Food and Nutrition Programs

FY25 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Training Opportunities

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office for Food and Nutrition Programs (FNP) will provide training opportunities to SFSP sponsoring organizations on program regulations and operations. This memo includes a detailed list of training events scheduled for fiscal year 2025 (FY25).

Training will be offered in several formats: an interactive online course, live Zoom sessions, recorded on-demand presentations, and in-person at the DESE office in Everett. Almost all training methods will yield a completion certificate and DESE does not require one training format over another. Live training events will hold space for questions from programs, but if sponsors are unable to attend a live session, they can attend the Town Hall events or send questions directly to their consultant.

Each SFSP sponsor is required to complete an SFSP training annually. This requirement is verified via the online application where a training completion certificate is uploaded into the "SFSP Annual Training Participation Certificate" component. This is required for an application to be considered fully submitted.

Effective FY25, the application renewal training will not count towards the annual training requirement. Sponsors must complete any of the available operational-based trainings to meet the annual training requirement.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Live Zoom Trainings

The following events will be held live over Zoom. These events will allow participants to ask questions about the information presented. Some of these events will be recorded and a recording will be made available after the event.

• SFSP Application Training: This webinar will provide an overview of the SFSP application for FY25 (with an anticipated roll date of April 18, 2025). In this training, we will review the required application components, important updates to site and sponsor application, and review the process for sponsors adding new sites. This event will be recorded and the presentation slides with a link to the recording will be available to view after the live event.
  • Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
  • Time: 2:00–3:00pm
  • Registration link
  
  
• Summer Spotlight Series: These sessions will take a deep dive on popular SFSP topics. These sessions will not only address the important policies and regulations, but delve deeper into discussions on implementation, best practices, and communication. Participants are encouraged to sign up for any session which impacts their program or operations.
  • This event is held on Wednesdays at 2pm.
    • May 14^th: Promoting your summer program—with CNOP
    • No session on May 21^st
    • May 28^th: Building summer menus
    • June 4^th: Serving Local Foods—with Denise Courtney
    • June 11^th: Serving Milk
    • June 18^th: Offer Versus Serve (OVS) in the SFSP
    • June 25^th: Food safety on site
  • Register for any/all sessions
  
  
• FY25 SFSP Town Hall: This town hall-style event will allow programs to ask questions directly to FNP as they relate to SFSP. Sponsors are encouraged to ask DESE their SFSP-related questions using this anonymous survey ahead of the town hall, but are also welcome to ask questions during the live event. These events are great opportunities to get important reminders about SFSP operations while programming is being offered.
  • Session 1:
    • Date: Tuesday, July 15t^h
    • Time: 2:00–3:00pm
  • Session 2:
    • Date: Tuesday, August 12^th
    • Time: 2:00–3:00pm
  • Registration Link
    • This will automatically register for both events
  
  

In-Person Training: SFSP Summer Symposium

DESE will offer a one-day in-person training in the office space in Everett, MA. This training will provide a deep dive into several important aspects of the SFSP and give attendees the opportunity to ask questions and talk with their peers.

• SFSP Summer Symposium
  • Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025, 10am-3pm.
  • Location: DESE Offices, 135 Santilli Highway, 3^rd Floor, Everett, MA 02149
  • Registration link

Online Course: Operating the SFSP

FNP is pleased to announce the availability of an interactive, online training course which reviews the major components of operating the SFSP. The course, Operating the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) , provides important information on the SFSP, including site types and eligibility, meal service, meal pattern, program recordkeeping, and program monitoring. This course serves as an interactive and engaging complement to the SFSP Program Guide which is released by DESE.

This resource is accessible to all, and sponsors are encouraged to review this training content with their program staff. A certificate of completion is available at the end of the course.

Recorded PowerPoint Trainings:

Recorded, on-demand SFSP trainings are available in the "SFSP Sponsor Training Materials" folder in the Document and Reference Library in the DESE Security Portal.

The following training courses are available on-demand. These may be used to train SFSP site staff, as appropriate.

• Point-of-Service Meal Counts
• SFSP Meal Pattern
• SFSP Meal Service
• SFSP Site Monitoring
• Food Safety and Meal Temping
  • Please note: This training is not a food safety certification substitute