National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) are federally assisted meal programs through the United States Department of Agriculture operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free breakfast and lunches to children each school day. The USDA Foods Program supports domestic nutrition programs and American agricultural producers through purchases of 100% American grown and -produced foods for use by schools and institutions participating in the federal programs.
If your entity would like to become a School Food Authority of the National School Lunch Program, please contact (602) 542-8700 or email [email protected]. The first step towards providing healthy meals to your students begins with the Prospective Sponsoring Entity Form.
The USDA Foods and the Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Produce Programs provide nutritious foods for schools to use in their school nutrition programs. For information please email [email protected] or call (602) 542-8700 Option 2.
The Arizona Department of Education conducts administrative reviews (ARs) of all School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) at least once during each three-year review cycle. The AR consists of an off-site portion where the reviewer will request documents for the SFA to submit and an on-site portion where the reviewer will observe meal service at a select number of sites within the SFA. The reviewer will notify the SFA of the deadline for the off-site portion, the date of the on-site portion, and the sites that will be reviewed. The following programs will also be reviewed, if applicable: Afterschool Care Snack Program, At-Risk Afterschool Meals, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and Seamless Summer Option of the Summer Food Service Program.
The required Procurement Review will also be conducted alongside the NSLP AR.
The upLIFT webpage is created for you, the school nutrition professional, to learn and get inspired in how and what you feed your students. We hope you share your successes and ideas to teach your colleagues of Arizona. Together we can influence positive dietary behaviors in students!
The School Nutrition Programs Advisory Council (SNPAC) is comprised of dedicated school nutrition professionals who will advise ADE on issues that impact growth, compliance, and nutrition integrity in Arizona school nutrition programs. The SNPAC consists of 12 individuals representing 37 LEAs and 178 sites in Arizona. The council members were carefully selected to create a diverse and representative sample of LEAs in Arizona. The SNPAC will be meeting monthly in Program Year 2023. SFAs are encouraged to contact the SNPAC member who best represents their LEA with any questions or concerns they would like to bring to the council.
Try it Local is an opportunity for schools participating in NSLP to be reimbursed for minimally processed local and regional foods used in school meals. Try it Local is being temporarily funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) through the Arizona Departments of Education's participation in the Local Food for School (LFS) Cooperative Agreement Program. ADE will process Try it Local claims for all eligible purchases dated no earlier than July 1, 2023, on a first come first serve basis up to September 30, 2024, or until all funds are obligated, whichever is first.
Participating SFAs must submit receipts/invoices for eligible food purchases to HNS in the ADEConnect application: CNP Supplemental Payments. Access to this application must be requested from the SFA's Entity Administrator(s). For assistance, please use ADEConnect's How to Videos.
HNS is eager to help SFAs understand Try it Local and procure local foods eligible for Try it Local funds. Please submit a School Interest Form to connect, learn more, and start receiving funds for eligible food purchases.
HNS is equally as eager to provide support to producers and farmers who are interested in working with the school market. Please consider sharing about yourself by completing this Producer Interest Form.
The Summer 2024 Farm Fresh Challenge is an HNS initiative designed to empower CNP operators to cultivate excitement around fresh and locally sourced foods. Participating operators must complete challenges that promote participants' tasting, teaching, and connection to foods local to Arizona within the month of June.
The Arizona Department of Education Health and Nutrition Services (HNS) is pleased to announce the availability of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during summer 2024.
