The USDA has announced that three nationwide COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response waivers will be extended through August 31, 2020.
- Non-Congregate Feeding: FNS is allowing meals to be served to children outside of the normally-required group setting to support social distancing.
- Parent Pickup: FNS is allowing parents and/or guardians to pick up meals and bring them home to their children.
- Meal Times: FNS is waiving requirements that meals be served at certain standard times to allow for grab-n-go options. This also allows for multiple days-worth of meals to be provided at once.
This is a victory for children and families across the United States, as it will allow schools and community organizations the flexibility to continue feeding kids throughout the summer as they have been since the start of school closures and the coronavirus pandemic.
For a complete snapshot of the nationwide waivers and guidance issued to date by USDA in response to the coronavirus, see this No Kid Hungry’s Center for Best Practices resource. The resource features a table that provides for each waiver the number, the title, programs to which it applies, its release date, the end date, a brief summary of what the waiver does, and additional notes.
No Kid Hungry is here to help program operators. Our team of experts and network on consultants is available to provide technical assistance and support by phone or email. We can:
- Help you navigate and understand USDA waivers.
- Offer ideas around meal distribution, staff safety, staffing, planning for emergencies, communications, partnerships and more.
- Troubleshoot challenges and identify solutions.
- Share best practices and lessons learned from districts across the state and country.
- Connect you with peer-to-peer support.
In addition to granting significant program flexibilities through both nationwide and individual state waivers, FNS approved California for Pandemic-EBT, which provides food-purchasing benefits, equal to the value of school meals, to households with children who would otherwise be receiving free or reduced-price meals at school. Learn more about Pandemic-EBT
To learn more about our response, visit https://www.nokidhungry.org/coronavirus and follow us on Twitter at @NoKidHungryCA
