Related Resources

General Guidance  |   Crediting Foods for School Meals
Meal Counting and Claiming  |   Meal Pattern Requirements for School Meals
Menu Planning for School Meals  |   Nutrition Standards for School Meals

General Guidance

• Child Nutrition Sharing Site (Institiute of Child Nutrition)
• Operational Memoranda for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Program Guidance for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)

Crediting Foods in School Meals

• Crediting Foods in School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (USDA)
• Portion Guide for Fresh Fruits: Start with Half a Cup ("Documents/Forms" section of CSDE's Crediting Foods in School Nutrition Programs webpage) 
• Portion Guide for Fresh Vegetables: Start with Half a Cup ("Documents/Forms" section of CSDE's Crediting Foods in School Nutrition Programs webpage) 
• Yield Study Data Form for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)

Meal Counting and Claiming

• Meal Counting and Claiming for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Requirements for Classroom Meals in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)
• Requirements for Field Trip Meals in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)

Meal Pattern Requirements for School Meals

• Certification of Meal Pattern Compliance for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Meal Pattern Training for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Menu Planning for Shorter or Longer Weeks (CSDE)
• USDA Memo SP 05-2022: Meal Requirements Under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Questions and Answers for Program Operators Updated to Support the Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Effective July 1, 2022
• USDA Memo SP 39-2019: Clarification on the Milk and Water Requirements in the School Meal Program
• USDA Memo SP 06-2007: Fluid Milk and Other Food Components/Menu Items in Reimbursable Lunches
• Vegetable Subgroups in the NSLP (CSDE)
• Vegetable Substitutions at Breakfast
  • Effective July 1, 2024, the USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, continues to allow vegetables to substitute for fruits in the SBP. Vegetable substitutions may be from any of the five vegetable subgroups (dark green; red/orange; beans, peas, and lentils; starchy; and other). SFAs that choose to offer vegetable substitutions on one day per school week may offer any vegetable, including a starchy vegetable. SFAs that choose to offer vegetable substitutions on two or more days per school week must offer vegetables from at least two different subgroups. 
  • USDA Memo SP 06-2023, CACFP 05-2023 and SFSP 02-2023: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs
• Weekly WGR Percentage of School Menus (must be at least 80 percent WGR)
  • Calculating the Weekly Percentage of Whole Grain-rich Menu Items in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)
  • Worksheet to Calculate the Weekly Percentage of Whole Grain-rich Menu Items in School Lunch and Breakfast Menus for Grades K-12 (CSDE)

Menu Planning for School Meals

• Menu Planner for School Meals (USDA)
• Menu Planning Checklists for Lunch for Grades K-12 (CSDE's Forms for School Nutrition Programs webpage)
• Menu Planning for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• Menu Planning Guidance for School Meals for Grades K-12 (CSDE webpage)
• Offer versus Serve for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Overview of Menu Planning for Grades K-12 in the NSLP (CSDE)
• Overview of Menu Planning for Grades K-12 in the SBP (CSDE)
• Production Records for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Recipes for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE's Menu Planning for Child Nutrition Programs webpage)
• Requirements for Classroom Meals in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)
• Requirements for Field Trip Meals in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)
• Resources for Menu Planning
  • Resource List for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Resource List for Menu Planning and Food Production in Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Resource List for Special Diets in Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
  • Resources for the School Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 (CSDE)
• Standardized Recipe Form for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)

Nutrition Standards for School Meals

• Dietary Specifications (Nutrition Standards for School Meals) ("Documents/Forms" section of CSDE's Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in School Nutrition Programs webpage)
• Nutrition Standards for School Meals (USDA webpage)
• USDA Announces Steps to Improve Child Health through Nutritious School Meals (USDA)

For more resources, visit the CSDE's Resources for Child Nutrition Programs webpage.