State Board of Education now accepting public comments on state charter applications until Jan. 14, 2025.

Meal Patterns for Preschoolers in School Nutrition Programs

Overview


School Nutrition Programs  |   Program Guidance  |   Forms  |   Resources  |   Nutrition Education


The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) preschool meal patterns (ages 1-5) for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Afterschool Snack Program (ASP) follow the same requirements as the CACFP meal patterns for children. The Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP follows the NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns. For detailed guidance on the preschool meal patterns and crediting requirements, refer to the CSDE's Guide to Meeting the Preschool Meal Patterns and Crediting Requirements for the School Nutrition Programs.

On April 25, 2024, the USDA published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (89 FR 31962). This final rule implements gradual updates to the Child Nutrition Programs in several key areas, including the preschool meal patterns. Some menu planning flexibilities are effective July 1, 2024. Changes to preschool menus are not required until school year 2025-26 (beginning July 1, 2025). For more information, visit the "Upcoming Meal Pattern Changes" section of the CSDE's Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in School Nutrition Programs webpage.

 

Meal Patterns  |   Menu Planning  |   Meal Service
Serving the Same Menu to Preschool and Grades K-12
Co-mingled Meals and Afterschool Snacks


Preschool Meal Patterns

Meal Service

Serving the Same Menu to Preschool and Grades K-12

The preschool meal patterns and meal patterns for grades K-12 have different requirements. When school food authorities (SFAs) serve the same lunch, breakfast, or afterschool snack menu to both groups, the menu items must comply with whichever requirements are stricter. For example, the NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12 have stricter whole grain-rich (WGR) criteria than the preschool meal patterns. Meals served to both groups must comply with the WGR criteria for grades K-12. The NSLP, SBP, and ASP preschool meal patterns require a sugars limit for yogurt and breakfast cereals, but the meal patterns for grades K-12 do not. Yogurt and breakfast cereals served to both groups must comply with the preschool sugars limit. 

Co-mingled Meals and Afterschool Snacks

“Co-mingling” is the practice of serving meals or afterschool snacks to a variety of grades in the same service area at the same time. This practice typically occurs due to operational constraints within a school, such as limited time and space. SFAs may use the meal pattern of the older grades for both grade groups (preschoolers and the older grade group) when the co-mingled meal or afterschool snack service meets the requirements below.

  • The preschoolers and students from older grade groups are served meals or afterschool snacks together in the same place at the same time.
  • It is hard to tell the preschoolers from older students.
  • It would be operationally difficult to serve different foods or different amounts of foods during the combined meal or afterschool snack service. 

For example, if the SFA serves lunch or breakfast to preschoolers and grades K-5 in the same service area at the same time, the SFA may choose to follow the K-5 meal pattern for both groups. If the SFA serves afterschool snack to preschoolers and grades K-12 in the same service area at the same time, the SFA may choose to follow the ASP meal pattern for grades K-12 for both groups. 

The preschool meal patterns provide the amounts and types of foods that most younger children need for healthy growth and development. The USDA strongly encourages SFAs to find ways to serve grade-appropriate meals and afterschool snacks to preschoolers and older students to best address their nutritional needs. SFAs must follow the preschool meal patterns when meals and afterschool snacks are served to preschoolers in a different area (such as a separate serving line or meals in the classroom) or at a different time.