School Meals Communication Plan for School Year 2023-2024

To:	Child Nutrition Program Operators of the National School Lunch Program
From:	Robert M. Leshin, Director Office for Food and Nutrition Programs
Date:	June 12, 2023

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office for Food and Nutrition Programs (FNP) strives to communicate clearly and consistently with operators of Child Nutrition Programs to support program compliance and the sharing of best practices. In School Year 2023-2024 FNP is providing a variety of learning opportunities for School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating the National School Lunch Program, National School Breakfast Program and Afterschool Snack Program (School Meals). Please review the schedules below that will run from August 2023 to April 2024 and register for DESE's Tuesdays at 2 to stay current and connect with the school meal community.

For any questions related to these resources please contact Denise Courtney at 781-338-6467 or by email at Denise.Courtney@mass.gov . You will receive confirmation of your registration via email and will be prompted to save the events in an electronic calendar for easy access to login.

DESE's Tuesdays at 2

Monthly Cadence	Product	Description
1^st Tuesday	Fueling the Commonwealth Newsletter	Short articles summarizing current events including: changes in federal/ state requirements; current grant opportunities; and notable dates. Previous issues of the newsletter.
2^nd Tuesday	Town Hall for School Meal Programs	FNP Leadership presents on current events and answers questions live from attendees. Not available for later viewing Slides available in the Document and reference library
3^rd Tuesday	Office Hours for School Meal Program Operators	FNP topic experts are available to review current tasks on your to do list, answer questions specific to your SFA and provide a space for targeted group discussions in breakout rooms. Breakout rooms will be hosted by the USDA Foods team who will be able to discuss all spend options and NSLP Consultants, who will highlight the following content in group discussions: August: NSLP Application Renewal September: Meal Access and Eligibility October: Verification November: 742 Report December: Crediting support for product without CN Labels January: Accuclaim February: Ordering USDA foods for 24/25 March: CEP & April Report April: Building and sustaining a diverse wellness committee
4^th Tuesday	Hot Topics: Productive Conversations Fueling the Future of School Meals	A place for directors and assistant directors to connect, problem solve and get inspired! These live peer to peer conversations will feature hot topics across school meals.

Last Updated: June 13, 2023