Seamless Summer Option

SSO Overview

SFAs participating in the NSLP or SBP, including Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs), are eligible to apply for the SSO. SFAs may serve meals free of charge to children, age 18 years and under and those persons over age 18 who meet the definition of mentally or physically disabled.

Utilize the SFSP and SSO Comparison Chart information to determine which meal program best meets the needs of your summer season operation.

USDA Waiver Requests - Public Notification

The Iowa Department of Education Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services is seeking the following waivers from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Iowa ​Submitted USDA Waiver Requests

• School Sites during Unanticipated School Closures

Submitted and Approved USDA Waiver Requests

• None at this time

General Information

Each SSO site must be designated as one of the following site types:

• Open - all children eat free in communities, age 18 and under, including children who may not be enrolled in the district.
• Restricted Open - sites that meet the open site criteria, explained above, but overall attendance is restricted for safety, control, or security reasons.
• Closed Enrolled - sites that serve only an identified group of children age 18 and under, who are participating in a specific program or activity. Closed enrolled sites can only serve enrolled children, such as students enrolled in a specific school. If the site wishes to serve siblings of enrolled students and/or other children in the community, not enrolled in school, these sites should be classified as open or restricted open sites.

Meal Types

The maximum number of meals that may be offered under the SSO is up to two meals, or one meal and one snack, per child, per day, in any combination except lunch and supper.

Meal Pattern

SFAs that participate in the SSO must follow the SBP and NSLP meal pattern requirements.

Production Records

Production records are required when serving meals under SSO. Sites operating the SSO may document meals served using the same production record templates used for meals served in the SBP and NSLP.

Point of Service

Student names and eligibility status are not needed for the SSO. Meals must be counted at the point when meals are distributed using a meal count tally form or other method, such as an electronic point of service system.

Claiming

• Meal count records must be maintained for all meals served under SSO.
• Meals may be counted on the day distributed, but must be claimed for the day the meal is intended to be consumed.
• All meals served in the SSO are claimed in the 'free' category.

SFA Monitoring

Review of meal counting, claiming and meal pattern compliance at least once during each site’s operations.

Administrative Reviews

Administrative reviews consistent with NSLP/SBP requirements.

A la Carte Food Items and Beverages

Schools operating SSO during the school year may sell a la carte foods and beverages as long as they continue to meet the competitive foods Smart Snacks requirements.

Resources

• Production Records: required when serving meals under SSO.
• School Meals Marketing Toolkit: developed by No Kid Hungry and includes social media images, sample social media posts, postcards and example robocall scripts.
• Meal Pattern Charts: SFAs that participate in the SSO must follow the SBP and NSLP meal pattern requirements unless utilizing an approved meal pattern waiver.
  • School Breakfast Program
  • National School Lunch Program
• Seamless Summer Option: Providing Multiple Meals at a Time During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic USDA Team Nutrition Resource