The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) claiming and application processes will be transferred from Smartsheet to the new Colorado Nutrition Portal. This change will help streamline program operations and implement more sustainable processes. Below is an overview of the transition:
Sponsors must submit the site application update via Smartsheet indicating whether sites will continue operating during the summer break; only sites operating during summer break will be transitioned to the portal.
Applications from sponsors that will continue serving meals during summer break will be transferred by CDE’s School Nutrition staff to the portal.
Sponsors will receive a confirmation email when all information is in the portal.
After receiving the confirmation, sponsors will use the portal to make application changes and/or add new sites. Sponsors should continue making application updates through Smartsheet until notification of application transfer.
Starting with the June 2020 claim, sponsors will submit claims through the portal.
The April emergency feeding claim submission form was sent to claim main contacts on Thursday, April 30. Use the Emergency Feeding Claiming Instructions (XLS) for more information about how to submit emergency feeding claims. Sponsor application contacts who did not receive the Smartsheet claim submission form or need to make claim submission changes should contact free&reducedpriceschoolmeals@cde.state.co.us.
Emergency Feeding application updates
The main contact listed in emergency feeding site applications will receive an automated update request from Smartsheet this Friday, May 15, for application updates. Sponsors must open and respond to the update request to indicate any site changes, as well as indicate whether the site will continue operating during summer break by Friday, May 22.
The School Nutrition Unit is hosting a SFSP training webinar in early June. Submit questions using this online form to ensure topics needing additional training are addressed. More details coming soon.
Attend FEMA webinar on opportunities to support community food needs
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will host a webinar at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, to discuss creative ways FEMA funds can be used to fill emergency food gaps in Colorado communities. Some examples include procuring food from local farms, restaurants, community food organizations and other options. Register for the webinar to receive access details.
The webinar is co-hosted by the Colorado Emergency Operations Center, Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council, Blueprint to End Hunger, LiveWell Colorado, HungerFree Colorado, the Good Food Collective and more.
Attend the COVID-19 SNA webinar series
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) invites members and non-members to join its free COVID-19 webinar series, about timely information and resources concerning COVID-19. Below are upcoming webinars:
Apply for Action for Healthy Kids emergency meal distribution equipment grant
School districts feeding students at schools or other sites are eligible to apply for an equipment grant from Action for Healthy Kids for $1,000 to $2,000 credit when districts purchase equipment through Hubert. The grant application is open and priority will be given to school districts in the Fort Morgan area, though all Colorado school districts providing emergency feeding are encouraged to apply. View additional grant opportunities from Action for Healthy Kids.
The School Nutrition Unit hosted a webinar on May 6 and the webinar slides are available on the emergency feeding webpage under the Resources and Documentation section. An updated question and answer document will also be posted to the website soon.
Opt-out of new LWP triennial assessment extension deadline
The USDA released a waiver on April 23 allowing local education agencies (LEAs) to extend the due date of their local wellness policies (LWP) triennial assessment from June 30, 2020, to June 30, 2021. The School Nutrition Unit assumes all LEAs will accept the new deadline. If an LEA plans to maintain the June 30, 2020, date, please complete this online form.
For sponsors that upload claim data into the new Colorado Nutrition Portal, please note that site codes have changed as a result of the systems merge. School sites now have a preceding zero, as all site codes now have five digits. Non-school sites may have changed codes entirely. Please ensure that all site codes are correct in the claim upload file before completing a claim in the Colorado Nutrition Portal to avoid errors.
2020-21 school year income eligibility guidelines now available
Revised income eligibility guidelines (IEGs) (PDF) for the 2020-21 school year are now available and are located on the School Meal Eligibility webpage. The new IEGs should not be used until processing applications for the next school year. The 2019-20 IEGs will remain available until July 1, 2020.
