This report analyzes national and state participation in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs in October 2019 when compared to participation in October 2018.
Read the reportThis report analyzes national and state participation in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs in October 2019 when compared to participation in October 2018.
Read the reportSchools and community sponsors operating the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Afterschool Meal Program can receive federal funding for providing meals on weekends, school holidays, and school breaks during this school year. As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact families with children, this remains an important but currently underutilized opportunity to reduce hunger and support good nutrition during COVID-19 and to support program operations while drawing down additional federal reimbursements.
Explore the Best PracticeThe Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act would provide free breakfast and lunch to all students attending schools that participate in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during the 2020–2021 school year.
Read the Advocacy ToolThe Families First Coronavirus Response Act gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to issue nationwide waivers to ensure access to meals through the child nutrition programs as communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to issue waivers to increase cost. This resource provides a list of the waivers and was last updated September 21, 2021.
Read the guideOn February 10, 2020, President Trump released his fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget proposal, which recycles many of the harmful proposals in the president’s previous budgets. In it, he proposes huge cuts to overall USDA funding and devastating cuts to SNAP and child nutrition programs. This analysis highlights areas of the budget that fund key anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs and how the proposed budget, if implemented, would harm the health and well-being of millions of people in our country.
Read the reportDHS’ Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule went into effect on February 24, 2020, and anti-hunger and nutrition stakeholders have important roles to play in providing basic facts about SNAP and other public benefit programs and in providing referrals to reliable legal resources on public charge questions. This FAQ provides information on the DHS public charge rule and how the rule intersects with the food security of immigrant families. This FAQ does not constitute legal advice or take the place of legal advice from an immigration attorney.
Read the FAQsThe Trump Administration’s new Department of Homeland Security public charge rule does not include receiving free or reduced-price school meals. The new rule directly impacts a relatively small group of people, but it is expected to have a broader “chilling effect” that will reduce the number of immigrant families applying for benefits, including school meals. This resource helps make sense of the landscape by answering key questions.
Read the reportCongress has an important opportunity in 2020 to improve the health of millions of our nation’s children by passing a strong reauthorization that protects and strengthens the child nutrition programs. These successful, cost-effective federal nutrition programs play a critical role in helping children in low=income families achieve access to child care, education, and enrichment activities while improving overall nutrition, health, development, and academic achievement.
Learn moreThe “Reimbursement Rates and Income Guidelines for the Federal Child Nutrition Programs” chart contains rates and income guidelines for:
School Meals and Afterschool Snacks (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020);
Summer Food Service Program (January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020);
Child and Adult Care Food Program (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020); and
Income Guidelines for the Child Nutrition Programs (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020).
Read the reportFRAC has developed a communications toolkit to help spread the word about the promising growth in afterschool nutrition participation. The toolkit includes our new report, our national news release, a sample news release, sample social media, and graphics.
Read the reportFRAC’s report on participation data in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs measures how many children had access to afterschool suppers and snacks in October 2018, nationally and in each state. The Afterschool Supper Program served 1.3 million children on an average weekday in October 2018, an increase of 10.4 percent, or 126,393 children, from October 2017.
Read the reportThe Access to Healthy Food for Young Children Act of 2021, introduced by Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), would strengthen and expand the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The bill proposes many positive changes that would yield myriad benefits to the children and families that depend on CACFP for the healthy meals and snacks that the program provides. Includes information on the What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and specific information on what the bill proposes.
Download the fact sheetThe Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) urges Congress to enact legislation that supports and strengthens program access and participation by underserved children and communities; ensures nutrition quality; and simplifies program administration and operation. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of the federal child nutrition programs, and a number of policy improvements that were made during COVID-19 should be implemented permanently by Congress. Legislation should also maintain and build upon the critical gains made in the last child nutrition reauthorization. In order to achieve these goals, FRAC asks Congress to make the following improvements to the child nutrition programs.
Find out moreIncreasing participation in the Afterschool Meal Program requires proactive planning and partnership. Developing a strong and cohesive outreach plan is an important way to increase participation, and the summer months are the perfect time to recruit afterschool sites, ensure existing sites will be returning, engage new partners, and increase awareness. Detailed below are things to consider when developing an afterschool meals outreach plan, as well as best practices shared by Florida Impact, Children’s Hunger Alliance, and the City of Seattle.
Read the reportIncludes: The Strength of SNAP and SNAP Action Needed; The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP); Child Nutrition Reauthorization
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