Afterschool Meals

Sign Up to Serve Afterschool Meals in Addition to Snacks!

If you are operating an afterschool program that provides educational and enrichment activities and you are located in a low-income area, a new federal nutrition option can fund afterschool MEALS for the children and teens you serve. 
  • The At Risk Afterschool Meals Program through the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program provides reimbursement for up to one snack and one meal. Reimbursement is currently set at $2.99 for a meal and 76 cents for a snack.
  • Programs may be operated by non-profits or public agencies, and must be located in areas where 50% or more of school students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.
  • Program may only operate during the school year (the Summer Food Service Program provides funding for
  • Competitive sports teams are not eligible, but afterschool programs that include a sports activity as part of their enrichment programs may be eligible.

Three steps are required to apply:

1.      Contact your local program specialist for information, assistance and an application for the At Risk Afterschool Meal Program. Complete as much of the application as you can. The
2.      Attend a training; trainings are held across the state on an almost monthly basis. Click here for the schedule.
3.      Have a site visit from a Program Specialist who will help you complete the application, answer your questions and discuss the program.
 
In order to participate, programs must either be licensed by the Department of Early Learning as a child care center or family child care home, OR receive health and safety inspections and approvals from county level Health Departments and Fire Safety agencies. We are working on compiling contacts and information for all areas of the state, and will forward it when it is available.

Great Resources:

This report examines the obstacles that current and potential nonprofit organizations at the sponsor level face in their effort to participate in the At-Risk Afterschool Meals program. While limited in its scope, the report seeks to identify areas that would benefit from targeted attention from nonprofit and state agencies by documenting the experiences of current and potential sponsors via qualitative interviews. Findings illustrate that lack of organizational capacity and administrative barriers are the most limiting factors for current and potential sponsors. Near the end of this report, programmatic and policy recommendations are proposed that seek both to address these barriers and expand participation on a statewide level.