Dear Region 6 ESC Community,

Please be advised that the Region 6 ESC office will be closed for Spring Break from March 10 to March 14, 2025. We will resume regular operations on Monday, March 17, 2025.

During this time, access to emails will be limited. We encourage you to enjoy your time off, and don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour on March 9th for Daylight Saving Time!

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to connecting with you after the break.

Warm regards,
The Region 6 ESC Team

The 2025 Annual NSLP Financial Report must be completed by all school food authorities (SFAs) who participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and/or CACFP At-risk programs. This report must be completed by an authorized representative and is based on fiscal year 2024 data.
The due date for the 2025 NSLP Financial Report is March 28, 2025.
Please click here for additional information.

❗❗ Report must be submitted by March 20, 2025 ❗❗

The program year for NSLP is now set to default to PY26. Please take note of the program year in which you are updating the application packet to ensure that the correct program year is being updated.

This years theme was Clue In To School Breakfast!

Did you participate in this year’s celebrations to boost student participation and help them crack the code to academic success with a nutritious school breakfast? Let us know about your success stories.

Send your highlights to dherrick@esc6.net or cscott@esc6.net.

USDA has confirmed that there is no release date scheduled for new "And Justice for All" (AFJA) Civil Rights posters. All operators should use the 2019 version. Operators that no longer have the 2019 version can print the original 2019 version from SquareMeals or a slightly updated version from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website.

Click here to download USDA's AJFA poster and see the printing details below.

Click here to go to USDA's page - And Justice for All Posters (Guidance and Translations)

Please keep the older version of the AJFA posters up until new ones are distributed to CEs by TDA.
Printing details:

• download the poster via the link above. do not alter the poster in any way.
• the poster can be printed on 11x17 paper
• select the "fit to print" option on your printer to ensure the edges of the poster are viable when printed.
• posters may be laminated and reused, but lamination is not required.
• one poster is sufficient per site and needs to be displayed in a prominent location, viewable by participants.

Several revised Administrative Reference Manual (ARM) sections were posted and released on February 14, 2025. Most updates were made to incorporate elements of the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as well as recent updates made to 2 CFR 200, the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Further general updates were made to clarify various existing ARM guidance.
Guidance changes and clarifications were made to the following:
• Definitions
• Section 2, Program Application & Agreement
• Section 3, Civil Rights
• Section 4, Eligibility Determination
• Section 7, Breakfast Meals
• Section 8, Lunch Meals
• Section 9, Pre-Kindergarten Meals
• Section 10, Afterschool Snacks & Meals
• Section 14, USDA Foods
• Section 14a, USDA Foods Processing
• Section 16, Financial System
• Section 17, Procurement
• Section 17b, Buy American
• Section 17c, Cooperative Purchasing
• Section 18, Food Service Contracts
• Section 19, Meal Pricing
• Section 21, Meal Service
• Section 22, Competitive Foods
• Section 23, Food Product Labeling
• Section 27, Professional Standards
• Section 29, Local Wellness Policy
Update Guide sections located at the beginning of each ARM section provide more information about the topics addressed in each release. New language is also highlighted in yellow.
You can find the ARM on this page.
Please replace any previous versions of the above sections that you may have saved.

On an annual basis, TDA must publish a list of schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in which at least one-half of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The School Data for Area Eligibility 2024-2025 report, based on October 2024 claims data for non-CEP schools and the April 2024 CEP ISP report for CEP schools, has been posted to SquareMeals in the following locations:

• CACFP Administration Form
• Summer Feeding Administration Form
• NSLP Administration Form

Visit our SquareMeals page to see our Texas HMI awardees so far! There is still time to apply for this national recognition. Visit the HMI website for an overview video of each award. The application deadline is June 30, 2025. Apply today!

This study has been suspended. You may have received prior communication about it from Mathematica, but no action is required at this time.

If you wish to participate in SSO for PY2025, the application is NOW OPEN in TX-UNPS. Technical Assistance for completing the SSO application is available by contacting your local Educational Service Center (ESC). The deadline for SSO application submittal is May 31, 2025. Please submit early to avoid delay in service.

TDA has published new Summer 2025 Rural Summer Non-Congregate FAQs on the Summer Non-Congregate SquareMeals page. This document serves as the primary "handbook" for operators who serve non-congregate meals in rural areas. While most of the requirements have not changed since last summer, TDA has revised guidance and/or clarified some key topics based on USDA's guidance in January. All substantive updates from last year are highlighted in yellow within the FAQs. TDA will continue to update the FAQs in the coming months as new guidance is received and new resources are developed.
Also available is a recording and the slide deck from the February 27 webinar pertaining to rural non-congregate feeding.
All materials are located on SquareMeals

The following revised SFSP participant notification prototypes have been posted to SquareMeals to reflect updated 2024-2025 Income Eligibility Guidelines:
-- Participant Notification of SFSP Meals - Closed Enrolled Site - NON-AREA ELIGIBLE
-- Participant Notification of SFSP Meals - CAMP SITE
-- Participant Notification of SFSP Meals - CONDITIONAL NON-CONGREGATE SITE
These prototypes can be found on the Summer Meal Programs Administration/Forms page.

USDA Foods for Further Processing opened the Annual Transfer Exercise on January 1, 2025, and will close April 30, 2025. Please review the Transfer Flyer for criteria and transfer form link. The Processor Dashboard shows all school district accounts in the tracking systems to assist you in identifying excess inventory other school districts may be willing to transfer out. Visit the tracking systems often for your current balances – Processor Link and K12 Foodservice. Review the Tracking System Reports Flyer for available reports to generate.

WBSCM catalogs for PY 26 round 1 ordering of USDA Foods closed, February 28, 2025, end of day.
If you opted into the DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetables program you will also see your allocation in WBSCM. TDA will load these funds into FFAVORS in late June. USDA Foods team is no longer accepting reductions to DoD Fresh Program entitlement. Increasing the allotted amount is not an option and all requests to opt-in to DoD have been finalized and will not be adjusted.
The current rate of assistance published by USDA is .45 cents per meal. Inital PY 26 Planned Assistance Level (PAL) is located in WBSCM Reports, Entitlement/Bonus Summary Report.
Requests of USDA Foods can be tracked from the WBSCM Requisition Status Report. Ongoing fluctuations will occur until Purchased Status.
Refer to the Resources page on www.squaremeals.org Food Distribution Program for NSLP for helpful information regarding ordering USDA Foods.

DoD Fresh FFV Program Participants:
Please remember to complete receipts in FFAVORS for each delivery within 2 business days from the date of delivery.
TDA monitors monthly utilization of DoD funds in FFAVORS to ensure proper use of entitlement. To maximize your DoD entitlement SFAs should be spending, at minimum, 10% per month. SFAs who have not been utilizing funds may be at risk of redistribution.
All ordering is complete for SY25. RAs can validate with a Requisition Status Report in WBSCM and checking the "Requisition Status" for “Approved by SDA”.
Please check your user accounts in WBSCM to validate that appropriate SFA staff are active, have the correct roles assigned, and that their emails are up to date.
Sales Orders that are in "Order Received" status are available at your contracted warehouse and must be placed on a delivery schedule as soon as possible.
Please check with your contracted warehouse if you need any available surplus.
TX-UNPS Weekly Commodity Bulletin will no longer track entitlement allocations and balances for SY25. RAs must utilize a combination of reporting from WBSCM, FFAVORS and distributor systems.
For questions regarding USDA Foods, please contact your respective Education Service Center Child Nutrition representative(s) for guidance, training, and technical assistance in WBSCM.

TDA will continue to host FSMC Fridays. Dates are the third Friday of each month from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. You must register to attend. If Food Service Management Companies attend this webinar, they will be disqualified from submitting proposals.
Click here to register for the FSMC Friday Webinars
Dates for 2024-25:

March 21
April 17
May 16