Local education agencies (LEAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program were required to develop a local school wellness policy and have this policy in place by July 1, 2017. An assessment of this policy must be conducted at a minimum of once every three years. Therefore, the first triennial assessment must be completed by June 30, 2020.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY19 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant for School Food Authorities (SFAs).

RFP GC20-021 is posted at the Grants Administered by NYSED webpage: 

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/funding/currentapps.html   

The FY 2020 USDA Farm to Grant Request for Applications (RFA) is now available! Grants are designed to expand farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $1.5 million is available for eligible school districts to support the growth of the Farm-to-School programs across New York State ahead of the upcoming school year.

Applications are due November 7, 2019 by 4 pm and should be submitted in Grants Gateway.

Now Available through USDA! 

Offer versus Serve (OVS) National School Lunch Program Posters and Lunch and Breakfast OVS Tip sheets!  

The Offer versus Serve (OVS) Lunch Posters for elementary, middle and high school students may be used as signage to instruct students to select a reimbursable meal under OVS.  The OVS tip sheets are intended for use by school foodservice staff to enhance their understanding of OVS requirements at breakfast and lunch.

This final rule increases flexibility in the Child Nutrition Program requirements related to milk, grains, and sodium effective SY 2019-2020, which begins July 1, 2019.  The purpose of this rule is to ease operational burden and provide school nutrition professionals the flexibility needed to successfully operate the Child Nutrition Programs. This final rule makes the following changes beginning in SY 2019-2020:

The purpose of this memorandum is to notify School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program of an increase in State reimbursement for meals and snacks claimed in the reduced-price category effective July 1, 2019.

The increase in State reimbursement for reduced-price meals and snacks is a result of additional funding approved in the 2019 New York State budget that is intended to cover the student cost of 25 cents for breakfast and lunch meals and the student cost of 15 cents for snacks served in the Afterschool Snack Program.

New food yields for the following food items have been added to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-Based Tool: surimi seafood, tempeh, coconut, popcorn, and hominy. Please see the following memos for guidance on these newly creditable food items:

The list of applicants that were selected to receive the FY 2018 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant for School Food Authorities (SFAs) can be found in the link below.

FY 2018 Equipment Grant Awards