Press Releases

01/30/2024

Connecticut State Department of Education Summer Meal Programs

Sponsoring Organizations Provide Nutritious Meals to Connecticut’s Children

(HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has announced opportunities for organizations to become authorized sponsors of the 2024 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to provide meals to children in eligible Connecticut locations.

The SFSP is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and serves as the summer extension of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) to provide meals for children during the summer when households do not have access to school meals. With the exception of specifically authorized rural locations, all meals must be consumed on site.

In a typical summer, the Connecticut SFSP provides over 1.75 million meals to more than 37,000 children aged 18 years and younger, at approximately 600 locations statewide.

The CSDE works with sponsoring organizations, schools, and community partners to authorize locations eligible to host an SFSP site. Eligible locations must meet the federal criteria where the income level of 50 percent or more of households with children are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. SFSP sponsors may include public or private nonprofit schools; state, county, municipal, tribal, or local governments; public or private nonprofit summer camps; public or private nonprofit colleges or universities participating in the National Youth Sports Program; and private nonprofit organizations.

All SFSP sponsors must agree to serve meals to any eligible child regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). SFSP sponsors are reimbursed on a per meal basis according to predetermined USDA rates. Meals must comply with federal USDA nutrition standards.

Further information about program participation is available through the CSDE Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 504, Hartford, CT 06103. For additional information on the SFSP, visit https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Nutrition/Summer-Food-Service-Program.

Individuals who would like to access summer meals can look for Summer Meals locations as the school year ends by contacting 2-1-1 of Connecticut or End Hunger CT!'s Summer Meals Site Finder at: www.CTSummerMeals.org.

Program Contact: Caroline Cooke
Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs
Connecticut State Department of Education
E-mail:Caroline.Cooke@ct.gov

Connecticut State Department of Education Seeking Foodservice Management Companies to Register as Summer Meals Vendors

This release serves as notification of the mandatory registration of food service management companies to participate in the 2024 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Connecticut. Sponsors of the SFSP may only contract with food service management companies that have registered with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE).

On or before February 15, 2024, each food service management company that desires to provide meals to a Connecticut sponsoring organization must submit an application or renewal for registration to the CSDE. The application form for registration can be requested by contacting Andrew Paul at 860-807-2048 orandrew.paul@ct.gov.

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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339..

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at:https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
Email:program.intake@usda.gov

This institution and the Connecticut State Department of Education are an equal opportunity employer.

Twitter: CT State Department of Education Twitter

Facebook: CT State Department of Education Facebook

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