Coronavirus (COVID-19) Main Web Page
On October 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued Policy Memorandum SP 01-2021, CACFP 01-2021, SFSP 01-2021: Questions and Answers (Q&As) Relating to the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) Operations through School Year 2020–2021 – EXTENSION – Q&As #2. The Policy Memorandum provides clarification related to the operation of the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, SSO, SFSP, and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include transition to the SSO or SFSP, closed enrolled sites, eligibility carryover, afterschool snack service, At Risk offsite and onsite care flexibilities, and weekend meal service.
More information will be shared during the next Tuesdays @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall on October 20, 2020.
No California Department of Education management bulletin will be forthcoming.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding the waiver, please contact your Child Nutrition Program’s County Specialist. The County Specialist for each program can be found in the following Form IDs in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System Download Forms section:
- CACFP: Form ID, CACFP 01
- School Nutrition Programs: Form ID, Caseload
- SFSP: Form ID, SFSP 01
Main Coronavirus (COVID-19) Web Page
On Friday, October 9, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the extension of twelve Nationwide COVID-19 waivers. These waivers extend program flexibilities, including the option to serve meals through the Summer Meal Programs, until June 30, 2021.
The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) recognizes that these extensions will require School Food Authorities (SFA) to once again update School Nutrition Program (SNP) site applications in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS).
For many SFAs, these updates will represent the third SNP site application update that has been submitted in CNIPS during this School Year (SY). In an effort to prioritize application review and approval, the CDE NSD requests that SFAs with approved site applications that are dated through December 31, 2020 please refrain from submitting additional site updates for the period of January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021 at this time. The CDE NSD will advise when SFAs in this circumstance should begin to update site applications for the remainder of the SY.
SFAs that have an application dated through December 31, 2020 that is still awaiting approval can expect to have these applications returned by their SNP Specialist. The CDE NSD requests that these SFAs update site applications to reflect program operations for the duration of the SY. This approach will ensure that multiple versions of site applications will not need to reviewed and approved for SFAs in this situation.
The CDE NSD appreciates your patience and flexibility on this approach as we continue through these unprecedented times.
Resources and Contact Information
If you have any questions or need assistance regarding SNP site applications, please contact your SNP Specialist. The SNP Specialist list is available in the CNIPS Download Forms section, Form ID Caseload. You may also contact an SNP Office Technician by phone at 916-322-3005 or 916-322-1450, or call 800-952-5609, Option 2, to be directed to your SNP Specialist.
For CNIPS technical questions, please contact the CNIPS Help Desk by phone at 800-952-5609, Option 6, or by email at cnips@cde.ca.gov.