Summer food service program for children : sponsor's handbook

              Sum.m.er
Food
Service
Program. for
ChUdren
U.S. DEPOSITORY
PROPERTY OF THE LIBRARY
JUN 0 71990
University of North Caro
at Greensboro
United States
Department of
. Agriculture
Food and
Nutrition
Service
FNS - 206
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
INTRODUCTION
PLANNING A PROGRAM
Sponsor Eligibility
Determination of Need
Meal Service
Sites
Staffing
Applications
Planning Checklist
ADMINISTERING A PROGRAM
Training
Civil Rights Compliance
Monitoring
Program'Payments
Recordkeeping
I. Records of Meal Counts
II. Records of Operating Costs
III. Records of Administrative Costs
IV. Records of Program Income
Administrative Reviews
Violations
Postprogram Evaluation
FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT COMPANIES
Selecting a Company
Information for Bid and Contract
Bid Procedure
Awarding the Contract
Planning and Operating the Program
Assistance Provided by the Small Business
Administration
CAMPS
Camp Eligibility
Sponsor Requirements for Camps
Training
Reimbursement
Worksheet for Camp Sponsors
REFERENCES
Sample Forms and Worksheets
Glossary
Page
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91
The Summer Food Service Prooram for Children is available to
all children without reoard-to race, color, national origin,
sex, age, or handicap. -Any person who believes he or she ha s
been treated unfairly in receiving food servjces becau s e of
discrimination should write immediately to the Secretary of
Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.
Revised February J984
Slightly Revised April 1990
INTRODUCTION
The Sponsor's Handbook is a vital reference for all sponsors who
participate or plan to participate in the Summer Food Service
Program for Children during school vacation periods. It is not,
however, applicable to the academic-year operations of National
Youth Sports Program (NYSP) sponsors during October through
April. Additionally, it contains a section which addresses the
needs of food service management companies that provide meals to
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors.
The SFSP was established to ensure that during school vacation
periods, children could continue to receive the same high-quality
meals that are provided during the school year under the National
School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The program resulted
from an increased awareness of the critical importance of proper
nutrition to children, and a belief that school vacations should
not end the availability of nutritious meals for many children.
Although the SFSP primarily operates during the summer months,
May to September, when schools in most areas are closed, it also
provides meals during vacation breaks where schools are operated
on a continuous school calendar.
This handbook for SFSP sponsors consists of five main sections:
Section 1, PLANNING A PROGRAM, provides information to help guide
potential sponsors through the early stages of program planning
and operations. This section includes information on determining
eligibiity, planning the meal service, and applying for the
program.
Section 2, ADMINISTERING A PROGRAM, outlines in more detail the
administrative responsibilities of the sponsor in the areas of
training, recordkeeping, and monitoring.
Section 3, FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT COMPANIES, discusses how a
sponsor contracts with a food service management company. This
section includes information on the sponsor's and food service
management company's responsibilities in relation to operating
the food service at program sites.
Section 4, CAMPS, discusses the unique eligibility requirements
and reimbursement methods used by camps, and their special needs.
Section 5, REFERENCES, provides sample copies of forms and
necessary program worksheets that sponsors may use. A glossary
of SFSP terms is also included at the end of this section.
The SFSP makes meals available to children 18 years old or
younger. People over 18 years old, who (1) are determined by a
State or local educational agency to be mentally or physically
handicapped and (2) participate in a public or private nonprofit
school program for children with handicaps during the school
year, are also eligible to receive benefits.
1
Program Basics
A basic understanding of the SFSP requires familiarity with each
of the following terms:
soonsor: Organizations that may sponsor the SFSP are limited to
{1) public and private nonprofit school food authorities, summer
camps, and colleges and universities that participate in the
NYSP; (2) private nonprofit organizations that meet specific
criteria defined in SFSP regulations; and (3) local, county,
municipal or State government units. Both private nonprofit
organizations and governmental units must have direct operational
control over each site under their sponsorship. This means that
they will be responsible for (1) managing site staff, including
such areas as hiring, conditions of employment, and termination;
and {2) exercising management control over SFSP operations at
sites during the period of program participation.
Potential sponsors must demonstrate that they have the necessary
financial and administrative capability to meet SFSP objectives
and to comply with program regulations; and they must also accept
final financial and administrative responsibiity for all sites
under their auspices. Approved sponsors must operate the program
according to the Federal regulations, relevant instructions, this
handbook, other SFSP guidance materials, and all applicable State
and local laws. Management responsibilities cannot be delegated
below the sponsor level. The quality of the meal service, the
conduct of site personnel, and the adequacy of recordkeeping
reflect directly upon the sponsor's performance, which is subject
to audit by the administering agency, by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Office of the Inspector General {OIG), and the
General Accounting Office {GAO) .
Reimbursement: SFSP sponsors receive Federal funds from their
administering agency based on the number of each type of meals
they serve to children. Separate reimbursement rates have been
established to cover their operating costs of preparing and
serving meals and their costs of administering the program. There
are different rates for each meal type--breakfast, lunchjsupper,
and snack--and the number of eligible meals served according to
program regulations, multiplied by the appropriate reimbursement
rate will be the maximum amount of money that a sponsor receives
for either its administrative or operating costs. To cover its
administrative costs the sponsor will receive the lesser of {1)
actual administrative costs; {2) the amount in its approved
administrative budget; or (3) the amount provided by tne rates.
For operating costs, the sponsor will receive the lesser of
actual operating costs or the amount provided by the rates.
Sponsors may receive advance payments and may also be able to
receive some startup funds; additional administrative funds are
available for rural sponsors and for sponsors that prepare their
own meals. In addition, donated commodities are available for
sponsors that prepare their own meals; for sponsors that
2
contract with a school food authority for prepared meals; and for
school food authority sponsors that competitively procure meals
from the same food service management company that provided their
most recent National School Lunch Program meals.
Site: Sponsors may operate the SFSP at one or more "sites"--the
physical locations where program meals are served to children.
Regular sites and sites primarily for homeless children may be
approved to serve up to two meals daily, either lunch and
breakfast or lunch and a snack; while sites serving primarily
migrant children and camps may be approved to serve up to four
meals per day--breakfast, snack, lunch, or supper.
Reqular ( 11 ooen11 or "enrolled") sites serve either (1) an "open"
geographical area where at least 50 percent of the local children
are eligible for free or reduced price school meals, based on
information provided by local public and nonprofit private school
officials, welfare or education agencies, zoning commissions,
census tract data, migrant organizations, or other appropriate
sources; or (2) an "enrolled" program where children are enrolled
and where at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are
individually determined to be eligible for such meals.
Enrolled sites are usually established (1) where an identified
group of needy children living in a "pocket of poverty" are
provided SFSP meals; (2) where identified needy children are
transported to a congregate meal site located in a geographical
area with less than 50 percent eligible children; or (3) where a
sponsor operates a program for a specific group of children,
providing recreational, cultural, religious, or other types of
organized activities except, as indicated on page 16, at an
accredited summer school. Enrolled site sponsors must provide
eligibility forms to all enrollees and document, using only the
completed and approved forms, that at least 50 percent of them
are eligible for free or reduced price school meals.
Sponsors of regular "open" sites and "homeless feeding sites" are
reimbursed for program meals served to all attending children;
and regular "enrolled" site sponsors are reimbursed for the meals
served to all of their enrolled attendees.
Residential summer camps and nonresidential day camp sites must
take applications from all enrolled children and determine their
individual eligibility for SFSP meals, since such sponsors may
claim for reimbursement only those meals served to children at
the camp who are eligible for free or reduced price school meals.
Nonresidential day camps, which can only participate as sites
under sponsorship of an eligible school food authority, college,
university, governmental unit, or private nonprofit organization,
must offer a continuous schedule of organized cultural or
recreational programs for enrolled children between their SFSP
meal services.
Homeless feeding sites, unlike regular sites and camp sites, may
participate in the SFSP without reference to area eligibility , and
without taking applications from participating children. These
sites must document that (1) their primary purpose is to provide
shelter and one or more meal services per day to homeless
families and (2) they are not residential child care institutions
(RCCis) as defined in National School Lunch Program - regulations.
RCCis, including but not limited to homes for the mentally
impaired, temporary shelters for runaway children, homes for
unwed mothers and their children, and juvenile detention centers,
differ from homeless feeding sites in that they provide ongoing
institutional care for children.
1. PLANNING A PROGRAM
Sponsor Eligibility: Every sponsoring organization must meet
certain requirements. Only public or private nonprofit school
food authorities, colleges or universities participating in the
National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), and residential summer
camps; local, county, municipal, or State governmental units; and
private nonprofit organizations which meet specific criteria, may
serve as sponsors. Private nonprofit organizations are limited,
among other criteria, as t~the location of their sites, the
total number of sites they may operate, and the maximum number of
children they may serve; and the administering agency can provide
more specific details about the conditions under which they may
participate. Governmental sponsors and private nonprofit
organizations must certify on the application for participation
that they have direct operational control over all sites under
their sponsorship. Direct operational control means that the
sponsor is responsible for managing site staff, including such
areas as hiring, determining conditions of employment, and
termination, and for exercising management control over SFSP
operations at sites during the period of program participation.
Private nonprofit sponsors must be tax exempt under the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, and all sponsors must demonstrate adequate
administrative and financial responsibility to manage effective
food services at their sites. Except for sponsors of residential
camps, sites serving migrant programs, and those serving needy
areas that would otherwise not be served, sponsors should also
provide a year-round public service to the area in which they
intend to provide the SFSP.
Determination of Need: Because the SFSP is primarily directed
toward children in needy areas, sponsors of regular "open" and
enrolled sites and those serving migrant children must, as part
of the application process, document the need of the geographical
area or the identified population of children they would serve.
Such sponsors must submit information to the administering agency
to establish each noncamp site's eligibility, and the following
pages describe the kinds of data they should use to document this
eligibility. Homeless feeding sites must meet the requirements
described above, while camp sponsors must meet other requirements
that are described on page 8 in this section.
4
Eligibility Based on Area Served: Sponsors must demonstrate that
their proposed open sites are located in areas in which poor
economic conditions exist, and there are two primary methods-­use
of school data or use of census tract data--that may be used
to determine whether the area that would be served is eligible.
Use of School Data - Generally, sponsors will find it most
helpful to contact the local schools directly in order to obtain
the necessary information to determine the need of the area they
wish to serve. When sponsors decide to use school data, they
must determine and contact the school (or schools) serving the
children who live in the area where they intend to offer the
program. The local school district and nonprofit private schools
serving the area can then provide sponsors with the number of
children who are eligible for free and reduced price National
School Lunch or School Breakfast Program meals and the total
enrollment of the school(s).
The sponsors must then provide their admininstering agency with
the following information to document the eligibiity of the area
they intend to serve: (1) the names of all public and nonprofit
private schools or districts serving the children who reside
within the area; (2) the number (but not names) of all children
eligible for free and reduced price meals who are enrolled in
those schools; and (3) the total number of children enrolled in
those schools or school districts.
The administering agency will determine the eligibility of each
proposed site located in the area based on this data submitted by
the sponsor. Since the local school or district must certify
that the data are accurate, sponsors should ask local schools or
districts to provide the necessary figures on school or district
stationery, with the signature of an authorized school official.
Use of Census Tract Data- Sponsors may also choose to document
area need by submitting census tract data. We suggest, however,
that sponsors use census tract data only if school information is
nonexistent or irrelevant for a particular site. Census data may
be almost 10 years old, and an area as small as a census tract
may have undergone substantial demographic change since the time
of the most recent data. Census data are frequently available
from local government planning offices or public libraries.
The census data that should be used to determine site eligibility
will depend on the location of the area the sponsor hopes to
serve. If it hopes to serve an area located in a city with a
population of over 50,000, the following documents should be
used: "Table P-1, General Characteristics of Persons" and "Table
P-11, Income and Poverty Status in 1979. 11 Table P-1 lists, by
tract number or city, the average number of people per household
and Table P-11 lists, by tract number or city, the median income.
5
6
If a sponsor wishes to serve an area located in a county with a
population of less than 50,000, the sponsor should refer to ,
"Table 14, Summary of General Characteristics" and "Table 180,
Income Characteristics in 1979 for Counties." Table 14 lists, by
tract number or county, the average number of people per house­hold
and table 180 lists, by tract number or county, the median
income.
If sponsors elect to use census data to document the eligibility
of sites, they must first consult a census map to determine the
tract that includes each area they wish to serve. Once the tract
is determined, sponsors should look at table P-11 (for cities with
more than 50,000 people) or table 180 (for counties with less than
50,000 people) to determine the median "family'' income for the
tract. Then, sponsors should determine the average household size
for the tract from table P-1 for cities or table 14 for counties.
Although the average household size will not usually be a whole
number, the decimal/fraction must not be rounded up or down.
Rather, the tract figures must be adjusted and compared to the
income eligibility guidelines for reduced price school meals as
in the following example:
USDA's family size and income guidelines set a maximum annual
income of $18,611 for reduced price meals for a family of three.
Suppose a given census tract has a median income of $20,000 and
an average household size of 3.28. To make the comparison, the
census tract data must be prorated to reflect the income of a
family of three. This is accomplished by setting up a proportion
and computing as follows:
( 1) 3.28 - $20,000
3 x (2) 3 X $20,000 = $60,000
(3) $60,000 + 3.28 = $18,292.68
Since the decimal is greater than .49, it must be rounded up to
yield a prorated income of $18,293 for a family of three in this
hypothetical census tract. Compare this number to the maximum
annual income listed in the current guidelines to determine the
eligibility of the area--a prorated income of $18,293 versus the
$18,611 maximum listed in the guidelines. Because the median
income for the tract is lower than the reduced price guideline,
the tract meets the definition of an "area where poor economic
conditions exist."
Sponsors that wish to document site eligibility with census tract
data must submit to the administering agency photocopies of:
(1) the census map page that includes the tract used;
(2) the page from table P-1 or table 14 indicating the
average number of persons per household in the tract; and
(3) the page from table P-11 or table 180 indicating the
median household income in the tract.
Eligibility Based on Enrollment Group Served: Sponsors of sites where
meals are served only to an enrolled group of children must document
their sites' eligibility based on statements of the household size and
income, or food stamp or AFDC case numbers, of children enrolled at
each site. For such site to be eligible, the sponsor must be able to
demonstrate, using only the completed eligibility forms, that at least
50 percent of the enrolled children have been individually determined
eligible for free or reduced price school meals. Such sponsors must
provide the administering agency with:
(1} A statement that they will use the ELIGIBILITY FORM FOR
CAMPS AND ENROLLED SITES on pages 68 and 69 in the REFERENCES
section of this handbook, or a sample of their individually
developed form containing the identical information that they will
use, to make the eligibility determinations;
(2} The total number of children enrolled at the site; and
(3} The number of children enrolled at the site who are
determined eligible for free and reduced price school meals,
based on the income eligibility guidelines or on their food
stamp or AFDC case numbers.
Sponsors of enrolled sites are not required to submit the completed
and approved eligibility forms to the administering agency. However,
for each site that will be documented as eligible based on enrollment
data, they must have (1} records of the total number of children
enrolled at the site, and (2} the actual approved eligibility form for
each child who is counted as being eligible for free or reduced price
school meals.
Other Documentation: If sponsors are unable to document the need of
their area or site(s) by school data, census tract data, enrollment
data, or serving homeless children, they have several other options:
For all Sponsors: Photocopies of appropriate data from
their State's volume of The 1980 u.s. Census Reports,
General Social and Economic Characteristics (Bureau of the
Census publication # PC 80-1-C, volumes 2-52, which can be
obtained from public libraries) may be submitted to document
the need in each area served by their sites.
For Indians: Sponsors offering programs at sites located on
Indian reservations may obtain and submit statistics on the
population from one of the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs area
offices.
For Migrants: Sponsors may submit information obtained from
a migrant organization to document sites serving children of
migrant workers. The administering agency must confirm
that the organization is a migrant organization, and the
data provided must indicate that at least 50 percent of the
children are eligible for free and reduced price meals.
7
Frequency of Need Documentation: Sponsors serving the same sites in
consecutive years may use documentation from the previous year to
support their eligibility to participate in the SFSP, unless the site
is a nonresidential day camp, a residential summer camp, or an
enrolled site whose participation is based on the free or reduced
price meal eligibility of at least half of the enrolled children,
rather than on the geographical area it serves. In such instances,
sponsors are only required to obtain new documentation every other
year.
Need Documentation for Camps: Sponsors of residential summer camps
and non-residential day camp sites may claim reimbursement only for
the meals served at such sites to campers who have been individually
determined to be eligible for free or reduced price school meals.
Camp sponsors must make such determinations on the basis of the
eligibility form information submitted by the parent or guardian of
each child. They compare that information with USDA's income
eligibility guidelines for the National School Lunch and School
Breakfast Programs to determine the child's eligibility for meals in
the SFSP.
Sponsors of residential and nonresidential camps must provide the
administering agency with the number of children enrolled in each
session at each camp site who have been determined eligible for
reimbursed SFSP meals. This information must be submitted before the
time the sponsor's claim for reimbursement is submitted or at a time
specified by the administering agency.
Administering agencies may also require camp sponsors: (1) to indicate
that they will use the ELIGIBILITY FORM FOR CAMPS AND ENROLLED SITES
on pages 68 and 69 in the REFERENCES section of this handbook; or (2)
to submit a sample of the locally developed form that they will use to
collect family size and income data, or food stamp or AFDC case
numbers from the children enrolled in each session, in order to
determine their eligibility for program meals.
Sponsors of camps are not required to submit their approved free and
reduced price eligibility forms to the administering agency. They
must, however, have the originals of the approved forms for all
eligible children available for review in their files.
Meal service:
Before an administering agency approves the program application, a
sponsor will have to indicate the method it will use to provide meals
to children. Several factors--the cost of food, the number of meals
required, the type of meal service, the number of sites, the type of
sites, and the facilities available at each site--will influence the
sponsor's choice.
8
Sponsors may choose from several methods of providing meals. They may
either (1) prepare their own meals, (2) obtain meals from a school
food service authority, or (3) obtain meals from a food service
management company.
Sponsor Meal Preparation - Many sponsors choose to prepare their own
meals, which allows the sponsor to have maximum control over the
quality of preparation. Depending on facilities available at its
sites, a sponsor may prepare meals at each site location or at a
central kitchen. Preparing meals at the site requires that each site
have adequate kitchen and storage facilities. Sponsors preparing
meals at .a central kitchen must decide how they are going to
distribute the meals from the central kitchen to the sites. Sponsors
preparing their own meals either at each site or at a central kitchen
may receive additional administrative reimbursement.
Purchasing Meals From Schools - If sponsors choose not to prepare
meals for their sites, they may instead purchase the meals from a
school food service. Most schools have meal preparation and service
facilities since they serve meals to children during the school year.
Also, experienced school food service personnel are often available
for summer jobs. Most schools participate in the National School
Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. If meals for your summer program
will be prepared in such schools, the administering agency can permit
you to serve meals that meet the requirements of these programs rather
than the summer program meal patterns. If you wish to exercise this
option, you should submit a request for permission to the
administering agency along with your application for program
participation.
Nonschool sponsors that wish to obtain their SFSP meals from a
school should contact their local superintendent of schools, or
principals of local nonprofit private schools. Such an arrange­ment
will require either a written agreement or a contract with the
school food authority, similar to the form on page 67 in the
REFERENCES section of this handbook.
Purchasing Meals from Food Service Management Companies - Those
sponsors who choose to contract with a food service management company
to obtain their meals should consult the FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT
COMPANIES section on page 47 of this handbook. This section explains
the various requirements and procedures that such sponsors must follow
when they are locating and contracting with a food service management
company.
Commodities - Sponsors preparing meals onsite or at a central kitchen,
those purchasing meals from a school food authority, and "school food
authority" sponsors that competitively procure their SFSP meals from
the same food service management company that competitively provided
their most recent NSLP meals are eligible to receive donated
commodities under the SFSP. The administering agency will provide
information about currently available foods to these sponsors, who may
not receive commodities under more than one FNS program (i.e., NSLP)
during the same time period.
9
Unitized Meals - Food service ' management companies and school food
authorities contracting to prepare SFSP meals must provide unitized
meals to the sponsors' site(s) unless the administering agency has
approved a waiver of the unitized meal requirement. The unitized meal
requirement means that the meal components (except the milk or juice)
must be packaged, delivered, and served as a unit. Milk or juice,
which may be packaged and provided separately, must be served with the
meal service unit; and only such complete meals are reimbursable.
Number of Meals - The administering agency may approve regular sites
for the service of up to two meals each day. These sites may serve
lunch and breakfast or lunch and a snack. sites serving primarily
migrant children and camp sites can receive approval to serve up to
four meals a day consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, and supper.
Meal Pattern Goal and Minimum Requirements - Careful planning is
necessary to meet the goal of the SFSP, which is to serve nutritious
meals that meet meal pattern requirements and are appetizing to
children. The SFSP meal pattern requirements assure well-balanced
meals that supply the kinds and amounts of foods that children require
to help meet their nutrient and energy needs. The meal patterns
establish the minimum portions of the various meal components that
must be served to each child in order for the participating sponsor to
receive reimbursement for each meal.
Portion Adjustments - The portions included in the meal pattern
requirements on the following pages are the minimum quantities for
children 10 to 12 years of age. Sponsors serving older children may
wish to serve more than these minimum quantities. In some cases, the
administering agency may approve a sponsor to serve smaller portions
of food if the sponsor is serving a group of children under 6 years of
age. Sponsors wishing to serve smaller portions must (a) receive
prior approval from their administering agency, and (b) comply with
the meal pattern requirements for younger children established in
Section 226.20 of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
regulations, which can be obtained from the administering agency.
Such sponsors must demonstrate that they are able to control portion
sizes and that they can ensure that the variations in portion size are
in accordance with the age levels of the children being served. Any
SFSP sponsors approved by the administering agency to serve children
who are under 1 year of age must obtain a copy of the CACFP
regulations and comply with the "Infant Meal Pattern" requirements in
subsection 226.20(b).
The following are the minimum requirements for each SFSP meal:
10
MEAL PATTERN REQUIREMENTS
BREAKFAST
Milk
Fluid Milk
Vegetables and Fruits
vegetables andjor fruits or
full-strength vegetable or fruit juice,
(Or an equivalent quantity of any combination
of vegetables, fruits, and juice)
Bread and Bread Alternates
Bread (whole-grain or enriched) or
1 cup
(1/2 pint)
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1 slice
Bread A~ternates (whole-grain or enriched):
cornbread, biscuits, rolls, muffins, etc.
cooked pasta or noodle products or
cooked cereal grains, such as rice,
or 1 serving
1/2 cup
corn grits, or bulgur or
(whole-grain, enriched, or fortified):
cooked cereal or cereal grains or
cold dry cereal
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
3/4 cup or 1 ounce
(whichever is less)
(Or an equivalent quantity of a combination of
bread or bread alternates)
Op~ional - - serve as often as possible:
Meat and Meat alternates 1 ounce
(See list under LUNCH or SUPPER)
SNACK (SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD)
Choose two items from the following four components:
Meat and Meat Alternates
Lean meat or poultry or fish or
Meat Alternates:
cheese or
egg or
cooked dry beans or peas or
peanut butter or other nut or
seed butters or
nuts andjor seeds or .
1 ounce
(edible portion as served)
1 ounce
1 large
1/4 cup
2 tablespoons
1 ounce
yogurt (plain, sweetened, or flavored) 4 ounces
(Or an equivalent quantity of any combination of meatjmeat alternates)
11
Vegetables and Fruits
Vegetables and/or fruits or
full-strength vegetable or fruit juice
3/4 cup
3/4 cup
(Or an equivalent quantity of any combination of
vegetables, fruits, and juice)
Juices cannot be served with milk
Bread and Bread Alternates
Bread (whole-qrain or enriched) or
Bread Alternates (whole-qrain or enriched):
cornbread, biscuits, rolls, muffins, etc.
cooked pasta or noodle products or
cooked cereal grains, such as rice,
corn grits, or bulgur or
(whole-qrain, enriched, or fortified):
cooked cereal or cereal grains or
cold dry cereal
1 slice
or 1 servinq
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
3/4 cup or 1 ounce
(whichever is less)
(Or an equivalent quantity of a combination of bread/bread alternates)
Milk 1 cup
Fluid Milk (1/2 pint)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LURCH or SUPPER
Milk
Fluid Milk
Meat and Meat Alternates
Lean meat or poultry or fish or
Meat Alternates:
cheese or
egg or
cooked dry beans or peas
peanut butter or other nut or
seed butters or
nuts and/or seeds
1 cup
(1/2 pint)
2 ounces
(edible portion as served)
2 ounces
1 large
1/2 cup
4 tablespoons
1 ounce = SO%*
(Or an equivalent quantity of any combination
of meat or meat alternates)
12
Vegetables and Fruits
Vegetables and/or fruits (2 or more selections 3/4 cup
for a total of 3/4 cup) or
full-strength vegetable or fruit juice 3/4 cup
(Or an equivalent quantity of any combination of
vegetables, fruits, and juice)
Juice may not be counted to meet more
than 1/2 of this requirement.
Bread and Bread Alternates
Bread (whole-qrain or enriched) or
Bread Alternates (whole qrain or enriched):
cornbre~d, biscuits, rolls, muffins, etc. or
cooked pasta or noodle products or
cooked cereal grains, such as rice,
corn grits, or bulgur
(Or an equivalent quantity of a combination of
bread or bread alternates)
1 slice
1 servinq
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
* No more than one-half of the requirement shall be met with nuts or
seeds. Nuts or seeds shall be combined with another meatjmeat
alternate to fulfill the requirement.
Meal Service Requirements - In addition to serving meals that meet
meal pattern requirements, sponsors must be certain that they comply
with the following rules when serving meals at each of their sites:
* Serve the same meal to all children.
* Ensure that children eat all meals onsite.
sure to supervise all children on the site
meals. Only meals that children eat onsite
reimbursement.
Site personnel must be
while they are eating
are eligible for
* Serve meals during the times of meal service submitted on the site
Information Sheet and approved by the adminstering agency. Sponsors
must have the administering agency approve any changes in these meal
service times.
* All children in attendance at the site must receive one meal before
any child can be served a second meal.
* Except at homeless feeding sites, ensure that 3 hours elapse between
meals. When nonresidential camp sites and sites serving primarily
migrant children serve lunch and supper with no afternoon snack
between the two meals, they must be sure that 4 hours elapse between
the lunch and supper. Such sites must begin serving supper no later
than 7 p.m. and must end supper service by 8 p.m. None of these
time restrictions applies to residential camps. The administering
agency must approve any other waivers to these restrictions.
* Except at homeless feeding sites, ensure that the meal service
period does not exceed 2 hours for lunchjsupper and 1 hour for all
other meals, including snacks.
13
* Adhere to local health and sanitation regulations.
* Arrange for delivery if the meals are not prepared at the site and
arrange for storing the meals according to standard~ prescribed by
local health authorities until meal time.
* Arrange for the proper storage of any excess meals.
* Make adequate arrangements for food service during inclement
weather, if meals are usually served at an outdoor site.
Limitations on Meal Service - The administering agency will limit
sponsors to serving one meal a day at any site if it finds that the
site is in violation of the meal service requirements and if the site
does not take corrective action within a reasonable time. If the
meals are not prepared onsite, the administering agency will not
approve more than one meal service at that site unless either: (1)
each meal can be delivered separately wihin 1 hour of beginning of the
meal service, or (2) proper facilities exist onsite for storing the
food.
Sites:
Evaluating an Area - It is important that a sponsor adequately
evaluate the needs and resources of the area(s) it hopes to serve
prior to making final plans for site operations. In particular, a
sponsor should try to determine the type and size of program that
would best meet the needs of its community. As part of the inquiry
into the community's needs, a sponsor should:
* Ask parks and recreation centers about their summer recreation
programs.
* Contact local Y1 s, churches, and Scout groups about their summer
plans.
* Contact minority referral sources and relevant minority
organizations in the prospective site area.
* Contact other groups in the area that may be planning to participate
in the summer program.
* contact local parent groups to determine the level of parental
support.
After sponsors have made these initial contacts around any area(s)
they hope to serve, they will have an easier time evaluating different
sites and deciding on the size of their operations. Sponsors will
have to make three especially important decisions. They must: (1)
select the particular sites where they will serve meals to children;
(2) decide how many sites they will sponsor during the summer; and (3)
determine how many children they will serve at each site they sponsor.
If sponsors take particular care in making these decisions before
their programs start, they may be able to prevent problems that could
arise later.
14
Se1ectinq Sites - Sponsors must assume administrative and financial
responsibility for total program operations at all sites under their
superv1s1on. They must, therefore, be certain that a site can offer a
quality meal service before they decide to sponsor that site. Private
nonprofit organizations and governmental sponsors must certify that
they will directly operate the program at each site under their
sponsorship. Direct operation means that the sponsor will be
responsible for (1) managing site staff, including such areas as
hiring, conditions of employment and termination, and (2) managing
program operations at sites during the period of program
participation.
A site Selection Worksheet (see page 65 in the REFERENCES section of
this handbook) should be completed when sponsors visit each potential
site. The worksheet outlines several major issues that ought to be
considered when evaluating sites and proves useful to sponsors when
they prepare site information sheets. This worksheet focuses on the
following areas:
, Avai1abi1ity of Mea1 Service Faci1ities- Sponsors will have to
' determine whether the meal service facilities available at a site are
adequate for the type of meal service they are planning.
If the sponsor plans to prepare meals onsite, the site must have
adequate meal preparation facilities. Whether a sponsor plans to have
the meals prepared by a food service management company, by a school
food service, or at a central kitchen, it should check the food
holding facilities. If applicable, the sponsor should determine
whether there are registered food service management companies in the
area.
All sponsors should determine whether meals will be served inside or
outside. If regular meal service is outdoors, sponsors must make sure
there is adequate indoor space for meal service during inclement
weather.
Heed for Site Supervisors - According to program meal service
requirements, sponsors should assess how much supervision will be
necessary to ensure proper program operations. These supervisory needs
will differ from site to site.
Servinq Capacity - Sponsors need to determine the maximum number of
children who can be served at any of the sites where they plan to
serve meals. This number will serve as an outside limit on the size
of a sponsor's meal service at the site.
Site Activities - If possible, sponsors should select sites that
offer organized activities during the day. Sponsors should determine
whether there are any year-round public service programs in the
community that might serve as sites. These sites will usually have
facilities that can be used for the meal service and a permanent
staff.
15
Preoperational Site Visits - A representative of the sponsor must
visit all new sites and sites that experienced problems in prior years
before such sites are approved for the program. Sponsors should note
the date of the visit to each site and the name of the person who
visited each site. When they apply for the SFSP, sponsors will have
to certify that all of their proposed sites have been visited.
Choosing the Number of Sites - In addition to selecting the sites at
which meals will be served, sponsors have to decide how many sites
they will administer. This decision will depend greatly on the
sponsor's administrative capability and on the size of the programs at
the sites. Sponsors must be sure that they plan to operate programs
that are consistent with the size of their administrative staff and
the extent of their expertise. A small sponsor with limited
administrative experience should carefully place limits on the number
of sites where it will offer meals.
Special Milk Program Participation - sites cannot participate in both
the SFSP and the special Milk Program (SMP). sponsors may elect to
operate the SFSP at some of their sites, while other sites may only
participate in the SMP. However, sponsors must enter into a separate
agreement with the administering agency to operate the SMP at those
sites which are not participating in the SFSP.
summer Schools - If a sponsor wishes to operate the program at a site
offering an accredited summer school program, the site must either
open its food service to children other than enrollees in the
accredited school program or serve meals to children outside of the
summer school's hours. If the site serves only children who are
enrolled in the accredited summer school program, it must participate
in the National School Lunch andjor School Breakfast Programs, rather
than the SFSP.
Problem Sites - Sponsors should not select sites where site
supervisors have had a poor performance record in past summers and
where supervisors were unable to institute corrective action.
Depending on the nature of these problems, the administering agency
may not approve such sites for the program.
Determining the Number of Children to Serve - When determining the
number of children they will serve at their various sites, sponsors
should consider three factors: (a) their administrative capabilities,
(b) the capacity of each site for serving children, and (c) the number
of children living in the area of each site who are likely to
participate. We cannot overemphasize the importance of sponsors
determining as accurately as possible the number of children each site
will serve. They can plan their programs adequately only when they
know approximately how many children they will serve (and therefore
about how much total reimbursement they will receive). An excellent
way for sponsors to make this approximation is by contacting schools
and other children's organizations in the areas of their sites.
Because the number of children is so difficult to determine, sponsors
may want to offer an enrollment-type program, in which the sponsor is
certain of the number of children who will be receiving meals.
16
Preoperational Health and Sanitation Requirements - When sponsors have
chosen their prospective sites, they must:
* Notify the health department of all prospective site locations and
ask the department to inspect them to ensure that they meet local
standards.
• Alert the sanitation department to ensure prompt and regular trash
removal.
Sponsor/Site Agreements - Sponsors that plan to administer a multi­site
operation with sites that are not under their direct
administrative control should enter into an agreement with the site
supervisor or responsible site official. such an agreement should
list, in specific terms, the responsibilities of the site supervisor
for the food service program, which will make it easier for the site
supervisor to understand his or her duties. The agreement, however,
does not relieve the sponsor's final administrative and financial
responsibility for operating the SFSP at the site. A sample
Sponsor/Site Agreement form is on page 66 of this handbook. such
agreem~nts do not apply to state, local, municipal, or county
government sponsors who must directly operate the program at all sites
under their sponsorship.
Approved Level of Meal Service - During the application approval
process, the administering agency will approve sponsors that purchase
meals from a food service management company to serve a maximum number
of meals at each meal service for each site. The approved level
represents the maximum number of meals sponsors can serve at each meal
service at their vended sites and claim for reimbursement. If a
sponsor finds that the approved level is too low, the sponsor may seek
an adjustment by requesting the administering agency to conduct a site
review; or the sponsor may document in writing (to the administering
agency) that attendance at a site exceeds the approved level. The
adminstering agency may reduce the approved level at any time, if it
determines that a site•s attendance is greatly below its approved
level.
Sponsors must plan for and adjust meal orders with the objective of
serving only one meal to each child at each meal service. A vended
sponsor must inform its food service management company of: (1) the
approved level for each meal service at each site where the food
service management company will deliver meals; and (2) any adjustments
in the approved level for its sites.
such sponsors must advise the food service management company that the
approved level for each site is the maximum number of meals that can
be served at that site. This does not mean that such sites will serve
that specific number of meals each day. The sponsor must clearly
inform its food service management company that it will only be
ordering the number of meals actually needed, based on participation
trends and with the intent of serving only one meal to each child at
each meal service. During reviews, administering agencies will
disallow all served meals that exceed the approved level for each
site.
17
Operatinq Limitations - Sponsors should remember that there are limits
on the size of a program. (1) All sponsors except private nonprofit
organizations may be approved for a maximum of 200 sites and a total
average daily attendance at all sites of 50,000 children. If such a
sponsor needs to exceed these levels, the administering agency must
determine that that sponsor has the capability and facilities for
managing a larger operation before waiving these limits. (2) Private
nonprofit organizations may be approved to operate no more than 5
urban sites, or 20 rural sites, or 20 total sites of which no more
than 5 may be urban; and to serve no more than 2,500 children per day,
with a maximum of 300 children at any one site. While the limitations
on the number of sites and the total number of children served each
day by private nonprofit organizations may not be waived, the
administering agency can approve a waiver of the 300-child limit, up
to a maximum of 500 children, at any meal service at any one site.
Sponsor Selection Priorities - Confusion and waste result when two or
more sponsors compete for the same sites or for serving children in
the same geographical area. Since such an overlap in service
conflicts with program objectives, the administering agencies usually
approve only one sponsor to serve a target population. When
determining which of the competing sponsors will serve a target
population, the administering agency will give priority (in descending
order) to:
1. Public or nonprofit private schools and other applicant
sponsors that successfully operated SFSP in a prior year.
2. Sponsors that propose to prepare meals at their own
facilities or sponsors that will operate only one site.
3. Sponsors that propose to use local school food facilities for
preparing meals.
4. Other sponsors that have successfully operated a program.
5. Sponsors that plan to integrate the program with Federal,
State, or local employment or training programs.
6. Private nonprofit organizations.
staffing:
The size and type of a sponsor's program will dictate many of the
sponsor's staffing needs. Depending on a sponsor's program, many
positions will require only part-time employment, particularly in the
planning and closeout phases. The need for recordkeeping personnel
varies according to the extent of support services provided to the
program and the volume of records that must be maintained. To meet
program monitoring requirements, the USDA recommends one monitor for
every 15 to 20 sites in urban areas. The number of monitors necessary
for rural sites may increase depending upon the geographic area to be
covered. varying opening and closing dates of individual site
operations affect staffing needs. In every case, however, the sponsor
must provide adequate personnel for overall program management and
monitoring.
18
Staff
Duties
For guidance, refer to the list of responsibilities by position that follows.
(Small programs will not need a different person for each of the duties
described.) Sponsors needing more specific staffing guidance should
consult their administering agency.
Director
Responsible for:
* Providing overall management
* Supervising the program
* Selecting sites
* Submitting applications
* Corresponding with administering agency
* Coordinating with other agencies
* Conducting outreach efforts
* Hiring, training, and supervising staff
* Arranging for food preparation or delivery
* Ensuring that all monitoring requirements are met
* Adjusting meal orders
* Submitting reimbursement vouchers
* Ensuring Civil Rights compliance
* Handling all contracts, bidding, and negotiations with food service
management companies
Assistant Director (large program only)
Responsible for:
* Providing initial and ongoing training for sponsor and site personnel
* Designing forms for recordkeeping purposes
* Maintaining liaison with vendor to adjust meal delivery
* Checking reimbursement vouchers
* Maintaining time and attendance records of staff
* Maintaining records on number of meals served
Area Supervisor (very large program only)
This person is in charge of several monitors and reports site problems to
the director or assistant director.
Responsible for:
* Scheduling monitors' visits
* Checking monitors' reports
* Preparing weekly summaries of monitoring efforts
* Providing ongoing training for monitors
* Visiting sites with monitors
* Determining need for and following through on corrective action
Bookkeeper
Responsible for:
* Maintaining records on the following:
- Daily site reports, invoices, and bills
- Food costs
- Labor costs
- Administrative costs
19
Sponsor
Management
Plan
Communications
20
- Other costs
- Program income
* Preparing reimbursement vouchers
* Preparing payroll
* Purchasing office supplies
Monitor (At a minimum, one monitor is needed for every 15 to 20 sites.)
The monitor visits sites on a regular basis and observes meal service
operations. (See the Monitoring section in this handbook for more details.)
Responsible for:
* Checking onsite operations to ensure that site personnel maintain records
and that the program operates in agreement with the requirements
* Visiting all sites within the first week of food service operations
* Reviewing food service operations of all sites within the first 4 weeks of
operation
* Preparing reports of visits and reviews
* Revisiting sites as necessary
* Suggesting corrective actions for problems encountered
* Ensuring that the site takes corrective actions
* Conducting onsite training as necessary
Site Supervisor
The site supervisor is in charge of the program at the site level.
Responsible for:
* Serving meals
* Cleaning up after meals
* Ensuring safe and sanitary conditions at the site
* Receiving and accounting for delivered meals
* Ensuring that children eat all meals onsite
* Ensuring that only eligible children receive meals
* Planning and organizing daily site activities
* Making meal arrangements during bad weather
When applying for the program, sponsors must submit a management plan
that includes detailed information on the program's staffing pattern. Along
with other information, sponsors will indicate the number of people who
will be working in each position, the number of hours per day each will
work, and the total estimate for employee salaries, including hourly wages
and fringe benefits.
To ensure efficient administration, internal and external channels of
communication must be established. Internally, discussing job descriptions
and explaining the organizational structure enables staff members to
understand their own responsibilities as well as those of their coworkers.
A communications network must also include the administering agency, the
food service management company, the supervisors of the in-office staff
members, monitors, and site personnel. At a minimum, the sponsor and
site personnel must maintain daily telephone contact to allow them to
promptly report changes in the number of meals ordered, any problems
with meals, and requests for menu changes.
Scope
Application
Requirements
Applications
Potential sponsors must submit an applieation to the administering agency
before the agency's deadline date. Applicants should be certain that they
have filled out the application completely and that they have forwarded all
of the necessary supporting doeumentation to the administering ageney.
Incomplete applications will eause a delay in approval for the sponsor.
A list of application requirements eannot be all-inclusive, sinee variations
occur with each administering ageney and with the nature of different food
services. However, the following list indicates the basic application
requirements that sponsors must satisfy. In their applications, sponsors
must:
• Submit documentation that they have tax-exempt status
under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 if they are
private nonprofit organizations. The evidence of tax­exempt
status under any State laws does not meet this
requirement.
• Demonstrate adequate administrative and finaneial responsibility to
manage an effective food serviee.
• Provide information for eaeh proposed site. This information includes
documentation of eligibility and meal service capabilities for each site,
or, if the sponsor qualifies as a camp, documentation of the number of
children enrolled il) its program who are eligible for free or reduced­price
school meals. (The type of documentation that is necessary for a
site to be approved is diseussed in the Determination of Need section of
this handbook . ) This documentation must be provided for each new site
and for each session at eaeh camp. Sponsors that serve the same
noneamp or nonenrollment sites in conseeutive years may use documen­tation
from the previous year to support the eligibility of their sites.
Sponsors must also certify that they visited all sites before program
operations began.
• Sign a program agreement with the administering ageney.
• Distribute to local newspaper(s) or other media a news release on nondis­crimination
poliey, availability of the program, and ineome eligibility
guidelines.
• Submit a complete management plan that ineludes staffing needs and an
administrative budget. Sponsors should complete their budgets after
estimating the amount of program payments they wW receive during the
summer. (See the Program Payments section for more information on
how to make this estimate.)
• Apply for advance payments, If the IPOI'!Or wants to receive them.
These payments are explained in the Program Payments section of this
handbook.
11
Audits
22
* Certify that a training program will be conducted for sponsor and site
personnel. In their applications, sponsors will inform the administering
agency of when they will be training their personnel and the topics that
will be discussed during training. The Training section contains an in­depth
explanation of this training requirement.
* Provide a synopsis of the invitation for bid (if sponsors plan to obtain
meals through a food service management company) or the proposed
agreement (if they plan to obtain meals through a school food service
authority). Sponsors should also submit plans for advertisement, if they
are hoping to contract with a food service management company. (These
requirements are discussed in greater depth in the Food Service Manage­ment
Companies section of this handbook.)
* Apply for startup payments, if they are available and if the sponsor
wants to receive them. Startup payments are described in the Program
Payments section of this handbook.
* Certify that they will directly operate the food service at each of their
sites if a State, local, municipal, or county government is the sponsor.
* Your administering agency will provide you with information on audits.
Within 2 weeks after receiving approval for participation, but before
program operations begin, sponsors must give the administering agency a
copy of their letter notifying the health department of their intention to
provide a food service at planned sites.
During the approval procedure, the administering agency will communicate
with the sponsor representative in writing and by phone. The administering
agency must approve or deny any complete and correct application within
30 days after receiving the application. Sponsors may not apply for the
program after the administering agency's deadline date.
At the time it approves sponsors for the program, the administering agency
will complete and sign a program agreement with each sponsor. The
agreement should be read carefully before being signed, since it is a, legally
binding document that specifies the rights and responsibilities of both the
sponsor and administering agency. When they receive the complete
agreement back from the administering agency, sponsors should be certain
to check the following items:
- The approved administrative budget: This budget will include the levels
of potential administrative costs approved by the administering agency
and will be based on the budget submitted by the sponsor. (The approved
budget does not imply in any way that sponsors will be reimbursed for
the full amount of each budgeted item, but rather specifies the areas of
administrative costs that will be allowable and gives reasonable levels
for those costs.) If a sponsor finds that the levels approved in the
administrative budget are inadequate, it may amend the budget with the
approval of the administering agency.
Review of
Denial
Additional
Actions Sub­ject
to
Appeal
Procurement
- The approved list of sites: The agreement will include a list of approved
sponsor sites. Only meals served at these sites will be eligible for
program reimbursement.
- The a roved meal service(s) at each site: The agreement will specify
the type s of meals approved for each site. Sponsors will not receive
any reimbursement for the service of any meal type that is not approved
by the administering agency.
- · The approved level(s) of meal service for ea~h site serving vended meals:
The agreement will include an approved level of meal service for each
type authorized for each vended site. (This approved level is discussed in
the Sites section of this handbook.) Those meals served that exceed the
approved level at any meal service will not be eligible for reimburse­ment.
If a sponsor determines that an approved level is too low, the
sponsor may seek an adjustment by requesting a site review or by
documenting to the administering agency that its attendance at a site
exceeds the approved level.
Most importantly, sponsors will be able to receive reimbursement only for
meals that are served after they have been approved for program opera­tions.
Sponsors must be certain that they have received approval before
they begin their meal service. Sponsors will not receive reimbursement for
meals served before they receive approval to operate the program.
Any sponsor that is denied participation in the program may obtain a
review by an official other than the one directly responsible for the
original determination. This procedure is fully outlined in the program
regulations. At the time of the denial, the administering agency must tell
the sponsor whom to contact for a review.
- A sponsor may also request a review of the following administering agency
actions:
• Denial of a sponsor's request for an advance payment
• Denial of a sponsor's claim for reimbursement
• Termination of a sponsor's (or a site's) participation in the program
• Denial of a sponsor's site application
• Claim against a sponsor for remittance of a payment.
All procurements of food, suwlies, goods, 800 other services with
progran funds by sponsors uust canply with procurement stamards
prescribed in subpart S of USDa\ 's Uniform Federal Assistance
Regulations (7 CFR Part 3015). ~administering agency will .ake
a copy of subpart S available to sponsors upon request, and can
provide DK>re detailed informatim about these mini.Im.ln purchasing
requirements. In a:klition to oonplying with the mininum Federal
standards, sponsor purchases may have to ueet other State-level,
23
Minority
Business
Enterprises
24
local, and/ or cdninister ing agency standards, as well as special
procurement requirements which may be established by the State
agency, with approval of FNS, to prevent fraud, waSte, and program
abuse.
All sponsors are encouraged to procure their food, supplies, goods,
and services from minority business enterprises. Sponsors may wish
to divide their total procurement needs into smaller quantities to
facilitate participation by minority business enterprises. '!hey may
also want to establish delivery schedules that will help minority
business enterprises meet decw:Uines. Sponsors can use the services
and assistance of the Small Business Administration and the Office
of Minority Business Enterprise of the Department of Commerce.
Planning Cbecklist
The following checklist summarizes planning activities described
throughout the P.LANNJR; A PRcx;RAM section of this handbook.
Although the checklist may not include the different planning activities for
every type of food service, it is useful for those sponsors beginning to make
preparations for the summer program.
Dat~ · completed
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. ------
6.
Meet with community leaders, if pos­sible,
for assistance in determining suit­able
site locations.
Survey community for areas of need;
begin choosing possible sites and compil­ing
written documentation of need for
each.
Contact local schools concerning the
possibility of vending meals for the
program, if meals will not be prepared
by ·the sponsor.
Contact recreation departments, schools
and local service organizations to co­ordinate
recreational activities with
food service at sites.
Contact reliable former site supervisors
to determine if they have a continued
interest in the program.
Attend training workshops offered by
administering agency personnel.
7.
8.------
9.
10.
11.-----
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.-----
18.
19.-----
Hire a secretarial staff to assist the
program director.
Develop specifications for the invitation
to bid (if applicable).
Publicly advertise the bid, at least 14
days before bid openings (if applicable).
Estimate program reimbursement and
develop budget and staffing plans for the
program.
Solicit volunteer help at sites whenever
possible.
Hire an assistant program director, if
necessary.
Design forms or use the sample forms in
this handbook for all aspects of program
operations.
Set up a filing system for those docu­ments
that must be maintained for at
least 3 years.
For camps, obtain data for each child to
document eligibility for free and
reduced-price school meals. This also
applies to sites where eligibility is based
on the enrollment group served.
Notify the health department of your
intention to operate a food service pro­gram,
giving a list of sites you plan to
serve.
Submit to the administering agency a
copy of . the notification letter to the
health department as part of the
application for participation.
Conduct a preoperational visit to all
sites.
Submit a complete application with ac­companying
documents to the admin­istering
agency. Include all attachments
as requested by the administering
agency.
25
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
26
Use proper procedures to select a regis­tered
vendor (if applicable).
Meet the vendor and develop delivery
schedules (if applicable).
Hire monitors and site supervisors.
Hold training workshops for monitors
and supervisors.
Obtain signatures from site personnel
who will be responsible for supervising
the site and signing daily records.
Announce the availability of the pro­gram
and the nondiscrimination policy
through local media.
Finalize monitoring schedules and any
emergency procedures.
Arrange to have a nondiscrimination
poster, either developed by USDA or
approved by FNS, for each site.
Sponsor
Requirements
Announcing
the Session
Training for
Sponsor
Personnel
Outline for
Training Spon­sor
Personnel
2. ADMINISTERING A PROGRAM
Training
Training is one of the sponsor's major administrative responsibilities. A
smoothly operating program will require that training be provided by
sponsors throughout the summer. A comprehensive training effort, includ­ing
weekly or biweekly meetings on program requirements, will help to
make certain that sponsor and site personnel are performing according to
program regulations, that all meals will be eligible for reimbursement, and
that accurate and adequate records are available to document the costs
and meals claimed. Meetings with site and sponsor personnel will also
allow an opportunity to ask questions about and discuss site operations and
give sponsors a chance to provide specific training on any problem area for
personneL
Sponsors must conduct training for both their administrative and site
personneL Because these two groups of personnel have different program
responsibilities, most sponsors will want to offer two different sessions so
that they can stress each group's specific functions. All personnel should
receive a letter or flyer announcing the date, time, location, and impor­tance
of attending the training session that has been planned for their
particular function. Sponsors should also call to remind personnel shortly
before the date of the session.
For each training session that sponsors offer to their administrative and
site personnel, sponsors must record the date and attendance. Sponsors
record the attendance by having all attendees sign an attendance form for
the training session. This list of signatures must then be kept with the
sponsor's other program records.
The training session for sponsor administrative staff will explain the
responsibilities and duties of all sponsor personnel who are helping to
administer the summer program at the sponsor leveL These personnel
include the office staff (assistants, bookkeepers, secretaries, and clerks),
area supervisors, and, most importantly, monitors.
The specific training needs of sponsor administrative personnel will vary,
so sponsors may need to cover specific areas of the training in greater
depth with different employees. However, all sponsor training for admin­istrative
personnel should cover the following topics and use the training
materials listed in the following sample outline:
Topics
1. Begin with a general
explanation of the
program, emphasizing
the following topics:
a. Purpose of the program
b. Site eligibility
c. Recordkeeping requirements
d. Organized site activity
Training Materials
''Sponsor's Handbook" (FNS-206)
27
Need for
Site Training
Records of
Signatures
Monitors and
Site Training
28
e. Meal requirements
f. Nondiscrimination compliance
2. Describe how the program
will operate within the
framework outH.ned in this
handbook.
a. How meals will be provided
b. The delivery schedule
(if applicable)
c. What records are kept
and what forms are
used
3. Outline the specific duties
of monitors.
a. Sites for which they
will be responsible
b. Monitoring schedule
c. Reporting procedure
d. Followup procedure
e. Office procedures
Menu Schedule
Sample delivery receipts
Sample daily reporting
for sites.
Monitor review form
Monitor visit report
Mileage log
Regulations state that no food service site rnay operate until personnel at
the site have attended at least one of the sponsor's training sessions.
Sponsors should document the attendance at site training sessions, as
discussed previously, and schedule additional sessions for those personnel
who are absent. Regulations also require that at least one person who has
been trained by the sponsor be present at each of the sponsor's sites during
the time of the meal service. This means that if a site supervisor who has
attended the sponsor's training session resigns during the summer, the
sponsor is responsible for ensuring that the new site supervisor receives all
necessary training.
The training session for site personnel is also a good time for sponsors to
assemble a list of the signatures of the site supervisors and assistants who
are responsible for signr!'tg daily records. Sponsors should then keep this
list at their office to use when reviewing the records returned by the sites.
Besides site personnel, sponsors should be sure that monitors attend the
site training session. Monitors will be acting as liaison between the
sponsor-office level and the site-operations level. The site training session
will provide an excellent opportunity for monitors and site supervisors to
meet each other and understand their responsibilities in relation to each
other. Sponsors should also send a notice of the site training to local
health inspectors so that they have an opportunity to attend the
training and become more familiar with the food service operations. If any
site receives meals through a food service management company or school
food service authority, then the sponsor should invite the company or
school representatives to attend the training and participate in the
discussion of menus and delivery schedules.
Outline for
Site Personnel
Training
At a m1mmum, sponsors should be certain that they cover the following
topics in the training session for site personnel:
Topics
1. General explanation of
the program
a. Purpose of the program
b. Site eligibility
c. Necessity for accurate
records
d. Importance of organized
activities at sites
2. Site operations
a. For sites served by food
servicg management companies
or school food service author­ities
1) Meal pattern
requirements and
types of meal service
offered
2) Delivery schedules
(exact times)
3) Adjustments in the
delivery amount
4) Facilities available
for storing meals
5) Who to contact about
problems
6) Approved level of
meal service
b. For sites where sponsor prepares
the meals
1) Meal pattern requirement
2) Inventory
3) Menu adjustments
4) Meal preparation
adjustments
3. Recordkeeping
a. Daily recordkeeping
requirements
b. Delivery receipts
Training Materials
"Sponsor's Handbook"(FNS-206)
(for instructor's use)
Menus
Sponsor's name and
telephone number
Inventory forms
Production records
Sample forms
29
Additional
Monitor
Training
30
c. Special problems
l)Seconds
2) Leftovers
3) Spoiled food
d. Daily labor-actual time
spent on food service and
time and attendance records
e. Collection of daily record forms
4. Monitors Monitoring form
a. Duties and authority
b. Areas of assignment
and introduction to
site supervisors
5. Civil Rights Site Supervisor's Handbook (FNS-1179)
6. Miscellaneous Sponsor's policy
a. Problems caused by
inclement weather
b. Problems with
unauthorized adults
eating program meals
c. Problems with discipline
d. Review of equipment,
facilities, and materials
available for organized
recreational activities
e. Review of trash removal
system
f. Corrective action
g. Nutrition education
As mentioned, monitors should be present at both the site and adminis­trative
training meetings to ensure a good grasp of program operations at
both levels. Since the role of sponsors' monitors is so important for
proper program operations and full reimbursement, sponsors should conduct
a separate training session for monitors that highlights their specific
functions. This training should include:
Topics
1. Outline the specific duties
of monitors
a. Sites for which they
will be responsible
b. Monitoring schedules
c. Reporting procedures
d. Followup procedures
e. Office procedures
Training Materials
Mileage log
Monitor review form
Monitor visit record
f. Local sanitation
and health laws
g. Considerations for personal
safety, if necessary
h. Civil rights
i. Reporting of beneficiary data
Monitor'sHandbook(FNS-179)
Beneficiary data form
Sponsors must keep records that document: (1) the date(s) of training of
site and administrative personnel, (2) the attendance at each training
session, and (3) the topics covered at each training session. Sponsors
that have requested advance payments for operating costs must send
certification to the administering agency that they have completed
training for site and administrative personnel. Without this certification,
the administering agency will not release the second advance payment for
operating costs to the sponsor.
Civil Rights Compliance
Persons responsible for reviewing nondiscrimination compliance must
receive training to help them perform their reviews. This training should
be carried out as part of ongoing technical assistance.
All participating sponsors must inform potential beneficiaries, particularly
minorities, of the availability of the SFSP. In addition, all sponsors and
their sites are required to:
(1) Display in a prominent place the nondiscrimination poster
developed by USDA or approved by FNS;
(2) Be able to provide information in the appropriate translation
concerning the availability and nutritional benefits of the
program, as necessary;
(3) Make program information available to the public upon request;
(4) Include the nondiscrimination statement, and instructions for
filing a complaint, in any program information directed to parents
of beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries;
(5) Make sure that meals are served to all attending children,
regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age, or
handicap; and
(6) Make sure that all children have equal access to services and
facilities at the site regardless of race, color, national origin, sex,
age, or handicap.
31
Training
32
Each year, every sponsor must determine the number of potential eligible
beneficiaries by racial/ethnic category for the area served. Data concern­ing
the number of potential eligible beneficiaries, along with identification
of all sources of the information, must be updated annually and maintained
on file for 3 years. This information may be obtained from census data or
public school enrollment data.
Each year, the sponsor must collect beneficiary data by racial/ethnic
category for each site under the sponsor's jurisdiction. Sponsors of
residential camps must collect and maintain this information separately for
each session of the camp. For all other sites, the sponsor must count the
participating children at least once during the site's operation. The sponsor
may use visual identification to determine a beneficiary's racial/ethnic
category, or the parents of a beneficiary may be asked to identify the
racial/ethnic group of their child.
For collection purposes, a beneficiary may be included in the group to
which he or she appears to belong, identifies with, or is regarded as a
member of by the community. Parents of beneficiaries may be asked to
identify the racial/ethnic group of their child only after it has been
explained to them, and they understand, that this information is collected
strictly for statistical reporting requirements and has no effect on the
determination of their eligibility to receive benefits under the program.
The sponsor must retain data, as well as documentation for the data, for
the required 3 years. The sponsor must use safeguards to prevent the data
from being used for discriminatory purposes. Such safeguards include
allowing access to program records containing this data only to authorized
personnel. There is a sample beneficiary data form in the back of this
handbook. However, you may provide a different form for collecting this
information.
Monitoring
An efficient and capable monitoring staff is essential for any sponsor's
program to be successful. A monitor serves as a direct link between the
sponsor headquarters and the actual food service sites. Establishing a
workable monitoring system will help to prevent problems from occurring
and will make it much easier to correct any problems that do arise during
the summer. The size of the monitoring staff will, of course, depend on
the size of the sponsor's program. This is discussed in the Staffing section
of this handbook.
Training is certainly vital if a monitor is to be effective. The sponsor must
provide monitors with thorough training, because only those monitors
knowledgeable in program requirements and duties will be able to provide
the kinds of feedback that a sponsor must have. The sponsor must ensure
that the authority and responsibilities of its monitors are clear to the
monitoring staff, site supervisors, and office personnel. Monitors must
ensure that the site serves only nutritious meals and operates the program
according to program guidelines.
Visits and
Reviews
Monitoring
Requirements
Records of
Visits
Records of
Reviews
Monitors must understand program requirements, and civil rights require­ments,
train site personnel when necessary, and spend enough time at each
site to be sure of proper program operations. The monitor should also have
all necessary forms.
When monitors observe the summer program operations at sites, they will
usually make either a "visit" or a "review." A site "visit" requires a
monitor to ensure that the food service is operating smoothly and that any
apparent problems are immediately resolved. A site "review" requires the
monitor to determine if the site is meeting all the various program
requirements. To accomplish this, a monitor will have to observe some and
preferably all of the meal service operations, including delivering or
preparing meals, serving meals, eating meals, and cleaning up after meals.
Sponsors must ensure that they meet minimum monitoring requirements.
Regulations require that sponsor representatives visit all sites at least once
during the first week of operation and that prompt action be taken to
correct any problems found at sites. Sponsor representatives must also
review all sites at least once during the first 4 weeks of program
operations. Finally, regulations require that monitoring continue through­out
the summer at a level sufficient to ensure that sites comply with
program regulations.
Sponsors must be able to document that they have met these monitoring
requirements. For each site visit during the first week of program
operations and for site visits throughout the summer, sponsors should
receive from monitors a record for visits to all their sites. The record
must contain at least:
* The name and address of the site visited
* The date of the site visit
* The times of the monitor's arrival and departure
* A listing of any problems that were noted during the visit, and
any corrective actions that were initiated to eliminate the
problems
* The site supervisor's signature
* The monitor's signature.
For each site review during the first 4 weeks of program operations, and
for site reviews throughout the summer, sponsors should receive from
monitors a review form to be used when reviewing each site. This form is
developed by the administering agency and contains the same information
listed above for a record of a site visit, but includes additional information.
The additional information concerns meal preparation and delivery sched­ules,
the quality of site records and recordkeeping, the regular adjustment
of meal orders, and whether changes are made in menus. Sample monitor
review forms for self-preparation sites and vended sites are included in the
References section.
33
Processing
Monitor
Reports
Quality of
Monitor
Reports
Preoperational
Visits
34
These records of visits and reviews will help sponsors assess the operation
of their sites. The records are only useful, however, when they are
carefully reviewed by sponsor personnel and when followup monitoring is
scheduled to ensure that the suggested corrective actions have been taken
to improve site operations.
Each sponsor must, therefore, design a system for handling the monitor
reports. Sponsors should have a system that will ensure that monitors
return reports frequently-if possible, every day. The reports should be
immediately reviewed by a specific member of the sponsor's staff who is
responsible for following up on any problems. This staff member should
consider any problems found by the reviewer; call the site supervisor, if
necessary; schedule a followup review, if necessary; make any comments or
notes on the site's problems; and sign and date the report. The sponsor
review official will have to base the timing of a followup review on the
severity of the problem.
Sponsors must be sure that they schedule monitor visits and reviews so that
they can meet the program requirements. This is particularly true for
sponsors with a large number of sites. A good monitoring schedule and an
efficient system for the review and followup on the monitor's reports are
necessary for effective program operations.
When sponsors or their staff review monitor reports, they should also pay
attention to the quality of the reports. There are several problems that
may be apparent in the report that will indicate either the monitor's lack
of program knowledge or the monitor's lack of understanding of his or her
responsibilities. A monitor is very likely to need additional training if:
*
*
*
*
The monitor does not include comments in the remarks section of a
report. •
The number of meals that are delivered or served and the number of
children who are in attendance are always the same.
The monitor recommends a corrective action and fails to note the
action taken to correct the problem(s).
The monitor fails to recommend adjustments in meal orders when the
number of meals exceeds attendance.
The monitors should begin work several days before sites open. If the
sponsors wish, monitors may complete the required preoperational visits.
(These preoperational visits must not be confused with required site visits
during the first week of program operations.)
Advance
Payments
Advance
Payments for
Operating
Costs
Advance
Payments for
Administrative
Costs
Program Payments
This section discusses the methods and procedures for program payments.
These payments are the reimbursement that sponsors receive based on the
number of meals they serve that meet SFSP requirements for reimburse­ment.
Sponsors may receive reimbursement for the eligible adminis­trative
and operating costs they incur.
When they apply for the program, sponsors may request advance payments
for their total program costs, for their operating costs, or for their
administrative costs. These payments are advances on the reimbursement
that sponsors will receive for a month of operations. The advances should
help sponsors maintain a positive cash flow because they will have funds
available to meet program costs as they arise throughout the month. A
sponsor's final reimbursement will, of course, depend on the number of
meals served and the costs of providing them.
Sponsors must request each advance payment for operating costs from the
administering agency at least 30 days before the payment dates of June 1,
July 15, and August 15. If sponsors have participated in last year's
program, the advance payments for operating costs will usually be based on
the reimbursement they earned last year. The administering agency may
also estimate advance payments as a percentage of anticipated costs. The
administering agency must receive certification that a sponsor has held
training sessions on program requiremen\.s for site and sponsor personnel
before it will release the second month's operating advance to the sponsor.
A sponsor may not receive an advance for operating costs in any month
when it will not be operating for at least 10 days.
Sponsors must request each advance payment for administrative costs from
the administering agency at least 30 days before the payment dates of June
1 and July 15. Before the second month's administrative advance, sponsors
must certify that they currently operate the number of sites provided for
in the administrative budget, and that no significant change has occurred in
their administrative costs since approval of the administrative budget. If
sponsors operate the program less than 10 days in June but at least 10 days
in August, they will be issued the second month's payment for advance
administrative costs on August 15. Sponsors planning to operate the
program for less than 10 days cannot receive advance payments for
administrative costs.
If the administering agency's monitoring or audits reveal that a sponsor
may not be able to submit an adequate claim, then the administering
agency will not send the advance payment for the following month until the
sponsor submits a valid claim.
35
Startup
Payments
Program
Reimbursement
Operating
Cost
Reimbursement
Administrative
Cost
Reimbursement
Rural
Areas
Claim for
Reimbursement
36
The administering agency may, at its option, provide the sponsor with a
limited amount of startup payments. These startup payments, which are
deducted from later administrative reimbursements, are for administrative
costs incurred in planning a food service and in establishing effective
management procedures for that service. Sponsors may request the startup
payments, if they are available, when they apply for the program.
Sponsors may elect to claim all or part of their administrative cos~s and
their full operating costs for reimbursement. Any sponsor that receives
startup or advance payments for administrative costs must claim adminis­trative
costs for reimbursement. Sponsors must maintain complete records
to document all costs and meals they claim for reimbursement. The
necessary records are discussed in the Recordkeeping section of this
handbook.
The amount of reimbursement to sponsors for operating costs will, in
general, be the lesser of either (l) actual operating costs, or (2) the number
of meals by type actually served to eligible children multiplied by the
appropriate rates of reimbursement for those meals. The administering
agency will be able to tell sponsors the current rates of reimbursement.
Payment to sponsors for administrative costs will, in general, be the lesser
of (1) actual expenses incurred for administrative costs, or (2) the number
of meals by type actually served to eligible children multiplied by the rates
for those meals, or (3) the administrative budget that was approved by the
administering agency and included in the program agreement, along with
any approved amendments to it. The current administrative rates are
available from the administering agency.
The summer program has two different levels of administrative reimburse­ment
rates. The higher reimbursement rates are for sponsors of sites that
prepare their own meals and sponsors of sites located in rural areas.
A rural area is any county that is not part of a Standard Metropolitan
Statistical Area as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. At
the approval of the USDA regional office, an area may be defined as rural
if it is a part of a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, but is isolated
from the urban center. This alternate definition of rural area will only be
used in situations where a State recognizes unique problems for the given
area. The administering agency will be able to provide information on
whether sites are considered rural for program purposes.
Sponsors receive their program payments based on claims for reimburse­ment
that they submit to the administering agency. Sponsors assume
complete responsibility for all of the information they submit on their
claims. There are four major types of data that sponsors must report on
their claims:
Camp
Reimbursement
Unallowable
Meals
Meal Counts-Based on records that are regularly submitted by the sites,
sponsors must report the number and type of meals served to all children,
the number and type of meals served to eligible children (for sponsors of
camps), the number and type of meals served to program adults, and the
number and type of meals served to nonprogram adults.
Operating Costs-Based on their operating cost records, sponsors must
report the cost of food used, the cost of labor, and other costs directly
incurred in preparing and serving meals.
Administrative Costs-"-Based on their administrative cost records, sponsors
must report the costs related to administering the program (if those costs
are being claimed).
Program Income-Based on their records of program income, sponsors must
report the amount of money that has accrued to their food service
program.
After the reimbursement claim form is completed, the sponsor must then
sign the form and send it to the administering agency as soon as possible
within the next -month following the month covered by the claim. No
claims will be paid if they are not submitted within 60 days of the last dey
of the month covered by the claim. Your State administering agency may
impose a different deadline for submission of your claim within the 60 day
requirement.
The specific reimbursement requirements for sponsors of camps are
discussed in the Camps section of this handbook.
Sponsors may only claim for reimbursement those meals that meet all
SFSP requirements. Reimbursement may not be claimed for:
•
*
*
*
*
*
*
Meals served to adults
Meals that do not meet meal requirements
Meals not served as a complete unit
Meal patterns or types not approved by administering agencies
Meals served at sites not approved by administering agencies
Meals consumed offsite
Meals served outside of approved timeframes or approved dates of
operation
Meals served to ineligible children in camps (those not meeting the
family size and income guidelines for free or reduced-price school
meals)
...
37
Program
Costs
Unallowable
Costs
38
* Meals in excess of the site's approved level of meal service
* Unserved meals.
Sponsors may only claim for reimbursement those costs that are directly
related to program operation and administration. These allowable costs
are discussed in the Recordkeeping section of this handbook.
Sponsors may not include the following costs under any cost category on
their claim for reimbursement:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Costs of purchasing land, acqmrtng or constructing buildings, or
making alterations to existing buildings
Costs of purchasing nonexpendable equipment, whether food service,
office, automotive, or any other kind of equipment. (This category
includes costs of equipment repairs that materially increase the value
or useful life of the equipment.)
Use allowance for buildings and use allowance for equipment that is
not specifically permitted in the sponsor's written agreement with the
State agency. Use allowance cannot apply to any equipment purchased
with Federal assistance. Use allowances do not apply to idle equip­ment.
Fees (when such fees are credited to the final purchase price of
equipment or space) that result from written or verbal contractual
arrangements for rental-purchase or lease of equipment or space with
an option to purchase. These include ;rental fees sponsors claim for
equipment they (or one of their subsidiaries) own and other rentals
that are not specified in the budget or written agreement.
Value of donated food, cash, labor, space, and land used. (A use
allowance can be authorized on donated equipment that is not expend-able.)
-
Administrative cost items not included in the approved sponsor budget,
or amendments subsequently submitted and approved
Food service costs for meals served to children in camps who are not
eligible to receive their meals free or at a reduced price
Interest or other financial costs
Costs or proration of costs that result from the sponsor's maintenance
of a legal staff
Legal expenses for prosecution of claims or other legal actions against
the Federal government or the administering agency
Fines and penalties or bad debts.
Estimating
Reimbursement
Need for
Records
Claims for reimbursement must only reflect meal:> -d~tually served to
eligible children during the claiming period and the costs that are
~:tssociated with those meals. The fol1owing steps illustr<'lte how the sponsor
can estimate the amount of reimbursement to be received In making
these calculations, remember that you may only claim reimbursement for a
number of second meals which docs not exceed 2 pct'cent of the number
of first meals served to children for e!:lch meal type:
(1) Potential reimbursement for operating costs: Multiply the number of
meals, by type, served to eligible children by the applicable
reimbursement rates. (The administering agency can supply you with
the current rates.) Add these figures for C!:lch meal type and compare
this sum to the actual expenditures for operating costs incurred for·
serving meals to eligible children. The lesser amount is the sponsor's
potential operating cost reimbursement.
(2) Potential reimbursement for administr!:ltive costs: Multiply the num­ber
of meals, by type, served to eligible children by the applicable
administrative reimbursement rates. (The administering agency can
supply you with the current rates.) Add these figures for each meal
type and compare this sum to (1) the actual expenditures for adminis­trative
cost5 incurred for serving meals to eligible children, !:lnd (2) the
administrative budget and the approved amendments. The least of the
three amounts is the potential reimbursement to the sponsor for
ad minis tra tive costs.
In order to determine the final total reimbursement, a sponsor must
subtract the amount of income accruing to the program from the sponsor·';;
total actual program costs. A sponsor then compares this net progra rn cost
to the sum of the potential reimbursements for operating and adminis­trative
costs discussed in (1) and (2) above. The lesser of these two
amounts is a sponsor's final potential reimbursement. This amount will be
reduced by any startup or advance payments the sponsor received. The
References section includes a worksheet that will help sponsors estimate
the amount of reimbursement they can anticipate.
Recordkeeping
Sponsors must keep full and accurate records so they can substantiate the
allowable administrative and operating costs and the number of program
meals that they have submitted on each claim for reimbursement. Spon­sors
must maintain all of these records for 3 years after the end of the
fiscal year in which the program operated. These records must be
accessible to Federal and a.dministel'ing agency personnel for audit and
review purposes.
39 ...
l. RECORDS OF
MEAL COUNTS
Collecting
Records
40
...
To justify claims for reimbursement, ;;ponsors must maintain the following
records:
I. Records of meal counts taken daily at each site
ll. Records of claimed operating costs, including food, labor, and other
costs
III. Records of claimed administrative costs, including labor and supplies
IV. Records of progr'am income.
Site Records: All sponsors will use daily site records in order to document
the number of program meals they have served to children. The sponsor
must provide all necessary record sheets to the sites. Site personnel are
then responsible for keeping the records each day. The site personnel must
complete the records based on actual counts taken at each site for each
meal service on each day of operation. Site personnel must be sure that
they record aU required counts. These counts should include:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The number of meals delivered or prepared, by type (breakfast, snack,
lunch, supper). Vended pt·ograms must supp.ort this information with a
signed delivery receipt. A designee of the sponsor must verify the
adequacy and number of mea1s delivered by checking the meals when
they arc delivered to the site.
The number of children in attendance
The number of complete meals served as firsts to children, by type
The number of second meals served to children. Sponsors must phm,
prepare, or order meals on the basis of participation trends. Sponsors
must plan to provide only one meal per t.!hild at ectch meal service. In
recognition of the changes in participation levels, a second meal that
is served as a unit to the same child can be claimed for reimburse­ment,
RS long as the total number of second meals claimed does not
exceed 2 percent of the number of fir·st meals served dut•ing the
claiming period. Administering agencies can provide further guidance
on seconds and on those situations where excessive seconds will not be
reimbursed.
The total number of meal-; served as firsts and seconds to children
The number of meals served to rrogram adult.i, if <:tny
The number of meals served to nonprogram adults, if any.
Sponsors should collect these site records at least every week. Sponsors
may have their monitors pick up site reports on designated days, or
sponsors may as!< site supervisors to mail the records to the sponsor's
office. When deciding how they will collect site records, sponsors must try
to minimize the chances of losing the records. When they collect the site
records, sponsors must be certain to check for the site supervisor'.>
II. RECORDS OF
OPERATING
COSTS
Records for
Costs of
Food
signature. Any sponsor serving vended meal'> must be sure that the figure
ente1·ed as the number of meals delivered on the site record is the same as
that entered on the vendor's report. If there is any discrepuncy between
the numbers, the sponsor should immediately cont11ct the vendor and site
supervisor and reso 1ve the problem. The sponsor should make a permanent
note of the discrepancy as well as the ~ction that was taken to resolve it.
Allowable Operating Costs: Operating costs are allowable costs incurred
"t:>y the sponsor for prepat•ing and serving meals to eligible children and
progr-a rn adults. These costs in<!lude, but are not limited to, cost of food
used, labor, nonfood supplies, and space for the food service. Rural sites
may include costs that are directly incurred in transporting children from
rural homes to rural food service sites.
Sponsors will be reimbursed for operating costs the lesser of (1)
allowable meals times the reimbursement rates or (2) allowable operating
costs. In no case may the cost of meals in excess of a site's approved level
of meal service be considered allowable or be reported as an operating
cost.
The data that are necessary for computing the cost of food used are more
extensive when sites prepare their own meals. Records to support the cost
of food used should include, at a minimum:
*
*
*
*
*
Receiving reports
Purchasing invoices
Records of any returns, discounts, or other credits not reflected on
purchase invoices
Inventory records that show the kinds of food items on hand at the
begirming and end of the inventory period, the quantity of each item, the
do1lar value assigned to each item, documented major inventory
adjustments, and the total value of the inventory
Cance11ed checks or other forms of receipt for payment.
"Cost of food used" means, in its simplest form, begirming inventory plus
purchases plus other costs of food minus credits to costs of food minus
inventory adjustments minus ending inventory. Sponsors must record the
dollar value of food (ending inventory) that is unused at the close of
...
41
Inventory
Form
Food Costs
in Vended
Programs
Labor
Costs
Other
Operating
Costs
III. RECORDS OF
ADMINIS­TRATIVE
COSTS
42
program operations. Sponsors must subtract this ending inventory from all
food costs incurred as a result of program operations • ..
Food costs cover the cost of purchases and the costs of processing,
transporting, storing, and handling food that is donated (including USDA
commodities) or purchased by the sponsor. Sponsors must make adjust­ments
when major reductions of food in stock are the result of fire, theft,
spoilage, or contamination - or any event other than normal usage.
The References section provides a sample inventory form for sponsors that
prepare meals onsite. Site personnel should use a form similar to this to
list all food items on hand. Site personnel should use invoices to determine
the unit cost per item. After taking a physical count of each item on hand,
site personnel should multiply this number by the unit cost to get the total
inventory value for each item. Adding the total inventory values for all
items will then provide the sponsor with the value of the beginning or
ending inventory.
The cost of food used means the cost of the preparation and/or delivery of
meals charged to the sponsor by the food service management company or
the school facility. This may not include charges for meals delivered to
nonapproved sites, meals not delivered within the established delivery
time, meals that are spoiled or unwholesome, or meals that do not meet
the requirements or terms of the contract. The sponsor should not pay the
food service management company for these meals. The sponsor must
maintain records that include the signed delivery slips to support its claim
for reimbursement. Designees of the sponsor at each site should check the
adequacy of the delivery and meals before signing the delivery slip.
Labor costs include compensation by sponsors for labor that is required to
prepare and serve meals and to supervise children during the meal service.
These costs may include wages, salaries, employee benefits, and the share
of taxes paid by the sponsor. Sponsors must keep accurate time and
attendance records for all labor costs that are submitted on the claim for
reimbursement.
Other operating costs may include, but are not limited to, (a) costs of
nonfood supplies; (b) rental costs for buildings, food service equipment, and
vehicles; (c) utility costs; and (d) mileage allowances. If sponsors feel that
they may have "other" costs that are not listed, they may contact the
administering agency for further information. Sponsors- must , keep all
necessary records and documentation to support any costs that they may
claim for reimbursement.
Administrative costs are costs incurred by the sponsor for activities
related to planning, organizing, and administering the program. Generally,
these activities are:
IV. RECORDS OF
PROGRAM
INCOME
1. Preparing and submitting an application for participation, including a
management plan containing budgets of operating and administrative
costs, and staffing and monitoring plans
2. Establishing the eligibility of children for free or reduced-price school
meals for each session. This applies only to camps and enrolled sites
where eligibility has been determined by family size and income
statements.
3. Attending training provided by the administering agency
4. Hiring and training site and administrative personnel
5. Visiting sites, reviewing and monitoring operations at sites, and
documenting these visits and reviews
6. Preparing and submitting a plan for and synopsis of the invitation to
bid when the sponsor wants to contract with a food service manage­ment
company
7. Preparing and submitting claims for reimbursement
8. Performing other activities that are necessary for planning, organ­izing,
and managing the program.
Generally, costs incurred for these activities are:
a) Labor costs for administrative activities
b) Rental costs for offices, office equipment, and vehicles
c) Vehicle allowance and parking expenses
d) Office supplies
e) Communications
f) Insurance and indemnification
g) Audits
h) Travel.
Sponsors must be certain that they have records that document the amount
and the purpose of all administrative costs they claim. The References
section includes a worksheet for determining administrative costs as well
as a sample administrative mileage record form.
Income accruing to the food service program includes all funds received
from State, local, and other sources, except for program advances or
reimbursement. These funds must be designated specifically for the food
service program. Records reflecting income may include deposit records,
43
...
Checklist
of Required
Records
44
voucher stubs, or receipts. Sources of funds that are earmarked for food
servic~ and counted as income include: income for food sales to adults;
cash donations or grants from philanthropic organizations or individuals;
and monies received from State, intermediate, or local governments.
There are a number of additional records sponsors must maintain in their
files. These records and the records discussed in this section are
summarized in the following checklist of required records:
1. Records that document eligibility for the summer program:
Approved Agreement
Application
Site Information Sheet for ~ach site
Evidence to show eligibility for each site based on serving needy
children (or in the case of camps, evidence to show that children
are individually documented as being eligible for free or reduced­price
school meals)
Public release
Letter from IRS showing tax-exempt status (for private sponsors)
Preapproval site forms
Management plan
Sponsor/site agreements
Certification of training
Letter of engagement of CPA firm or independent accountant, or
State or local government accountant and management letter (if
applicable).
2. Records that support the number of meals served to children:
Daily count of meals prepared or received at sites
Daily count of meals served to children as firsts
Daily count of meals served to children as seconds
Daily count of meals served to program and nonprogram adults
Daily count of children in attendance at each site
3. Records that support food service costs:
Food inventories
Delivery receipts for vended meals
Payroll and time and attendance records for site personnel
4. Records that support administrative costs:
Payroll and time and attendance records for administrative
personnel
Rental agreements for office equipment or space
Mileage records
5. Records to support income to the progra,m:
Site records of cash collected
Receipts given for cash donations
Records of any other funds received for the food service program
Purpose of
Administrative
Reviews
Review
Procedures
Corrective
Action Plan
Statistical
Monitoring
6. Other required records:
Agreement with schools to furnish meals
Contract with registered vendor
Bid procedures used
Records and inventories of USDA -donated foods
Monitor's reports of site visits and reviews
Records of training conducted
Menu records
Quantity production records for each meal (for self-preparation
sites)
Receipts, invoices, and bills for all rented or purchased items
and services
Bank statements and deposit slips
Accounting ledgers
Sanitation and health reports
Certification and Independent Price Determination
Racial/ethnic breakdowns of beneficiaries
Administrative Reviews
During the course of the summer, administering agencies will complete an
administrative review of most sponsors' program operations. This adminis­trative
review will involve visits by administering agency personnel to the
sponsor's site(s) and office. The reviews are designed to ensure that a
sponsor's overall program is operating according to requirements and to
provide assistance and advice to a sponsor if there are questions about
program operations.
An administering agency review of site operations will usually involve
observing the meal service operations and the recordkeeping at the site. A
review of the sponsor level will usually involve a review of how the claim
for reimbursement is assembled and a review of the records maintained by
the sponsor. Regardless of the specific administrative review procedures,
all sponsors must make their records available for the administering
agency's review and must proceed with the corrective actions recom­mended
by the administering agency, if there are any. The results of an
administrative review may affect the amount of reimbursement a sponsor
will receive.
When the administering agency finds violations during the conduct of a site
review, it will require the sponsor to correct problems found. If the
administering agency finds a high level of meal service violations at a site,
it will immediately require the sponsor to follow a specific corrective
action plan. The administering agency will initiate a followup system to
ensure that sponsors take the specific action (as outlined in the plan) for
correcting site violations.
The administering agency may elect to use statistical monitoring proce­dures
when it conducts administrative reviews of sponsors. The admin­istering
agency may use the results of statistical monitoring to determine
the sponsor's reimbursement. The administering agency will inform the
sponsor if it plans to use statistical monitoring and will provide the sponsor
45 ..
46
with the necessary information on its procedures for conducting statistical
monitol'ing. The administering agency has additional information on
statistical monitoring.
Violations
Violations of program requirements may result in withholding or recovering
reimbursement, temporary suspension, or termination and exclusion from
future program participation.
Such violations include but are not limited to:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Noncompliance with the time requirements between meals
Failure to maintain adequate site or sponsor records
Failure to adjust meal orders to conform with changes in site
attendance
Serving more than one meal to a child at one time
Children eating meals offsite
Claiming program reimbursement for meals served to anyone other
than eligible children
Serving meals that do not include the required quantities of meal
components
Continued use of food service management companies that violate
health codes
Not adhering to competitive bid procedures
Noncompliance with civil rights laws and regulations.
Postprogram Evaluation
Upon the completion of the local program, the sponsor should prepare an
evaluation. The following format is suggested for these evaluations:
*
*
*
*
*
Sponsor Personnel-Evaluate the size and efficiency of the staff.
Site Personnel-Evaluate the ability of site personnel to control and
supervise the program at the site leveL
Food Preparation-Evaluate the major facets of food preparation, as
well as the quality and variety of foods offered within meal require­ments.
Organization-Evaluate the administrative structure of the organiza­tion.
State agency or FNS Regional Office-Evaluate the relationship be­tween
the sponsoring agency and the administering agency, noting the
adequacy of training efforts and the availability of guidance, informa­tion,
and assistance.
Introduction
Selecting a
Food Service
Management
Company
3. FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT COMPANIES
Sponsors that decide to contract with a food service management company
to obtain meals must meet various program requirements and follow
certain procedures. (This is called a vended program.) Food service
management companies which enter into a contract with a sponsor to
prepare and deliver meals must provide meals that comply with program
regulations and their contract with the sponsor. Therefore, both sponsors
and food service management companies should be familiar with the
information in this section. A successful vended operation depends on both
parties fully understanding their mutual responsibilities in the program.
The term "food service management companies" includes commercial
companies that prepare meals using school facilities, the sponsor's facilities,
and their own facilities. Public schools that use their own facilities to
prepare meals are included in this definition. Excluding them would
imply that sponsors could not contract with schools to prepare meals.
Selecting a Company
There are several factors that can influence a sponsor to contract for
meals with a food service management company. These factors may
include limited personnel, a site that is unsuited for meal preparation, or a
large number of sites spread over a wide geographical area.
Before inviting food service management companies to bid on a program,
sponsors must contact their local school food service authority about the
possibility of using school facilities to prepare meals, or of obtaining meals
under agreement with a school. Using the facilities of local public or
private schools to prepare or obtain meals offers the sponsor several
advantages. These schools often prepare large numbers of meals and
already have the facilities, staffing, and system for such a service. And
many schools are accustomed to preparing meals that meet USDA require­ments
if they participate in other Child Nutrition Programs.
When exploring a school's capability for meal service, sponsors must
consider whether or not an adequate delivery service to sites can be
established. This delivery service cannot be prohibitive in cost, and it
must meet local health and sanitation requirements.
Sponsors that can use local school food service facilities must enter into
a written agreement with the school. If contracting with a local school
is not possible, sponsors may contract with a food service management
company to prepare and deliver meals.
Only food service management companies that register with the
administering agency may be used. A list of registered companies should
be obtained from the administering office as soon as possible. No sponsor
may, however, contract out the management responsibilities of the SFSP
such as monitoring, enforcing corrective action, or preparing program
applications. Sponsors remain legally responsible for seeing that the food
service operation meets all requirements specified in the agreement they
sign with the administering agency.
47
48
...
Invitation for Bid and Contract
Administering agencies require all sponsors under their jurisdiction to
use a standard contract for meals provided by a food service management
company. These standard contracts may vary, according to different
State and local requirements. This document, called the "Invitation for
Bid and Contract," serves a dual purpose. It contains the specific information
a bidder needs to make an offer, and it also tells the bidder how to submit
the actual bid.
A sponsor that is a school with an exclusive contract with a food service
management company for year-round service or any sponsor that has total
contracts with food service management companies not exceeding $10,000
is not required to comply with the competitive bid procedures. These
exceptions do not relieve the sponsor of the responsibility to ensure that
normally accepted bidding procedures are followed in contracting with any food service management company. Schools and universities that partici-pate
as summer sponsors and have an existing year-round contract with
food service management companies to prepare meals do not have to bid
competitively. However, existing contracts will have to be amended to
ensure that they meet the requirements listed in section 225.17 of the
program regulations.
Bid Procedure
The administering agency must ensure that contracting and bidding meet
USDA requirements. The administering agency will provide whatever
technical assistance is needed to sponsors to ensure that the bid process
runs smoothly.
All sponsors with contracts that will exceed $10,000 must adhere to the
competitive bid procedures and procurement standards set by SFSP
regulations. The standard bid procedure includes, among other require­ments,
five steps:
1. Completing the invitation for bid package
2. Publicly announcing all invitations for bid not less than 14 days before
bids are opened. Announcements must include the time and place of
the bid opening.
3. Notifying the administering agency at least 14 days before the bid
opening. The notification must include the time and place of the opening.
4. Publicly opening all bids
5. Submitting to the administering agency copies of all bids received and
their reason for selecting the food service management company
chosen.
Once the sponsor has filled in its particular specifications in the standard
invitation for bid and contract, the document is referred to as the
invitation for bid (IFB). The IFB is the most important step in the process.
Sponsors must complete the estimated range of servings, decide on an
affordable and attractive menu, and complete the site schedule. Sponsors
must supply the IFB to all companies responding to the public
announcement.
The sponsor's IFB must include:
1. A menu cycle
2. Food specifications and meal quality standards
3. A copy of the program (SFSP) regulations
4. Nonfood items essential for conducting the food service.
The sponsor's invitation for bid must not:
1. Specify a minimum price
2. Specify special meal requirements to meet ethnic or religious needs
unless such special requirements are ' necessary to meet the needs of
the children to be served
3. Provide for loans or any other monetary benefit, term, or condition to
be made to sponsors by food service management companies
4. Include nonfood items (except where such items are essential to the
conduct of food service).
The food service management company's bid in response to the IFB must
include:
1. A copy of the required health certificate
2. Proof that the company is registered with the State.
If food service management companies submit a bid over $100,000, they
must submit a bid bond in an amount determined by the sponsor. The bond
should be between 5 percent and 10 percent of the value of the contract
for which the bid is made. A copy of the bid bond must accompany each
bid. The bond must be from one of the companies listed in Department of
Treasury Circular 570, which is available from the Department of
Treasury, Fiscal Service, Bureau of Financial Operations, Washington, D.C.
20226.
...
49
50
It is i!Jlportant that the food service management company respond to the
IFB accurately and completely. Food service management companies must
bid on all the meals listed in the IFB and must bid on the menu cycles
included in the IFB. Food service management companies cannot be
candidates for assuming award of the contract unless they respond to every
requirement listed in the IFB.
The sponsor ,must fill in the following information in the IFB so bidders
will know exactly what the specifications of the bid include:
Site Information: The sponsor must include a list of proposed site names,
addresses, delivery locations, and times. With this information, a bidder
can estimate the cost of delivery and the feasibility of meeting the
sponsor's requirements.
Menu Cycle: The sponsor must also attach an 11-day menu cycle that lists
the types and amounts of food in each meal. Program regulations specify
minimum meal pattern requirements, but sponsors may improve upon these
minimums to increase the variety and appeal of menus. Sponsors may
request approval from the administering agency for variations from the
meal requirements only when necessary to meet ethnic, religious,
economic, or nutritional needs.
Meal Requirements: As part of the IFB, the sponsor must provide the food
service management company with a copy of the meal requirements
outlined in part 225.16 of the SFSP regulations. The sponsor must also
provide a copy of the minimum food specifications and model meal quality
standards required by part 225.7(c) of SFSP regulations. (Sponsors can get
the regulations from the administering agency.) The food service manage­ment
company must deliver meals that meet these meal requirements and
minimum food specifications and model meal quality standards. Under the
provisions of the contract between the sponsor and the food service
management company, the sponsor is liable only for the delivered meals
that meet these requirements and should not pay for ineligible meals.
Similarly, the sponsor may receive payments from the administering
agency only for meals served that meet these requirements.
An effective quality control system is essential for verifying that meal
components meet the minimum quantity requirements. During food
preparation, the food service management company should regularly
inspect and measure items to ascertain correct sizes and weights. Setting
production equipment for the desired specifications is no substitute for a
quality control system, because equipment settings may become distorted
during operation. Administering agencies and sponsors are responsible for
sampling meals and diSallowing payment for meals that fail to meet
minimum standards.
REMEMBER: The entire meal may be disallowed for reimbursement if any
component does not meet minimum standards.
Pood Service
Management
Company Bid
Requirements
sponsors must ensure that food service aanagementr&ompanies
provide unitized meals with or without ailk or juice. This
means that meals must be individually portioned, packaged,
delivered, and served as a unit. The milk or juice may be
packaged and provided separately, but must be served with
the meal unit. Other variations of unitized meals can be
approved by the administering agency. The specifications
should be worded in such detail that all bidders will have
an equal chance to compete for the same menus, and they also
should indicate under what conditions substitutions may be
made by the food service management company if, during the
course of the program, certain specified food items become
unavailable or become too expensive.
sponsors of vended programs can only receive commodities i~
the vendor is a school or school district, or the sponsor 1s
a school food authority that competitively procures ita SFSP
meals from the same food service management company that
competitively provided its most recent NSLP meals. However,
vended program sponsors located in rural areas may receive
additional funds for administrative expenses.
Regulations: The sponsor must attach a copy of the SFSP regulations to
the IFB and must agree to operate the program according to the regula­tions.
Meal Range Adjustments: In the past, actual participation under a given
sponsorship frequently varied from the estimate specified in the IFB. The
contractor bases a bid on the sp~ifications and expects to be serving close
to the number of meals listed in the estimate. A sizeable discrepancy
between estimated and actual participation ean increase or decrease the
food service management company's unit production cost. Therefore, the
Jponsor may estimate a possible range of meals served per day. Food
aerviee management companies must aubmit prices for each range the
aponsor lists, remembering that if the aponsor decreases the number of
meals aerved, the cost of the meals may increase. The range is provided to
lessen the risk of losses to the food aerviee management companies in
these eases. Sponsors may increase or decrease the number of meal orders
apecified in the IFB only after notifying the food tervice management
company. Increases in maximum meal aerviee levels at sites receiving
vended meals must be approved by the administering agency.
Special Accounts: The administering agency may require sponsors to aet up
~peeial aeeounts at financial institutions. The tpOnsor must deposit any
payments received from the administering agency for operating eosts in
the ~peeial aeeount. Any cheeks drawn from this account must be
authorized by both the food aerviee management company and the 1p0n50r.
Thll II to help enaure that the company receives payment for the eligible
meals it provides to the iponJOr'a program.
There are 1everal .ipeel!ic requirements food 1erviee management
oompanles must meet and aeveral things they must include when aubmitting
a bid. These requirements are:
..
51
Contract
Responsibility
Selection
Criteria
52
Health Certification and Inspection: Food service management companies
must have State or local health certification for the facility(ies) they use
to prepare meals for the SFSP. The companies must ensure that health and
sanitation requirements are met at all times. In addition, the companies
must ask local health authorities or inde~endent agencies to periodically
inspect the meals they serve to determine bacteria levels. These levels
must conform to the standards applied to other food service establishments
in the area.
Food service management companies should also be aware that the
administering agency may send health inspectors to check preparation
facilities and meals. This inspection is independent of the one the food
service management company provides. The companies must submit health
certification as part of the bid.
Records: Food service management companies must maintain records
(supported by invoices, receipts, or other evidence) that the sponsor needs
to meet program responsibilities. Companies must report to the sponsor at
the end of each month, at a minimum. The food service management
company must keep the books and records concerning the sponsor's food
service operations for 3 years from the day the company receives final
payment. Representatives of the administering agency, USDA, and the
United States General Accounting Office may request an inspection and
audit of these records at a reasonable time and place.
Subcontracts: Food service management companies may not subcontract
with another company for the total meal (with or without milk) or for
assembling of the meal. The variation between contracted and
subcontracted meal prices is an unnecessary expense. Subcontracting
means the sponsor does not have a contract with the company that
prepares meals and, therefore, cannot dir