Required Training Resources for New Applicants - National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program

Oct 10, 2026

Required training resources outline compliance expectations for Sponsors participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program. The materials specify review and sign-off steps for new applicant processes, including student eligibility topics, certification and direct certification, verification procedures, and benefit issuance. Additional modules cover community eligibility, menu planning, nutrition standards and meal patterns, smart snacks, professional standards, civil rights, hiring, annual training hours, food distribution, procurement, monitoring, and resource and financial management. Participants must certify completion and readiness to meet federal and state regulations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Student Eligibility (NSLP/SBP)

Certification and Verification

Benefit Issuance and Meal Counting

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

Menu Planning (NSLP/SBP)

Production Records

Standardized Recipes and CN Labels

Nutrition Standards & Meal Pattern

Transitional Standards and NSLP Components

SBP Meal Pattern Overview

Smart Snacks in School Standards

Professional Standards (NSLP/SBP)

Civil Rights Training and Hiring Standards

Food Distribution Program

Reviews & Monitoring (NSLP/SBP)

Monitoring Parts and Administrative Reviews

Procurement

Resource & Financial Management

Local Wellness Policies

Required Training Resources for New Applicants National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program Sponsors participating in the School Nutrition Programs must comply with federal and state regulations. The following list of webinars and resources provide information on these regulations and are required to be reviewed as part of the new applicant process for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) . These trainings should be reviewed, at a minimum, by the Food Service Director (must be an employee of your organization) and/or Authorized Representative (person who is legally and financially responsible for your organization) . Check the box for each training resource completed, sign the bottom portion, and return to ISBE Nutrition Department staff. Student Eligibility (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Certification of Household Eligibility Applications 52:05 ☐ Direct Certification 1:00:36 ☐ Verification Process & the Verification Summary Report (VSR) 44:25 ☐ Benefit Issuance, Meal Counting, & Claiming 23:48 Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants planning on applying for CEP--for more information on CEP visit ISBE’s CEP webpage.) ☐ SY 22-23 CEP for Illinois Schools--Overview & Application Process 1:16:25 ☐ Operating as CEP in SY 22-23 1:05:48 Menu Planning (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Production Records 15:17 ☐ CN Labels, Product Formulation Statements, & Nutrition Labels 22:41 ☐ Standardized Recipes & the Food Buying Guide 11:01 Nutrition Standards & Meal Pattern ☐ Transitional Standards for Milk, Sodium, & Whole Grains 12:34 (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern Overview 13:28 (required for NSLP applicants only) ☐ NSLP Grain Component 7:33 ☐ NSLP Meat/Meat Alternate Component 6:30 ☐ NSLP Fruit Component 3:43 ☐ NSLP Vegetable Component 23:50 ☐ NSLP Milk Component 3:50 ☐ School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern Overview 6:34 (required for SBP applicants only) ☐ SBP Grains Component 8:05 ☐ SBP Fruit Component 10:50 ☐ SBP Milk Component 4:00 ☐ Smart Snacks in School Standards 11:05 (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants) Professional Standards (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Required Annual Civil Rights Training 26:25 ☐ Hiring Standards for School Nutrition Program Directors 14:10 ☐ Annual Training Hours & Resources 10:45 Food Distribution Program (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ USDA Foods ☐ DoD Fresh Fruits & Vegetables ☐ Diversion to Processor Reviews & Monitoring (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Monitoring--Part 1 46:29 ☐ Monitoring--Part 2 1:24:05 ☐ Common Administrative Review Findings 39:15 Procurement (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Terminologies ☐ Code of Conduct ☐ Large/Formal Purchase Method for FSMC/Vended Meals ☐ Large/Formal Purchase Method for Food/Supplies/Equipment/Services ☐ Micro Purchase Method ☐ Procurement Procedure ☐ Purchasing Equipment ☐ Small Purchase Method ☐ General Procurement for All Programs (required for self-operated sponsors) ☐ SNP FSMC/Vended Meals Contracts (required for sponsors contracting for meal service) Resource & Financial Management (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Maintenance of the Non-Profit School Food Service Account ☐ Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) ☐ Indirect Cost ☐ Revenue from Non-Program Foods Local Wellness Policies (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)☐ Local Wellness Policy Content Requirements 17:13 ☐ Local Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment Requirements 52:14 The above list of trainings is not inclusive of all program requirements. Please review ISBE’s School Nutrition Programs Administrative Handbook in its entirety for detailed information of additional program requirements. ☐ Administrative Handbook (required for NSLP and/or SBP applicants)

FAQs

Who must review the required training resources during the new applicant process?

Sponsors participating in the School Nutrition Programs must ensure the listed trainings are reviewed by at least the Food Service Director and/or the Authorized Representative.

Which training topics are required under Student Eligibility for NSLP and/or SBP applicants?

Required topics include Certification of Household Eligibility Applications, Direct Certification, and the Verification Process and Verification Summary Report, plus Benefit Issuance, Meal Counting, and Claiming.

What certification must the School Food Authority (SFA) staff complete after completing trainings?

The SFA must certify that all specified trainings have been completed by the Authorized Representative or Food Service Director and confirm understanding that federal and state regulations must be met to avoid corrective and/or fiscal action.

Oct 10, 2026

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