Join us for the next California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) Tuesday at 2 Town Hall, scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 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 Programs (CNPs).
Additionally, CDE staff will provide a mini-training on Professional Standards. This abbreviated training is intended to offer an overview of the School Nutrition Program (SNP) personnel minimum hiring standards and annual training requirements set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These standards make sure staff have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to run school meal programs.
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 provides updates on policy guidance, program requirements, and best practices for operating CNPs. The desired audience includes CNP Operators and Food Service Directors.
Participation Information
Date and Time
Tuesday at 2 School Nutrition Town Hall
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
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 re-register.
Tip 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 April 28, 2026
The following resources were shared in the chat during the previous town hall:
- A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the CDE SNP 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.
- Share your Earth Day celebration photos with the CDE NSD at NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.
- Read the article Fresno Unified School District Nutrition Services Celebrates Good Food Leader: Silver Status
available on the Center for Good Food Purchasing website.
- Share your School Lunch Hero Day celebration photos with CDE NSD at NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.
- Review the USDA policy memo 2026 Appropriations Act: Effect of Child Nutrition Programs SP 05-2026, CACFP 03-2026, SFSP 03-2026
available on the USDA 2026 Appropriations Act: Effect on CNPs web page.
- Review the CDE Management Bulletin SNP-02-2021 Paid Lunch Equity Exemption Guidance available on the CDE SNP Management Bulletin web page.
- Questions regarding the prohibition on the purchase of poultry and seafood from China, email the Procurement Resources Unit at NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov.
- For questions about Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) requirements, email the Resource Management Unit at SNPCafeFundQuestions@cde.ca.gov.
- Check the Air Now website
to view outdoor summer meals sites air quality data.
- View the CDE Excessive Heat and Poor Air Quality Waivers for Summer Meal Programs listserv on the CDE Nutrition What’s New web page.
- View the Environmental Protective Agency and Center for Disease Control (CDC) outdoor activity guidance available on the AirNow Activity Guides Publications web page
.
- Review the Symptoms of Heat-Related Illnesses available on the CDC About Heat and Your Health web page
.
- Access the CDE SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) web page available on the CDE website.
- View the California SUN Bucks 2026 Verification Fact Sheet
(DOCX) available in the Verification tab on the CDE SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) web page.
- Read A Guide to Conducting Verification for 2026 SUN Bucks, available under the Resources tab on the CDE SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) web page.
- Access the Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced-price Meals or Free Milk in Child Nutrition Programs on the CDE Income Eligibility Scales for School Year 2025–26 web page.
- Find additional Indirect Cost Rate information available on the CDE Indirect Cost Rates web page.
- Find self-certification information for micropurchases on the CDE Micropurchase & Simplified Acquisition Thresholds web page.
- For any questions regarding the Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP), email the LSWP team at lswp@cde.ca.gov.
- Find information about LSWPs on the CDE LSWP web page.
- View the CDE NSD’s Management Bulletin SNP-13-2017 Local School Wellness Policy Final Rule - Revised web page.
- Access the following NSD LSWP training courses available on the CDE Child Nutrition Programs Learning Library web page:
- Find out more information about CDE’s Farm to Summer Celebration Week available on the CDE Farm to Summer Celebration Week web page.
- Watch the previously recorded CDE Farm to School presentation/webinar, A Farmer's Guide to Working with California Schools
(Video; 01:07:35), during the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) Small Farmers Conference.
- For any questions regarding Farm to School, please contact the CDE’s Farm to School program at Farm2School@cde.ca.gov or visit the CDE Farm to School web page.
- Complete the voluntary Nutrition and Policy Institute’s CA Universal Meal Implementation Survey
for Food Service Directors to assess the implementation of CA Universal Meals.
- For California Universal Meals Implementation Survey questions email, Wendi Gosliner, Principal Investigator at SchoolMealsStudy@ucanr.edu.
- Access the USDA Eat Real Food Toolkit web page
to view the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 resources.
- For more information on registration and training descriptions for all Food Smarts trainings, visit the CalFresh Healthy Living Upcoming Training and Events web page
.
- For questions about these trainings, contact the CalFresh Healthy Living Statewide Training Team by email at CFHLStatewideTraining@leahspantry.org.
- Find out more information on the following USDA Grants Supporting Farm to School by accessing the following USDA grant web pages:
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this subject, email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.