Annual Verification Process
VERIFICATION IS THE PROCESS OF CONFIRMING THE ELIGIBILITY FOR FREE AND REDUCED-PRICED MEALS UNDER THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM OR SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM.
Verification in a required part of school meal program administration.
- Verification must be completed annually by November 15th..
- The Verification Summary Report (FNS 742) is due to RIDE by December 15th.
Regulations prohibit the oversampling of meal benefit applications for Verification. If your meal benefit eligibility process is decentralized (each school handles its own eligibility determination), here are specific instructions for the Consolidation of the Verification process and results.
Below are links to resources to assist with the Verification process.
Please contact Sandra.Fabrizio@ride.ri.gov or at 401-222-4682 if you have any questions about this important aspect of school meal program administration.
Healthy Snacks & Beverages
USDA recently published practical, science-based nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold to children at school during the school day. As of July 1, 2014, these standards allow schools to offer healthier snack foods to children, while limiting less nutritious foods.
Smart Snacks in Schools
The new USDA Smart Snacks nutrition standards support better health for students and echoes the good work already taking place in schools in RI. Smart Snacks are also know as competitive foods because they "compete" with the nutritious school meals.
Smart Snack standards apply when competitive food & beverage items are:
- Sold to students,
- On the school campus (vending machines, school stores, a la carte lines, snack bars and sold through fund raisers),
- During the school day (midnight before, to 1 hour after the end of the official school day),
must meet the nutrition standards for competitive foods. In other words, children will be able to buy only foods that their parents would find generally acceptable.
More guidance is found on the USDA Smart Snacks webpage.
USDA is now closely aligned with the:
Fund Raising in Schools
The School Food Fundraisers & Competitive Foods fact sheet is geared to to parents, students, school administrators and teachers. It describes what foods & beverages may be sold as a fundraiser to students during the school day on the school campus.
For alternate, healthy fundraising ideas, check out Healthy School Fundraising - Promoting a Healthy School Environment.
Foods Sold in the Cafeteria at Meal Time
School Meal Programs & Competitive Foods fact sheet focuses on what types of healthy foods & beverages may be offered or sold during meal times by the school food service program.
September's upcoming webinars: Meal Benefit Eligibility Determinations and Professional Standards
USDA's Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity.
RIDE Hosted Webinars
Here you will find information regarding the USDA meal pattern requirements.:
The meal pattern requirements for infants and preschoolers who participate in the School Meal Programs has changed. The new requirements are in effect beginning October 1, 2017. However, USDA has issued a memo regarding flexibility when the preschoolers are co-mingled with the school age children during meal time. See below:
SP 37-2017: Flexibility for Co-Mingled Preschool Meals: Questions and Answers
This memorandum provides guidance on meals served to preschoolers when they are in the same service area at the same time as grade K-5 students, and it includes Questions and Answers.
Additional Information about changes to the Child and Adult care food program can be found here.
Wellness and the National School Lunch Program
Local wellness policies are an important tool for parents, schools and Sponsor in promoting student wellness, preventing and reducing childhood obesity, and providing assurance that school meal nutrition guidelines meet the minimum federal school meal standards.
USDA requires that each local educational agency that participates in the National School Lunch Program or other federal Child Nutrition Programs establishes a local school wellness policy for all schools under its jurisdiction.
Check out USDA Team Nutrition's School Nutrition Environment & Wellness Resources
RIDE works closely with the RI Healthy School Coalition to provide technical assistance, resources, and guidance on the development and implementation of local wellness policies. Resources include:
The Reimbursement and Claims section provides information on USDA reimbursement rates, and RIDE's CNP Connect secure claims processing and management system.
USDA Reimbursement Rates
USDA reimbursement rates are updated on a yearly basis. Here are the current reimbursement rates.
USDA Donated Foods Program (Commodities)
The USDA's Schools/Child Nutrition Programs support American agricultural producers by providing cash reimbursements for meals served in schools, but also by providing nutritious, USDA-purchased food to the following nutrition programs:
- National School Lunch Program;
- Child and Adult Care Food Program; and the
- Summer Food Service Program
For additional information:
CNP Connect Claims & Management System
CNP Connect includes a secure section for processing meal claims. For additional information on filing meal claims, go to the My CNPConnect site.
This section provides local and national data on the National School Lunch Program, and information about fiscal aspects of the Program.
Breakfast State Match
Here is data on the allocation and distribution of RI state funds meant to support public schools providing breakfast meals to students.
2013 RIDE State Breakfast Funds Allocation [XLS, 41KB]
USDA Donated Food Entitlement
The USDA's Schools/Child Nutrition Programs support American agricultural producers by providing cash reimbursements for meals served in schools, but also by providing nutritious, USDA-purchased food to the following nutrition programs:
-
National School Lunch Program;
-
Child and Adult Care Food Program; and the
-
Summer Food Service Program
For additional information:
Breakfast Participation
The Annual RI Kids Count's Fact Book includes analysis of breakfast participation in the USDA School Breakfast Program.
USDA Program Finance and Participation Data
FNS Program Data
Procurement in the Child Nutrition Programs
USDA has issued a number of regulations and released guidance related to USDA Procurement.
In accordance with current USDA requirements, below is the posting of administrative review findings by year for each district:
- Administrative Reviews FY18
- Administrative Reviews FY17