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Menu Planning Guidance for School Meals for Grades K-12

Overview


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The Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) menu planning guidance series for school meals includes five comprehensive guides designed to assist school food authorities (SFAs) with meeting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) meal patterns and meal service requirements for grades K-12 in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP. The SSO follows the NSLP and SBP meal patterns.

These guides reflect the current USDA regulations and policy and Connecticut statutes and regulations in effect as of the publication date, including updated information to reflect the USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Please note that this information may change. The CSDE will update these guides whenever the USDA issues new meal pattern guidance for the nutrition programs. 


Note: The preschool meal patterns (ages 1-5) are different from the meal patterns for grades K-12. The preschool meal patterns follow the CACFP requirements and are available on the CSDE's Meal Patterns for Preschoolers in School Nutrition Programs webpage.


Menu Planning Guidance Series for School Year 2024-25

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