
- For more information on the California Green Ribbon Schools Award Program (CA-GRS) or to request an electronic application visit the CDE Green Ribbon Schools Award Program web page. Send any questions to the CA-GRS team at GREENRIBBONSCHOOLS@cde.ca.gov.
- Access free trainings to support meal pattern and nutrition standard updates on the USDA Team Nutrition, The Road to Successful Menu Planning for School Meals
web page.
- Access the following Team Nutrition resources, “Today's Breakfast Poster” and “MyPlate Guide to School Breakfast for Families”, are now available on the USDA Team Nutrition Resources web page
.
- Updates to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs are now available on the USDA Food Buying Guide website
.