CANS section

Deadline approaching for return of “Survey of October Data”

Nov. 15 is the deadline for National School Lunch Program authorized representatives to return the “Survey of October Data,” which was mailed Sept. 24. The survey must be returned by this date to assure the October claim for reimbursement will be processed. It should be returned to the South Dakota Department of Education’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services, 800 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501.

Required by federal regulation, the survey is used for many purposes. Information gathered is used to select sites to be visited during the school food authority’s review and to determine site eligibility for the School Breakfast Program severe need option, Summer Food Service Program and Daycare Home tier level. It also is used to report site eligibility to the National Center for Education Statistics for the core summary data.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Guidance concerning reauthorization offered

The recent child nutrition reauthorization brought many changes. Packets outlining the most immediate changes were mailed to agencies the last week of October. Most of the changes affected schools.

The biggest positive change was that the former Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot was made a program, and the number of states able to participate in the program was expanded. Ten schools on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation are now part of this program.

Following are some additional highlights. Child and Adult Nutrition Services will continue to provide policy and guidance as new information becomes available.  

Child Care – Most of the changes put into law what had been implemented through policy previously. 

• Made permanent the option for proprietary centers to qualify for Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), if at least 25 percent of the children served are from households qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
• Age limit for children served whose meals can be claimed in emergency shelters was raised from 12 to 18 years. 
• Term of agreements between homes and providers was lengthened.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was directed to work with states and CACFP to look at ways to reduce paperwork.
• Duration of Tier 1 determination based on school eligibility goes from three to five years.

School Lunch

• Severe Need Breakfast – Schools that served 40 percent or more of lunches in the second prior year and that participate in the breakfast program can receive additional reimbursement for free and reduced-price breakfasts without the previously required cost-accounting.
• Full-year eligibility – The previous requirement to report changes in income/family size was eliminated for school programs only. Unless families were given temporary approval, the approved benefits are good for the entire school year.
• Categorical eligibility for migrant, runaway, homeless children – School nutrition programs should work with the coordinators of these programs to determine children that these descriptions apply to and make them categorically eligible for free meals. No further verification is required.
• Encourages consumption of foods in school nutrition programs specifically recommended by Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Some of the items that go into effect July 1, 2005:

• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems must be in place in all schools.
• Food safety inspections must be conducted twice annually in all schools. Reports of inspections to be posted in schools. States must gather information, analyze and report to USDA.
• States must provide training and increase review activity focused on administrative error reduction.
• School must offer fluid milk in a variety of fat contents. (Eliminated requirement for milk offered based on prior year’s sales.)
• Verification process is moved up to begin Oct. 1 (beginning in October 2005) and to be completed by Nov. 15. 
• Allows (does not require) schools to substitute nondairy beverages. Beverages must meet standards developed by USDA.
• Prohibits restriction on sale of milk on school premises or during school events.
• Requires household applications instead of single-child applications.

Furthermore, schools must have wellness policies established by June 30, 2006. More information will be forthcoming on this issue, as it becomes available. Schools can continue to work towards that process through participation in Team Nutrition and Coordinated School Health activities.

Finally, the piece many have been waiting for – End Reduced Price Meals – was authorized as a pilot program for five states but has not yet been funded.

Schools take the HealthierUS challenge

Obesity is a growing concern for school children across this country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service encourages schools to take an active role in addressing the issue through a program called HealthierUS School Challenge.

The program recognizes elementary schools that have taken steps to ensure that their students’ health is top priority. It also provides a challenge for schools that are not there yet. Under this program, schools can be certified as either Silver or Gold Team Nutrition Schools.

A basic set of criteria has been established at the national level for a school to be certified. The criteria are:

• be an elementary school (If yours is a K-12 building, your challenge is with the elementary attendance center.)
• be enrolled as a Team Nutrition School (You can enroll by going to www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Join/index.htm or contact South Dakota’s Child and Adult Nutrition Services for a Team Nutrition enrollment form.)
• offer reimbursable lunches that demonstrate healthy menu planning practices and principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and that meet U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrition standards
• provide nutrition education to students
• provide students the opportunity for physical activity
• maintain an average daily participation of 70 percent or higher of school enrollment for reimbursable lunches
• adhere to guidelines established by Food and Nutrition Services for foods served/sold in schools outside the National School Lunch Program

For more information about the HealthierUS Challenge, visit www.fns.usda.gov/tn/HealthierUS/index.htm.

Some requirements regarding verification process changing

Beginning with the school year of 2005, school food authorities (SFAs) will be required to report their verification activity and results to the South Dakota Department of Education’s Office of Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS). Additionally, state agencies must report the SFA data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services.

Submission of this data on a SFA basis will enable state agencies and Food and Nutrition Services to better understand certification errors and to improve oversight activities. This will help ensure that free and reduced-price subsidized meals are provided only to eligible children.

Be sure to refer to the National School Lunch Program Memo #51 for instructions on how to count the number of applications a SFA has on file as of Oct. 31. The SFA must choose to do either a focused verification or random verification method, as described in Memo #51. 

Each SFA submitted, in their annual agreement, the dates they would use to complete the required verification process. The deadline to complete the process at the local level remains Dec. 15  for school year 2005. CANS will provide a specific form for SFAs to report the results of their verification information, which will be due no later than March 1, 2005.

For further information on verification, refer to the USDA “Eligibility Guidance for School Meals Manual” (1991).

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