Which afterschool programs can participate?
USDA provides reimbursement for meals and snacks served in afterschool programs that:

  • Are located at sites where at least half of the children in the school attendance area are eligible for free and reduced price school meals.
  • Offer educational or enrichment activities, after the regular school day ends or on week-ends and holidays, during times of the year when school is in session.
  • Meet licensing, health, or safety codes that are required by state or local law.
  • Serve nutritionally balanced meals and snacks that meet USDA’s nutrition standards, with foods like milk, meat, vegetables, fruit, and bread.

 

Who is eligible for afterschool meals?
Reimbursable meals and snacks can be served to children, including teenagers age 18 or under at the start of the school year. There are no application forms for parents or guardians to fill out. All afterschool meals and snacks are served in group settings, at no cost to the child or to the child’s parents or guardians.

 

How are afterschool programs reimbursed?
CACFP provides cash payments and USDA foods. It gives afterschool programs a steady source of funds, and frees up resources that can be used for other activities. Reimbursement rates for meals are published annually in the Federal Register.

Eligible programs may choose cash instead of USDA foods. The value of USDA Foods provided per meal is also published annually in the Federal Register.

 

Why combine meals and activities after school?
When school is out and parents are still at work, children need a safe place to be with their friends, with structured activities, and supportive adults. Afterschool programs that serve meals and snacks draw children and teenagers into constructive activities that are safe, fun, and filled with opportunities for learning. The food gives them the nutrition they need to learn and grow.

 

Are meals reimbursable during summer vacation?
CACFP is available to afterschool programs only during the school year when classes are in session. To provide meals in summer, ask your State Agency about USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.

 

I run an Afterschool Program that is not in an eligible area, but 50 percent of the children I serve receive free and reduced price school meals. Is my center eligible to participate in the Program?
No. CACFP regulations require that, except for emergency shelters, At-Risk Afterschool Programs must be located in the attendance area of a public school (an elementary, middle, or high school) where at least 50 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price meals under the NSLP.

 

How is area eligibility determined for At-Risk Programs located in school districts that have elected the Community Eligibility Option (CEO)? Are all school buildings considered over 50 percent?
For the purposes of determining area eligibility for CACFP and SFSP, district-wide CEO determinations may not be used. CACFP and SFSP require area eligibility determinations to be made on the basis of individual schools (7 CFR 226.2 Definitions, 7 CFR 225.2 Definitions). Although an entire school district may elect CEO, there may be schools within the school district that fall below the 50 percent free and reduced price meals threshold required for CACFP.

As required by 210.9(b), SFAs must provide the NSLP State agency with a list of schools under its jurisdiction in which 50 percent or more of enrolled children have been determined eligible for free or reduced price meals as of the last operating day the preceding October. If a school district has elected CEO, the NSLP State agency is still required to provide individual school data to the CACFP State agency. Because the 1.6 multiplier is intended to provide an estimate of the total number of students eligible for free and reduced price meals in the eligible schools, the product of the identified student percentage multiplied by 1.6 is the percentage that will be used for area eligibility purposes for CACFP and SFSP (SP Memorandum 12-2012: Community Eligibility Option: Guidance and Procedures for Selection of States for School Year 2012-2013, February 2, 2012 and SP Memorandum 21-2014: Community Eligibility Provision: Guidance Q&As, February 25, 2014).

 

What are the State administrative review requirements for At-Risk Afterschool institutions?
​In CACFP, State agencies must comply with 7 CFR 226.6(m) in conducting reviews of those institutions that have agreements with the State agency to provide At-Risk Afterschool Meals or Snacks. According to these regulations, State agencies must annually review 33.3 percent of all CACFP institutions, including those operating At-Risk Afterschool Programs. At least fifteen percent of the required reviews must be unannounced. Additionally, the current regulations require that State agencies ensure that:

Independent centers and sponsors of one to 100 facilities are reviewed at least once every three years; a review of such sponsors must include reviews of ten percent of the sponsors’ facilities.
Sponsors with more than 100 facilities must be reviewed at least every three years. These reviews must include reviews of five percent of the first 1,000 facilities and two and a half percent of the facilities in excess of 1,000.
Reviews of newly participating sponsoring organizations with five or more child care facilities must be completed within the first 90 days of Program operations.

 

May USDA Foods be used in snacks?
​Yes. Afterschool Programs may use USDA Foods in their Afterschool Snack and/or Meal service. Please note, however, that the school or organization will not earn additional entitlement foods as a result of serving Afterschool Snacks. The amount of entitlement foods earned will continue to be based solely upon the number of lunches or suppers served to children.

 

Who can apply to participate in the CACFP?
All of the following:

  1. Child care centers or preschools
  2. Adult daycare centers
  3. Head Starts
  4. Emergency shelters
  5. At-risk afterschool snack programs or outside school hours programs
  6. Daycare homes

 

What are the benefits of CACFP?
Institutions that participate in the CACFP receive reimbursement to enhance their current menus to offer more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products. This increases the health and nutritional status of children and adults enrolled while enforcing good eating habits. The additional reimbursement also helps to keep the cost of tuition at more affordable levels.

 

What are the meal pattern requirements?
Breakfast must include a milk component, a grain component, and a fruit or vegetable component.
Lunch/Supper must include a milk component, a grain component, a meat or meat alternate component, and a fruit and vegetable component from two different sources.
Snacks must include two of the following four components: milk, grain, meat or meal alternate, and fruit or vegetable.

 

What is Farm to School/Farm to Preschool?
The term “Farm to School” encompasses efforts that bring local or regionally produced foods into cafeterias along with hands-on learning activities and the integration of food-related education into the regular, standards-based classroom curriculum. Farm to Preschool, the incorporation of these activities in early childcare and education settings, is a great way to introduce young children to where their food comes from, and help them develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

Farm to Preschool encompasses a variety of efforts that might include:

  • Purchasing local and regional foods for reimbursable meals
  • Incorporating agricultural education programs into early childcare settings, such as Grow It, Try It, Like It
  • Taste testing with locally-produced foods
  • Participating in a Harvest of the Month program
  • Starting and maintaining preschool gardens
  • Taking field trips to local farmers markets and farms

 

What is the Summer Food Service Program?
​Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child’s need for good nutrition. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow, throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

 

Why is SFSP important in your community?
You know that children who miss school breakfast and lunch are more likely to be sick, absent or tardy, disruptive in class, and inattentive. They also score lower on achievement tests. Good nutrition is essential for learning in school. SFSP provides an opportunity to continue a child’s physical and social development while providing nutritious meals during long vacation periods from school. It helps children return to school ready to learn.

 

How does the program operate?
The Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administers SFSP at the Federal level. State education agencies administer the program in most States. In some areas, the State health or social service department or an FNS regional office may be designated. Locally, SFSP is run by approved sponsors, including school districts, local government agencies, camps, or private nonprofit organizations. Sponsors provide free meals to a group of children at a central site, such as a school or a community center. They receive payments from USDA, through their State agencies, for the meals they serve.

 

Where does the program operate?
States approve SFSP meal sites as open, enrolled, or camp sites. Open sites operate in low-income areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level, making them eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. Meals are served free to any child at the open site. Enrolled sites provide free meals to children enrolled in an activity program at the site where at least half of them are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Camps may also participate in SFSP. They receive payments only for the meals served to children who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals.

 

Who is eligible to get meals?
Children 18 and younger may receive free meals and snacks through SFSP. Meals and snacks are also available to persons with disabilities, over age 18, who participate in school programs for people who are mentally or physically disabled.

 

How many meals do participants receive each day?
At most sites, children receive either one or two reimbursable meals each day. Camps and sites that primarily serve migrant children may be approved to serve up to three meals to each child, each day.

 

How long has the SFSP been in existence?
SFSP was first created as part of a larger pilot program in 1968. It became a separate program in 1975.

 

How much reimbursement does the government provide?
SFSP reimbursements are now based on the number of reimbursable meals served multiplied by the combined operating and administrative rate for that meal.

 

How can I find a site in my community?
To find a meal service site near where you live, contact organizations in your community that are offering an activity program. Organizations offering activities for children are often local schools, community centers, recreation centers, and faith-based organizations. You may also call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE. If you are unable to find a site in your area, please contact your State agency and ask for the location of a meal service site in your community.

 

What can I do if there are no nearby sites feeding children?
If there are no meal service sites in your area, you can mobilize your community to sponsor the program. In order for a site to exist in your community, a school, nonprofit organization or local government agency must be the program sponsor and be responsible for the administration of the program. To begin mobilizing your community, contact the following people and groups, and tell them there is an interest in the community to feed children in the summer.

Contact:

  • The school principal
  • Teachers
  • The Parent Teachers Association
  • The school food service manager
  • School officials
  • The Mayor’s office
  • Recreation and Parks Office
  • County officials
  • Elected officials