Applying for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant Year - PDF document

Applying for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant Year 2020-21 Hi, Im Rachel Floyd. I am the NSLP team Lead specialist and the program contact for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which I will refer to throughout this webinar as FFVP. This webinar is designed to familiarize you with the FFVP application in WINS. This webinar will walk you through the steps of the application. It will not go into great detail about the Fresh Fruit and vegetable program. If you would like to learn more about FFVP, there is information about the program on OSPI’s website. You can also learn more about this national program on the USDA website. Briefly about the program… 1

What is FFVP? The FFVP Application is now in WINS! Using the new WINS module, sponsors can  View which sites are eligible to apply.  Apply for FFVP . FFVP is not just a snack program; its goal is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. The FFVP also encourages healthier school environments by promoting nutrition education. Program operation must include nutrition education activites. 2

New for School Year 2020-21! The FFVP Application is now in WINS! Using the new WINS module, sponsors can  View which sites are eligible to apply.  Apply for FFVP . New for this upcoming school year, the FFVP application will be in WINS, housed in the same place as all other child nutrition programs. Instead of paper applications that used to be scanned and emailed or faxed, this year’s application for FFVP is only available in WINS. After logging into your WINS account, the system will automatically alert you of any school sites that are eligible to apply for funding. If you have applied for FFVP in the past, many components of this application will look very familiar. 3

Deadlines If you have sites that are eligible to operate FFVP: Normal Requirement Deadlines WINS sends notifications regarding On May 1 qualified sites to your queue All site applications are due to OSPI, May 30 submitted through WINS OSPI will notify sites selected for the July 1 grant and the total award amount As previously mentioned, WINS determines the list of all eligible sites. These are the same requirements as before, that the site must be an elementary school, and that at least 50% of the students be eligible for free or reduced price meals. The system pulls from your 2019 October building data to retrieve those numbers, as well as your site application to determine grades served. A few dates of note for the entire process: ∙ [April 1 is typically the open date. This year with the current public health emergency due to covid 19, May 1 is our open date] – a notice is sent to the Applications Notifications queue on the Sponsor Home Page for all Sponsors with sites that are eligible to apply for FFVP. This serves as the “notice of interest” that you want to apply for funding for FFVP at this site. To submit, you will fill out the FFVP site application. ∙ [April 30 is the typicaly close date , now May 30 due to the public health emergency this year)] – FFVP Site Applications must be submitted for consideration for participation in the FFVP program. ∙ by June 1 – OSPI notified by the USDA of total allocation amount for program ∙ [by July 1] – Sites will be selected for participation andtheir Site Applicationwill be Approved.) Sites notified of their allocation amount. Allocations are based on the number 4

of students at that particular site. Sponsor Application, and Site Spending Plan are made available in WINS for selected Sites. Further training and instructions on how to fill out the site spending plan will be given by OSPI after July 1. 4

May 1-May 30 The FFVP Site Application is available. May is the time that the application period is open. You are encouraged to begin the process early in case you have questions that you need to ask me or if you need to consult with other stakeholders in your district for input on some of the application questions. 5

Ensure WINS access To apply for FFVP , you must be a WINS user. If you do not have WINS access, you can either: • Have an existing WINS Authorized Sponsor Admin give you permissions via WINS (preferred) • Fill out and submit a WINS Access Rights/User Authorization form and submit to OSPI for processing Please ensure that you have WINS access. If you dont, there are two ways that you can get access. I’d add that they need to return it to OSPI for processing and earmark that option 1 is preferred (and easier). If utilizing the second option, it may take a couple of business days to process the request for a new user account. Please plan accordingly. 6

WINS Notification • You may have already seen this message pop up in WINS to alert you of the application about to open 7

After May 1st • On May 1 st , begin by logging into your WINS profile. You will see all sites that have been determined eligible by the system. • You can choose which sites you want to apply for the program. If you don’t want a site to participate, you can select “site not participating” by clicking the box to the left. • Otherwise, click little glasses icon to view to application. 8

Applying for FFVP • This will take you to the site application page. This will show the current year’s programs and their application status. • Click on the renew application button. • Since you are applying for the program year for 20 ‐ 21, you need to add a new program year. 9

Applying for FFVP • Select FFVP as the program, then hit next. 10

Applying for FFVP • Let’s move on completing the site application. • To move through the application, confirm the address, then add contacts for FFVP. Ensure these are correct, so I know who to follow up with if I have questions about the FFVP application now or implementation of the program down the road. 11

Operating Plan • After your contacts have been filled out, go onto the site operating plan. • Note your operating days. Your start date cannot be before the program year opens, which is October 1 st . If you are a current year sponsor and you have 19 ‐ 20 funds, you can of course utilize those funds through the end of the current program year. But new funds are only available October 1 st and after , so select a start date that begins on that date or later. • For the last operating date, consider if you will serve FFVP snacks only through the end of the school year or through the program year, September 30. • Some schools choose to serve only until the last operating date in June, others will choose to budget through the school year and have leftover “start up” funds for August and September of the following school year. Select what you anticipate for your site, knowing that you aren’t locked into this. 12

Operating Plan • Next, fill in the rest of the operating plan. You are limited to 250 characters per answer, but please provide as much detail as possible. This is where you will demonstrate that you have thoughtfully considered how you will implement or continue to implement this program. • Your answers are not graded per se, but if they lack sufficient detail, they may be returned to you to add more information. 13

Implementation Once you have filled out the site’s operating plan, you will be taken to the implementation plan. The implementation plan identifies how your FFVP award will target outcomes regarding student health. As you fill these prompts out, consider some of the big picture intents behind the desire to operate this program. FFVP is not just a snack program; its goal is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. The FFVP also encourages healthier school environments by promoting nutrition education . How will its operation impact your specific population of students? I would encourage you to work with other people from your wellness committee on this section or others who are integral in implementing the program. 14

Promotion • Next, we are going to focus on how you will promote FFVP. • These are the same questions that were on last year’s application. • Take some time to consider these questions as they relate to the nutrition activities you plan to offer, what community partners you plan to work with, and how FFVP will be promoted within your school and community. • This section in particular is an opportune one to sync with your school wellness policy and other initiatives around student health your district may have. 15

Check for Errors and Submit • After that, check for any errors. If there are any, you have the opportunity to go back and fix them. • Next, hit done and continue on to submit your application. Don’t forget to hit submit. If you don’t hit submit, the application stays in created status and it wont automatically send to me. • You are now done with the application process! The next step is to wait for OSPI to process applications. A reminder on the timeline of next steps… 16