USDA FNS Presentation At-Risk Afterschool - Promoting Year Round Feeding with SFSP Kathryn Quillen USDA, FNS

Today’s Session USDA FNS Presentation Overview of CACFP  At-risk Afterschool Program  Brief overview of streamlining efforts - schools/SSO Overview of SFSP  National expansion  STAT teams Latest guidance on streamlining:  application requirements,  site eligibility,  monitoring and training requirements Encourage year round feeding

Why Is This Important? USDA FNS Presentation Children in CACFP have access to nutritious meal year round Older children often lose access when the school year ends Expand summer meals to reach millions of children who are not being served by a Child Nutrition program

Agency Priorities USDA FNS Presentation Childhood nutrition, Healthier food choices, Availability of healthy food, Science-based nutrition standards, and Ensure that children get nutritious food year-round.

At-Risk Afterschool Meals USDA FNS Presentation Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: Signed into law by President Obama December 13, 2010 Expanded eligibility for At-Risk Afterschool Meals to ALL States Previously, 13 States and D.C. were eligible

Eligibility USDA FNS Presentation Available to children through age 18 participating in a CACFP afterschool care program  No application forms for parents/guardians  Meals served/consumed in group settings “Area eligible” based only on school attendance area – valid for 5 years  Actual site must be in eligible area Afterschool educational or enrichment activities

Eligibility USDA FNS Presentation Open to schools, nonprofits, and for profit centers  Programs can be drop-in or enrolled Federal law does not require licensing for centers participating in the at-risk afterschool meals component of CACFP. States or local jurisdictions may require licensing. If there is no State or local requirement for licensing, then afterschool care programs must meet State or local health and safety standards.

Activities USDA FNS Presentation Educational or enrichment activities  Tutoring, nutrition/exercise, music classes Organized competitive athletic programs (Babe Ruth/Pop Warner league) may not be approved as sponsors or independent centers Athletic activity may participate as long it’s “open to all” If a school offers afterschool meals, then choir, football team, chess club would be permitted to attend the meal service

Reimbursement USDA FNS Presentation Reimbursement for serving one meal and one snack per child, per day Federal law has no minimum age for at-risk participants. Meals and snacks served to children who are enrolled in preschool, Head Start, Even Start, etc., and who are participating in an eligible afterschool program are eligible for reimbursement. Reimbursement is at the free rate

Meal Service USDA FNS Presentation After the school day or on weekends and vacations during the regular school year At any time during the afterschool program, but States may establish meal time requirements No time between end of school and meal service, or the order, but must be during the afterschool program

Recordkeeping USDA FNS Presentation At-risk afterschool programs must maintain:  Daily attendance rosters, sign-in sheets, or other records of daily attendance  Records of the number of meals and snacks prepared or delivered for each meal service  The number of snacks and meals served  Menus for each meal and snack service Any additional records required by the State agency Handbook:

Streamlined Requirements for Schools USDA FNS Presentation Streamlined application process Single agreements for all Child Nutrition Programs Streamlined training requirements CACFP or NSLP meal pattern requirements

With Afterschool, Everyone Wins! USDA FNS Presentation Nutritious meals and snacks for children Activities that are safe, fun, and filled with opportunities for learning Support for family food budgets Support USDA’s Strategic Plan to reduce food insecurity

Why SFSP? USDA FNS Presentation 21 million NSLP – 3.7 million SFSP Hunger is one of the most severe roadblocks to the learning process Lack of nutrition during the summer months makes children more prone to illness and other health issues. The SFSP is designed to fill the nutrition gap and make sure children get the nutritious meals they need when school is not in session

Summer Food Service Program USDA FNS Presentation Sponsors are reimbursed for free meals served to children, including teenagers through age 18, at approved meal sites in low-income areas Congregate setting Open/enrolled sites, camps Two meals per child/day

Summer Food Service Program-Structure USDA FNS Presentation Sponsors run the program and communicate with the State agency. Schools, local government agencies, camps, faith-based and other non-profit community organizations that have the ability to manage a food service program may be SFSP sponsors. Sites are places in the community where children receive meals in a safe and supervised environment - schools, parks, community centers, churches, and migrant centers. Sites work directly with sponsors.

SFSP USDA FNS Presentation No requirement for structured activities, although sites that offer them draw greater participation Any combination of two meals may be served – except lunch and supper Congregate setting – Federally mandated No meal service times, although they should be realistic for needs of the participants Not reimbursable, but consider offering meals to parents to encourage children to participate

National Expansion Efforts USDA FNS Presentation Despite efforts, SFSP remains the most underutilized nutrition program In 2013 USDA formed State Technical Assistance Teams (STATS) Collaborative Engagement and Partnerships  USDA Agencies  Federal Agencies and Departments  Nonprofit Organizations, Faith Based/Community  Political Engagement  Public/Private Enterprise

Summer Expansion – Target States USDA FNS Presentation STAT teams for five States where FNS worked in partnership with State and community agencies.  2013: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Rhode Island and Virginia  2014: All five 2013 States and six new States: Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, and Texas  2015: All six 2014 States and Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and W. Virginia

Summer Expansion – STAT Teams USDA FNS Presentation STAT Teams:  Focused Intensive Technical Assistance  Advanced Training for State Agency Staff  Other Assistance as Needed Overall STAT Project + National Expansion:  2013, goal was 5 million more meals  Served 7 Million more!  2014, goal was 10 million more meals  Served 11 Million more! Summer 2015 serve 13 Million more – 200 million total!

Stat Project – What Works USDA FNS Presentation Strategic year round summer meals campaign GIS mapping technologies for strategic targeting, outreach and promotion  Capacity Builder, Summer Meal Site Finder Expanded partner collaboration and engaged new partners  Rural Development, HUD, Feed the Children, libraries, social and traditional media communication strategy  Twitter town halls, blog series, webinar series, radio and print media tours Retaining strong sponsors Congressional and local elected leader outreach

Resources USDA FNS Presentation Webinar Series Summer Meals Toolkit Capacity Builder

Seamless Summer Option USDA FNS Presentation The Seamless Summer Option (SSO) has less paperwork, making it easier for schools to feed children during the summer Like SFSP, meals are served free of charge to children, including teenagers through age 18, under the school meal program rules Meals must follow the NSLP and SBP meal patterns Reimbursement is at the free NSLP and SBP rates

Benefits of Year-Round Feeding USDA FNS Presentation Organizations Benefit:  Can hire year-round staff  Receives additional financial stability  Becomes a stable source of services Community Benefits:  Providing year-round meals to low-income children  Brings more Federal funds into the local economy State Agency Benefits Feed More Kids!

Why Transition from CACFP to SFSP? USDA FNS Presentation As a CACFP organization, you are well positioned to succeed in the SFSP…  Staff that is trained  A presence in your community  An established program  You already meet several SFSP requirements

Transitioning From CACFP to SFSP USDA FNS Presentation Site Eligibility CACFP sites are already SFSP area eligible Applications: Not required to demonstrate financial and administrative capability May follow application requirements for experienced sponsors and sites versus for new sponsors and sites Single Agreements MEMO CODE: SP , CACFP , SFSP

Transitioning From CACFP to SFSP USDA FNS Presentation Health and Safety Inspections Training Monitoring Requirements Excess Funds - CACFP may be used in SFSP operations and vice versa

Reminder….. USDA FNS Presentation Must keep separate records must for each program and must ensure that the same children are not served meals in both programs. Sponsors cannot switch back and forth between participation in CACFP and participation in SFSP to serve the same children.

Funding Opportunities USDA FNS Presentation USDA’s Rural Development Agency  Provides loans and grants for development of essential community facilities that serve areas of up to 20,000 CF_Grants.htmlwww.rurdev.usda.gov/HAD- CF_Grants.html USDA - Farm to School Grants – for Schools No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices Sponsor Center  Lists funding opportunities for summer programming, physical activities, organizational capacity building, capital expenditures, and hunger relief bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/child-nutrition-program- grant-opportunitiesbestpractices.nokidhungry.org/child-nutrition-program- grant-opportunities

Resources USDA FNS Presentation Reimbursement Rates: _SFSP.pdf Questions? Contact your State agency! 

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