Front Page / Issue Briefs / Health and Wellness / After-School Nutrition and Wellness / USA
Issue Brief
After-School Nutrition and Wellness - USA
Scope of the Problem factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future
Past Policy & Program Milestones key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.
- 1994: The Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-448) - Authorized several demonstration projects, including a project providing snacks to children, between the ages of 13 and 18, in areas with high rates of violence or drug and alcohol abuse.
- 1998: The William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-336) - Authorized Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reimbursement for snacks to children through age 18 in afterschool programs in all States.
- 2000: The Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-224) - Expanded the "at-risk" afterschool component of CACFP to allow reimbursement for meals for children through age 18 in afterschool programs in the following States: Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Missouri. Two additional States, New York and Oregon, were selected by USDA on a competitive basis out of a pool of 10 applicant States.
- 2001: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 (P.L. 107-76) - Authorized meal reimbursement for afterschool programs in Illinois.
- 2008: 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-161) - Authorized meal reimbursement for afterschool programs in West Virginia.
- 2009: The Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-8) - Authorized meal reimbursement for afterschool programs in Maryland and Vermont.
- 2009: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-80) - Authorized meal reimbursement for afterschool programs in Connecticut, Washington D.C., Nevada, and Wisconsin.
- 2010: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-296) - Expanded meal reimbursement for at-risk afterschool programs in all States.
Current Policy & Programs summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding
Child and Adult Care Food Program - At-Risk Meals and Snacks
Eligibility:
- Eligible programs include non-profits with 501(c)(3) status OR for-profit child care centers already participating in CACFP as a proprietary Title XX child care center with 25% of its enrolled participants eligible for free or reduced price meals.
- Programs must be located in a school district in which 50 percent or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals
- Organized to provide care after school hours, on weekends, and school holidays during the regular school year
- Provide participants with regularly scheduled activities in an organized, structured, and supervised environment
- Educational or enrichment activities must be included
- All meals must be served to school aged children under the age of 19.
- Cannot be extracurricular activities that are restricted to children with special skills or interests, such as school athletic teams.
- Programs may not claim meals or snacks during the summer vacation.
The following meal time policy applies to At-Risk Meals and Snacks:
- Breakfast Meals may only be claimed during school holidays or weekends during the school year. Breakfast meal service may be no more than two hours in duration.
- Lunch Meals may only be claimed during school holidays or weekends during the school year, except that lunch meals may be claimed for those participants who only attend school half-day, such as pre-school. Lunch meal service may be no more than two hours in duration.
- Supper Meals may be claimed while school is in session, during school holidays and weekends during the school year and must begin no earlier than the end of the normal school day. Supper meal service may be no more than two hours in duration.
- Snack service may be no more than one hour in duration and two hours must elapse between the beginning of a meal service and the beginning of a snack service.
Requirements
- Organizations are not required to conduct eligibility determinations or collect enrollment information for participants participating in the at-risk Afterschool program.
- At-Risk Afterschool care centers may serve a maximum of one meal and one snack per day to eligible participants.
- Centers claiming at-risk snacks and/or meals must maintain At-Risk Attendance Records and the CACFP Required Meal Count Form, and must maintain a roster or sign-in sheet that documents the total number of participants. The roster or sign-in sheet is not intended to be used to identify which individual participants receive snacks but to establish the maximum number of snacks that can be claimed on a given day. The accurate counts of snacks served must be maintained to support claims for reimbursement.
Reimbursement Rate:
At-Risk Afterschool meals and snacks are reimbursed at the following rates:
| |
Breakfast |
Lunch/Dinner |
Snack |
| Free |
$1.51 |
$2.77 |
$.76 |
| Reduced-price |
$1.21 |
$2.37 |
$.38 |
| Paid |
$.27 |
$.26 |
$.07 |
The free rate is provided to those at 130% the poverty level or below ($29,055/yr for a family of four).
The reduced rate is provided to those at 185% the poverty level or below ($41,348/yr for a family of four).
The paid rate is for those above 185% of the poverty level (Over $41,348/yr for a family of four).
National School Lunch Program - Afterschool Snack Program
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) reimburses afterschool programs for the snacks they serve to children 18 and under. The school food service department administers the snack service for the afterschool program.
To qualify for NSLP, afterschool programs must be school sponsored. This does not mean that the afterschool program needs to be directly operated by the school or located on school grounds. It is up to each individual school to determine what afterschool programs are school sponsored. For example, in some communities schools sponsor NSLP snacks for area YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs.
To participate in NSLP, afterschool providers must offer educational or enrichment activities. Because of this requirement, athletic programs that compete in leagues and do not have other activities do not qualify for the snack program.
Eligibility
-
To be eligible afterschool providers must offer educational or enrichment activities. Because of this requirement, athletic programs that do not offer these activities do not qualify for the snack program.
-
To participate, afterschool programs must find a sponsoring school that participates in the National School Lunch Program
-
Potential sponsors include all public schools, nonprofit private schools with 501(c)(3) status, and residential child care institutions that participate in the National School Lunch.
-
Program are eligible to sponsor a program that may begin at any time during the year.
- Participating sponsors receive cash reimbursement based on the number of snacks served to eligible children. Children are eligible to participate through age 18.
Participation requirements
Sponsors must annually sign an agreement with the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture that includes, but is not limited to, the following requirements:
- Planning snack menus which meet specific minimum meal pattern requirements.
- Claiming reimbursement only for snacks served to children that meet the required meal pattern.
-
Providing a free or reduced price snack to children from households meeting criteria for eligibility, based on household size and income and a paid snack to children ineligible for free or reduced benefits.
-OR-
Providing all children free snacks if the serving site is considered "area eligible." An after-school care program site is "area eligible" if it is located at a site or in the attendance area of a school where at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduced price meals
- Operating the program on a non-profit basis solely for the benefit of children within the school/site
All snacks served through NSLP must meet USDA nutritional guidelines and include at least two of the following:
- 1 serving of milk
- 1 serving of fruits and/or vegetables
- 1 serving of grains
- 1 serving of protein
- A snack can be as simple as carrot sticks with low-fat dressing and a carton of low-fat milk or apple slices and peanut butter.
Record-keeping
- A reimbursement voucher is filed monthly with the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
- Records must be maintained which include, but are not limited to, applications for free and reduced price meals, daily snack counts and income records, daily dated menus, production records.
- The required statistical and financial records supporting all reimbursement vouchers must be kept on file for a period of three years following the fiscal year to which they pertain except that, if audit findings have not been resolved, the records shall be retained beyond the three year period as long as required for the resolution of issues raised by the audit.
- All records must be available for administrative review and/or audit by the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Reimbursement Rate
|
Free
|
$0.76
|
|
Reduced-price
|
$0.38
|
|
Paid
|
$0.07
|
The free rate is provided to those at 130% the poverty level or below ($29,055/yr for a family of four).
The reduced rate is provided to those at 185% the poverty level or below ($41,348/yr for a family of four).
The paid rate is for those above 185% of the poverty level (Over $41,348/yr for a family of four).
Key Organizations contacts for public and private organizations
- Government
- Executive Branch
- Legislative Branch
- Judicial Branch
- Non-Profit
- Service Providing
- Advocacy/Membership/Network
- Foundation
- Other
Bibliography web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material
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