Afterschool Meal Program facing challenges: New report finds a decline in participation

Access to a nutritious meal through Afterschool Nutrition Programs after school, on weekends, and during school breaks has helped to combat food insecurity for children living in families with low incomes for more than a decade, however based on 2022 data, only 1 out of every 16 children participating in the free or reduced price school lunch program were served by the Afterschool Supper Program, 17 states saw a decrease in supper participation comparing October 2022 to October 2021 data, and 2022 saw a 20 percent decrease in the number of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sites. These are only a few of the staggering figures from the report, “Afterschool Summers: A Snapshot of Participation October 2021 and October 2022,” released last month by the Food Research & Action Center.

After relatively steady growth in the number of children served a meal from 2015 through 2021, 2022 saw a sharp drop of nearly 340,000 children, bringing the number of children served to 1.15 million, below the number of students served in 2017. The report cites factors such as the ending of waivers issued during the pandemic that expanded the communities eligible to offer suppers, easing of some of the administrative burden placed on programs serving meals, and allowing grab and go suppers to be served, as possible reasons for the decrease in participation and number of sites offering suppers.

The report also includes detailed state tables that show that while most states did see a decrease in participation in CACFP, there were a handful of states responsible for a significant portion of the decline: Maryland saw a -87 percent change in supper participation from 2021 to 2022, Colorado -82 percent, Louisiana -73 percent, North Dakota -70 percent, Missouri -46 percent, and California a -42 percent change, totaling nearly 400,000 fewer children with an afterschool supper in 2022 than 2021.

There were bright spots, including Hawaii increasing the number of suppers served by 381 percent comparing 2022 to 2021, and Mississippi (56 percent), New Mexico (56 percent), Idaho (44 percent), Connecticut (43 percent), Tennessee (42 percent), Arkansas (40 percent), Pennsylvania (38 percent), Illinois (36 percent), Nebraska (29 percent), Utah (27 percent), Massachusetts (26 percent), Wyoming (26 percent), New Jersey (25 percent), West Virginia (25 percent), D.C. (21 percent), and Kentucky (21 percent) growing the number of suppers served by more than 20 percent.

Another bright spot in the data is that while participation in CACPF suppers and snacks decreased, participation in National School Lunch Program (NSLP) snacks increased in 2022 by nearly 203,000 children.

To address the decrease in participation, the authors recommendations echo many of the Afterschool Alliance’s priorities:

• Prioritize increased funding for afterschool programs as they are “the essential foundation for serving nutritious afterschool suppers and snacks”;
• Streamline the Afterschool Meal Program and Summer Food Service Program to eliminate duplicative paperwork that places an administrative burden on programs;
• Lower the current 50 percent area eligibility threshold to 40 percent which aligns with the threshold for 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) programs and Title I schools; and
• Allow schools—which are currently only allowed to provide snacks after school through NSLP—to also serve suppers through the NSLP.

Take a look at the full report to learn more about the number of children who were able to receive nutritious afterschool meals and snacks, as well as see how your state fared ensuring that children in need of a healthful afterschool snack and supper were able to access them.