Overview
School Nutrition Programs | Program Guidance | Forms | Resources | Nutrition Education
The Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) Menu Planning Guide for School Meals contains comprehensive information and guidance on planning menus to meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) meal patterns for grades K-12 in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP, based on USDA regulations and policy and Connecticut statutes and regulations.
The information in the Menu Planning Guide for School Meals for Grades K-12 applies to school year 2023-24. The contents of this guide are subject to change. The CSDE will update this guide as the USDA issues additional policies and guidance for the NSLP and SBP.
Note: The meal patterns for preschoolers (ages 1-4) are different from the meal patterns for grades K-12. Effective October 1, 2017, the preschool meal patterns were updated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) final rule, Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and follow the same requirements as the CACFP. For information on the preschool meal patterns, visit the CSDE's Meal Patterns for Preschoolers in School Nutrition Programs webpage.
Menu Planning Guide for School Meals for Grades K-12
for School Year 2023-24
Download Guide by Sections
- Cover, Contents, About This Guide, Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Section 1 - Meal Patterns
- Section 2 - Menu Records
- Section 3 - Meal Components
- Section 4 - Weekly Requirements
- Section 5 - Meal Service
- Section 6 - Dietary Specifications
- Section 7 - Resources
- Glossary