Food Service Support

Memo September 8, 2026

The Child Nutrition Program Administration has released this memo with updated information about the Direct Certification Matching Process.

Memo September 1, 2026

The Child Nutrition Program Administration has released this memo with the 2026-27 Adult Selling Prices.

Updated Memo, Monday, August 3, 2026

2026-2027 School Year Reimbursement Rates to include Commodity Rates

Memo Thursday, June 25, 2026

SED, Office of Child Nutrition Program Administration, will host in-person New Food Service Director/Manager Trainings in August 2026. This training is designed for Food Service Directors and Managers who are new to administering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), generally those with five years or less of experience in school nutrition programs.

Memo Wednesday, June 24, 2026

All SFAs participating in NSLP, SBP, and/or Special Milk Program are required to complete an SFA Annual Renewal on the CNMS prior to the beginning of each school year.

Memo Thursday, May 7, 2026

This memorandum announces the Provision 2 Base Year Income Eligibility Guidelines for the 2026-2027 school year and provides each School Food Authority (SFA) with the forms and guidance needed to process applications for free and reduced-price meals.

Memo Monday, April 13, 2026

This memorandum provides information pertaining to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Provision 2 (P2) Application details for the 2026-27 school year.   

Memo Monday, March 30, 2026

This memorandum provides information on SNAP outreach requirements effective January 28, 2026 to offer guidance to support schools in carrying out these requirements.

Memo January 15, 2026

Effective immediately, schools participating in the NSLP may offer students at lunch the following fluid milk options: whole, reduced-fat (2%), low-fat (1%), and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk, and nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the USDA nutritional standards for fluid milk substitutes. Fluid milk may be unflavored or flavored and nonorganic or organic options.

Memo December 5, 2025

This memo serves to clarify that a 30-day carryover period is allowed for schools operating Provision 2 in their initial base-year.

Memo September 30, 2025

School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and/or National School Lunch Program (NSLP) that are operating in the Base Year of Provision 2, in one or more schools, are required to select and verify a sample of their approved free and reduced-price meal applications on file as of October 1st by November 15th of this year.

Effective August 1, 2025

Heartland School Solutions has posted a notification about a fee increase for the MySchoolBucks program. The fee will increase to $3.50 for all cafeteria credit/debit card payments beginning on August 1st. The program fee for cafeteria electronic check payments will remain the same if e-checks are accepted. Additionally, the maximum meal payment limit will increase to $150 per transaction. 

If you have any questions, please contact the MySchoolBucks Admin Support team at 800.803.6755.

June 23, 2025

School Food Authorities (SFAs) should immediately access and save 2024-25 DCMP data, as this data is used to apply for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).  SFAs will not be able to access and retrieve the 2024-25 DCMP data after June 30, 2025.

June 4, 2025

This memorandum announces the Provision 2 base year income eligibility guidelines for the 2025-2026 school year and provides each School Food Authority (SFA) with the forms and guidance needed to process applications for free and reduced-price meals.

May 22, 2025

The NYSED is implementing an important update to the application process for new Recipient Agency (RA) applications.

May 13, 2025

The 2025-2026 Executive Budget amended New York State Education Law by adding Section 915a Universal Free School Meals. Beginning in school year 2025-2026, New York State School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the federal school lunch and/or breakfast programs are required to provide reimbursable school meals at no cost to all students. The state will reimburse SFAs up to the combined State and Federal reimbursement rate for a free meal for each federally reimbursed reduced-price and paid meal claimed. Webinar recording from June 5, 2025

April 1, 2025

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Application and Guidance is now available for the 2025-26 school year.  This information can be found at: http://www.cn.nysed.gov/content/CEP.

January 14, 2025

The NYSED Child Nutrition Program Administration group has released this memo, with the summer food service program federal reimbursement rates effective January 1, 2025.

USDA has released the Final Rule: Child Nutrition Programs -  CEP Increasing Options for Schools(link is external). This final rule amends the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent.

Sodium Target 1A Transitional Standard Effective July 1, 2023. National School Lunch Program (NSLP) only

On March 23, 2023, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service published a proposed rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision – Increasing Options for Schools.  The rule proposes to expand access to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) by lowering the minimum identified student percentage participation threshold from 40 percent to 25 percent, which would give States and schools greater flexibility to choose to invest non-Federal funds to offer no-cost meals to all enrolled students.