Child Nutrition COVID-19 Waivers
Key Flexibilities
Meal Times Waiver: FNS is letting meals be served to kids outside traditional times to maximize flexibility for meal pick-up. [Extension] [Extension 2] [Extension 3] [Extended through June 2021]
Non-congregate Feeding Waiver: FNS is allowing meals to be served in non-group settings to support social distancing. [Extension] [Extension 2] [Extension 3] [Extension 4] [Extension 5]
Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-Up Waiver: FNS is allowing parents/guardians to pick-up meals and bring them home to their children. [Extension] [Extension 2] [Extension 3] [Extension 4] {Extension 5}
Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and Summer Food Service Operations: FNS is allowing SFSP and Seamless Summer Option operations through June 30, 2021. [Extension]
Other Nationwide Waivers
60-Day Reporting Waiver: FNS is extending the 60-day reporting deadline for all state agencies, school food authorities, and CACFP and SFSP sponsoring organizations for January and February 2020.
Afterschool Activity Waiver: FNS paused requirements for enrichment activities to accompany afterschool meals & snacks.
Area Eligibility Waivers: FNS is working with states to increase the availability of meal sites. [Extended through August 31] [Extended through September 30] [Extended through December 31] [Extended through June 2021]
Area Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites: FNS is allowing closed enrolled SFSP or SSO sites to use area eligibility without collecting income eligibility applications [Extended through December 31] [Extended through June 2021] [Extension 3]
At-risk Afterschool Area Eligibility Waiver: FNS is allowing schools and afterschool care centers to serve at-risk afterschool meals and snacks to students regardless of their location, through Dec. 31, 2020. [Extended through June 2021]
Child Nutrition Monitoring: FNS has provided flexibilities for certain monitoring and review requirements for child nutrition programs. [Extension] [Extension 2]
Community Eligibility Provision Data Waiver: FNS is extending Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) election, notification, and reporting and deadlines for school year 2020-21.
Food Service Management Company Contract Duration Requirements: FNS is waiving food service management company contracts duration requirements for all state agencies, school food authorities, and Summer Food Service Program sponsors.
Local School Wellness Assessments: FNS has established a nationwide waiver to support schools unable to complete a triennial assessment of the local school wellness policies due to school closures.
Meal Pattern Waiver: FNS is giving states the flexibility to serve meals that do not meet meal pattern requirements when needed. [Extension] [Extension 2] [Extension 3] [Extension 4] [Extension 5] [Extension 6] [Extension 7] [Extension 8]
Offer Versus Serve in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP): FNS has established a nationwide waiver to support access to nutritious meals in the SFSP [Extension] [Extension 2]
Offer Versus Serve Flexibility for Senior High Schools in NSLP for School Year 2020–21: FNS has established a nationwide waiver to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the novel coronavirus for school year 2020-21.
Pandemic EBT: FNS is allowing states to provide benefits (similar to SNAP or “food stamps”) to children who normally receive free or reduced-price school meals.
Pre-approval Flexibility: FNS is allowing reimbursements for meals served prior to notification of approval and provide flexibility for pre-approval visits. [Extended through June 2021]
Unexpected School Closures: In the early days of the pandemic response FNS provided guidance and flexibility regarding where and how school meals could be served during closures.
Additional Flexibilities
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Alternate Sites Waiver: FNS is allowing approved school food authorities to offer FFVP foods from elementary schools closed due to COVID-19 at SSO and SFSP sites operating during school closures.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Alternate Sites Waiver SY 2020-21: FNS is allowing approved school food authorities to offer FFVP foods at alternates sites through June 30, 2021.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Parent Pick Up Waiver: FNS is allowing parents/guardians to pick-up FFVP foods and bring them home to their children.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Parent Pick Up Waiver SY 2020-21: FNS is allowing parents/guardians to pick-up FFVP foods and bring them home to their children through June 30, 2021.
Minimum Administrative Review Flexibilities: FNS is waiving certain requirements for administrative reviews in cases where an insufficient number of the School Food Authorities’ schools are operating.
Provision 2 Base Year: FNS is granting requests for waivers for schools that were conducting a Provision 2 base year in SY 2019-2020 to develop their claiming percentage using data collected when school was in full operation.
SFSP SFA Sponsor Review Waiver: FNS is waiving the review requirement for experienced School Food Authorities that operated the Summer Food Service Program as a new sponsor during an unanticipated school closure.
SMP Non-Congregate Waiver SY 2020-21: FNS is allowing state-approved Special Milk Program operators, in good standing, to be reimbursed for milk served in non-congregate settings.
SFSP Application Notification Waiver: FNS is extending through December 31, 2020 the notification for application approval or disapproval.
SFSP Monitoring Waiver : Waiving the requirement that the state agency annually review a number of sponsors whose program reimbursements, in the aggregate, account for at least one-half of the total program reimbursements in the state in the previous year.
SMP Parent Pickup SY 2020-21: FNS is allowing state-approved Special Milk Program operators to waive the requirement that milk may only be provided to students during non-congregate meal services.
Other Resources
Questions & Answers: Information on child nutrition program flexibilities in response to COVID-19, including authorities as provided through FFCRA.
Fact Sheets: A compilation of off-site monitoring information for the FNS child nutrition programs.
Team Nutrition Covid-19 Resources: These publications provide considerations, tips, best practices, and sample menus for child nutrition operators who wish to distribute multiple meals at one time.