School and Community Nutrition Programs

Welcome!

The Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (VDOE-SCNP) is committed to ensuring that every Virginia student has equitable access to freshly prepared, nutritious, locally sourced, and student-inspired meals. Studies show that well-nourished students are better prepared to learn, and schools and community organizations help to provide a healthy environment through nutritious meals, healthy snacks, and opportunities for physical and nutrition education.

News & Announcements

Register for the Virginia Farm to School Network to receive event information.

NEW! Community Eligibility Provision Toolkit

The VDOE-SCNP created a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) toolkit to provide information and resources about the CEP option to all eligible school divisions participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). This toolkit is intended for nutrition directors, financial directors, superintendents, and administrators of school divisions.

The VDOE-SCNP promotes, supports, and sustains Virginia’s school and community nutrition programs. These programs play a critical role in childhood food and nutrition security as well as student wellness and academic achievement. We are dedicated to serving schools, children, families, and communities through program administration, training and technical assistance, and grants and initiatives. 

Program Administration

We administer the following U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) school and community nutrition programs:

• National School Lunch Program (NSLP),
• School Breakfast Program (SBP),
• Special Milk Program (SMP),
• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
• Seamless Summer Option (SSO),
• At-Risk portion of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP),
• Afterschool Snack Program (ASP)
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), and
• Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (SEBT).

Training and Technical Assistance

We offer an annual Regional Directors Meeting, a bi-annual Farm to School and Directors' Conference, a New Director's Academy, and Summer Manager Workshops where we share policy updates, showcase best practices, and provide resources and applicable professional development.

Grants and Initiatives

We implement grant projects and initiatives that enhance our programs and create opportunities for innovations in school and community nutrition program operations.

• Virginia Food for Virginia Kids Initiative: Increases locally procured, scratch-made, student-inspired meals throughout the Commonwealth through training and workforce development opportunities.
• Farm to School Programs: Build capacity for Virginia schools and community sponsors to procure Virginia grown and regionally sourced foods in the school and community nutrition programs through grand funding, training, and regional networks.
• FY24: Team Nutrition Training Grant: Provides Virginia frontline cafeteria staff with hands-on-training to meet the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Final Rule), while offering scratch-made and student-inspired meals, using locally procured foods.

Impact

During school year 2023-2024, school and community nutrition programs in Virginia served:

• 67.4 million breakfasts through the SBP,
• 118.2 million lunches through the NSLP,
• 5.7 million afterschool meals through the At-Risk CACFP, and
• 4.1 million summer meals through the SFSP and SSO.

School and Community Nutrition Calendar

Go to the School and Community Nutrition Programs Calendar for information about upcoming training opportunities, webinars, conferences, and other VDOE-SCNP events.

Tell Us about Your School Nutrition Events!

Please complete the Virginia School and Community Nutrition Events Form to share all nutrition-related events, awards, and recognitions happening in your school division.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

1. mail:
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
   
   
2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
   
   
3. email:
   program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.