Program Information
- What is the California Fresh Start Pilot Program?
- Who Can Participate?
- Promotion of Fruits and Vegetables
- CDE Grant Requirements
- How to Apply
- When to Apply
- Retroactive Reimbursement
- School Breakfast Grants
- Program Regulations
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Whom to Contact
What is the California Fresh Start Pilot Program?
The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the implementation of the California Fresh Start Program (CFSP) and the State Board of Education’s adoption of the emergency regulations governing the program’s administration. This program promotes the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by school age children by providing $18.2 million in funding for school breakfast programs. The law encourages public schools, maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide fresh fruits and vegetables (excluding those that have been deep-fried and juice) to pupils in order to supplement other fruits and vegetables served in the School Breakfast Program (SBP). School districts and charter schools participating in the SBP may participate in the CFSP.
The funding provided for the CFSP represents the largest infusion of state funding into school meal programs in close to 30 years—and increases state funding for school breakfast programs by 71 percent. The program is considered important enough that it became effective the day the bill was signed.
The California Department of Education (CDE) is responsible for administering the CFSP in consultation with the Departments of Food and Agriculture and Health Services. The statute authorizing the CFSP established no “end date” for the program. While current year funding ends on June 30, 2006, the Governor has made FY 2006-07 funding for CFSP a high priority in his proposed budget for the coming year, and the Legislature will be acting on the item in the next few months.
Public school districts and charter schools may apply (see page 4 under How to Apply) for reimbursement of ten cents ($0.10) per breakfast meal, to be paid in quarterly installments. The funds may be used to supplement, but not supplant, existing funds supporting a SBP. Please note that Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 15567(s) of the authorizing regulations define “supplement” as either an additional serving of fruit or vegetable or one where the overall cost of a fruit or vegetable serving has increased by $0.09. In addition, schools that already offer two servings of fruit and/or vegetables at breakfast may utilize the $0.10 reimbursement for serving fruit and/or vegetables to students as an after school snack.
CFSP funds must be deposited into the school’s nonprofit food service account. Districts must maintain documentation of their expenditures of CFSP funds consistent with the requirements of the new law (as outlined in the SBP Agreement Addendum) and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Who Can Participate?
The $0.10 reimbursement is available to school districts and charter schools that agree to meet all of the following criteria:
- Provide one to two supplemental servings of fruits and/or vegetables (excluding those that are deep-fried and juice) at breakfast, and give priority to serving fresh fruits and vegetables. (Sites that already offer two servings of fruits and/or vegetables at breakfast may use any or all of the $0.10 reimbursement per breakfast for providing fruits and/or vegetables for after school snacks.)
- Spend at least 90 percent of the funding for the direct purchase of nutritious fruits and vegetables, with priority given to procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables from California producers, when commercially available. (As you will note in the program’s regulations, “giving priority” means that fresh fruits or vegetables shall be served unless they are not reasonably available on a commercial basis within program funds.)
- Do not spend any of the funding for the purchase of juice or fruits and vegetables that are or will be deep-fried.
- Provide nutrition education that includes tasting and sampling of fresh fruits and/or vegetables. Specific strategies noted in the law may include, but are not limited to:
- An offering of fruits or vegetables in the classroom that is reinforced with nutrition and agricultural bulletins.
- A monthly school campus farmers’ market that allows opportunities for school clubs, organizations, boosters, sports teams, and other groups to organize a farmers’ market that highlights California produce for the student body to sample and taste.
- A produce sampling program that supports a school garden’s harvest through additional purchases of local, in-season fruits or vegetables to be used for a sampling and tasting program on the school campus featuring what is growing in the school garden.
- Participate in the required evaluation by maintaining and making available, upon request, to CDE and/or an independent evaluator information, records, and data related to participation in the CFSP regarding:
- Procurement of the additional fruits and vegetables, as well as equipment and other resources necessary for the program.
- The nutrition education and promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables through sampling as required by the program.
- Strategies used to implement the program.
- Other data already maintained in the SBP, such as production records, menus, transport records, etc.
Promotion of Fruits and Vegetables
Participating districts and charter schools may determine the best method to promote consumption of fruits and vegetables (emphasizing fresh) at breakfast. The specific strategies highlighted in SB 281 include, but are not limited to:
- Universal classroom breakfast that includes one to two servings of fruits or vegetables.
- Grab-and-go breakfasts with one to two servings of fruits or vegetables to be eaten on the school campus.
- Fruit and vegetable bars (much like a salad bar) located at the school cafeteria with a minimum of three choices of fruits or vegetables, or both.
CDE Grant Requirements
The bill specifies that of the $18.2 million provided, CDE must allocate $400,000 for grant(s) to a county office of education or a community college selected on a competitive basis to:
- Develop an online professional development seminar for school site staff on serving (including safe handling guidelines), marketing, and promoting fruits and vegetables; and to
- Contract with an independent evaluator to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the CFSP, including a determination of the need for food service equipment and facilities, educational materials for pupils and staff, and professional development programs on the safe handling, serving, and marketing of nutritious fruits and vegetables as part of the CFSP.
The evaluation will assess how the additional ten cents ($0.10) per breakfast was spent, which may include but is not limited to: the degree to which the fruits and vegetables provided were fresh, and the effect of the CFSP on school breakfast participation and food service operations (including labor costs and record keeping).
Districts and charter schools participating in the CFSP must comply with the independent evaluator’s request for information and/or data and be available for the independent evaluator and CDE staff to observe and/or interview the staff, pupils, administrators, vendors, and others working with the CFSP. Please note that CDE is mindful of keeping data collection and reporting requirements to a minimum given that only $0.01 per serving is available to support administrative costs of the program.
How to Apply
This is not a competitive process; all complete requests will be approved. If you are currently participating in the SBP, complete, sign, and return the California Fresh Start Pilot Program School Breakfast Agreement Addendum (DOC; 46KB; 1p.).
Return the completed form to the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) as follows:
Rae Dalimonte, Program Analyst
California Department of Education
Nutrition Services Division
1430 N Street, Suite 1500
Sacramento, CA 95814
The NSD will return a signed copy to you when your participation has been approved.
If you are not currently participating in the School Breakfast Program, CDE encourages you to do so. You may also contact the NSD at 916-445-0850 or 800-952-5609 to request a SBP Agreement and/or an Addendum.
When to Apply
You may submit a SBP Agreement Addendum at anytime. As previously stated, reimbursements are paid on a quarterly basis. To be eligible to receive reimbursement for fruits and/or vegetables served during any quarter, a Breakfast Addendum must be submitted with a postmark that is prior to the first day that CFSP reimbursement will be claimed. For example, to claim a CFSP reimbursement beginning April 1, 2006, the Addendum must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2006.
Retroactive Reimbursement
The law does not allow approved sponsors to be reimbursed retroactively for qualifying meals served prior to March 17, 2006.
School Breakfast Grants
Participating schools may qualify for additional financial assistance through School Breakfast Program Start-up and Expansion Grants. The application date for 2005-06 grant funding has passed (we received about $700,000 in requests related to the provision of fresh fruits and vegetables through the CFSP). The annual Budget Act allocates approximately a million dollars in funding for these grants, which can provide up to $15,000 per site to public schools and charter schools. The grant funds offset the costs of starting or implementing activities designed to increase participation in the SBP. Schools may request funds in their grant application for one-time allowable costs necessary to store, prepare, and serve fresh fruits and vegetables under the CFSP. We encourage all eligible school districts and charter schools to apply. We anticipate releasing the 2006-07 application announcement between November 2006 and February 2007.
Program Regulations
Districts/charter schools choosing to participate in the CFSP will need to follow the California Code of Regulations (Outside Source) adopted by the State Board of Education. Using the Search for a Specific Regulatory Section option, search for Tile 5, Section 15566. Select the Docs in Sequence feature to see additional sections 15567 and 15568.
Management Bulletin 06-109 provides additional information.
Public Hearing
California Department of Education (CDE) staff, on behalf of the State Board, will hold a public hearing on the regulations beginning at 10:00 a.m. on May 2, 2006, at 1430 N Street, Room 1101, Sacramento. The room is wheelchair accessible. At the hearing, any person may present statements or arguments, orally or in writing, relevant to the proposed action described in the Informative Digest. The State Board requests that any person desiring to present statements or arguments orally notify the Regulations Coordinator of such intent. The State Board requests, but does not require, that persons who make oral comments at the hearing also submit a written summary of their statements. No oral statements will be accepted subsequent to this public hearing.
Written Comment Period
Any interested person, or his or her authorized representative, may submit written comments relevant to the proposed regulatory action to:
Debra Strain, Regulations Coordinator
LEGAL DIVISION
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 5319
Sacramento, California 95814
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile (FAX) at 916-319-0155 or by e-mail to regulations@cde.ca.gov. Comments must be received by the Regulations Coordinator prior to 5:00 p.m. on May 2, 2006.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The NSD is sensitive to district and charter school’s need to maintain a financially sound program and understands that the cost of providing fresh fruits and vegetables is considerably greater than providing fruit or vegetables that have been canned or frozen. However, it is critical for districts to increase their offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables in order to maximize the likelihood that this 71 percent increase in the State SBP reimbursement is continued. The NSD has compiled a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) that may be beneficial in implementing the CFSP. We have provided several scenarios in the CFSP Frequently Asked Questions that can guide you in how to offer fresh fruits and vegetables within your budget.
Whom to Contact
If you have any questions about the administration of CFSP or the SBP, please contact Rae Dalimonte, Program Analyst, at 916-445-6775 or rdalimon@cde.ca.gov. If you have any questions about the food safety issues of this program, please contact Violet Roefs, Nutrition Education Consultant, at 916-322-1565 or vroefs@cde.ca.gov . If you have any questions regarding the nutrition education component of this program, please contact Deborah Beall, Nutrition Education Consultant, at 916-324-8790 or grant@cde.ca.gov. You may also reach them at 916-445-0850 or 800-952-5609.
