Events, Trainings and Resources
National School Lunch Week 2022: October 10-14, 2022!!
It is almost time to Get Your Day in Gear with a Healthy School Lunch during National School Lunch Week (NSLW) 2022. If you are a school who ordered NSLW materials, they should have arrived. If you have not located your NSLW resources, please ask the front office, cafeteria staff members or administrative offices if they have accepted delivery of the packages from the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). Tracking information was emailed on 9/27/22 to all school contacts who placed orders for NSLW materials.
Its not to late to participate and decorate! Visit www.SquareMeals.org/NSLW and to utilize our digital resources. Materials can be printed and utilized to decorate too! During the NSLW celebration, remember to post your images on social media and #TXNSLW.
CEs utilizing Food Service Management Companies should read this document and familiarize themselves with the content. This document summarizes the procurement requirements and regulations for Texas CEs that contract with FSMCs to assist with providing meals for school nutrition programs. It also includes how CEs must procure FSMCs for child nutrition programs in Texas.
TDA is excited to announce there is now a page on SquareMeals meant specifically for renewing Contracting Entities (CEs). The "Renewing CEs" webpage on SquareMeals will host application related information such as application deadlines, tips, resources and news.
Looking for additional training for your staff? Check out Share Our Strength's offerings by clicking the above title.Topics include: retaining staff, strategies to collecting meal applications, afterschool meals, CEP and more! Topics include: retaining staff, strategies to collecting meal applications, afterschool meals, CEP and more!
Meal Talk: Taste-Test Events Webinar
In honor of National School Lunch Week, on Wednesday, on October 12, USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative will present a Meal Talk webinar on Taste-Test Events from 2-3PM. Attendees will hear about new ideas and tools for conducting taste-test events as well as strategies for incorporating taste-test results into menu planning.
This webinar will be recorded and made available at a later date on the Team Nutrition website. All who register will receive an email when the recording is available. Click the above title to register.
Designed to assist in monitoring and tracking Allocations and Shipments. Provides tables to represent monthly and cumulative balances.
P-EBT Local Administrative Cost Grants have been distributed to CEs for costs related to the administration of P-EBT between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022. A list of amounts distributed per CE is posted on www.SquareMeals.org/PEBT. Information will be provided soon about how to return the funds to TDA, if desired.
USDA announced that P-EBT is available to states for SY 2022-2023. Texas Health and Human Services, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Department of Agriculture are working together to review the requirements of the program and determine next steps. Based on the guidance released, the tracking of COVID-19-related absences will be necessary for students to receive benefits. More information on the federal guidance is available on USDA's P-EBT webpage.
The school file upload of students eligible for Summer 2022 P-EBT will occur from October 31 - November 11, 2022. Child nutrition staff are advised to work together with their district PEIMS coordinators to ensure the appropriate children are included in the upload. More information on student eligibility can be found at www.SquareMeals.org/PEBT and training materials will be shared through PEIMS and child nutrition ESC specialists.
