Congress set to reauthorize afterschool and summer meal programs

Update, July 24, 2019: Reach out to Congress and urge their support of the Summer Meals Act via Rally Congress.

As afterschool program educators and advocates, we know that a hungry child struggles to learn. According to data from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), more than 13 million American children live in “food insecure” homes, where parents struggle to provide food for their families. To help children access nutritious meals throughout the year, there are several federal programs that can help, including the Summer Food Service Program and Afterschool Meals Program. Unfortunately, too many low-income children who are eligible for these programs are not accessing them.

Afterschool and summer learning advocates have an opportunity this year to help increase access to these important child nutrition programs as well as improve operations for the programs. After failing to pass a child nutrition reauthorization bill last session, Congress has restarted the process of reauthorizing the federal child nutrition programs this year. Child nutrition reauthorization offers an opportunity for afterschool advocates to provide input to help improve the programs and increase access for more students.

Based on feedback from local programs, state-level networks and agencies, and national youth-serving organizations, the Afterschool Alliance is advocating for the following priorities aimed at increasing access to nutritious meals for children most at risk for hunger:

• Adjust the area eligibility test (for family childcare, afterschool and summer nutrition) to match the 21st Century Community Learning Centers level. Federal nutrition programs offer reimbursement for snacks and meals for all children in a family child care, afterschool or summer program in a low-income area, defined as an area with more than 50 percent of children eligible for free or reduced price school meals. Lowering the threshold back to 40 percent (as it is in the 21st Century Community Learning Center initiative), would better serve children, ease the administrative burdens of programs seeking funding streams with incompatible area eligibility tests, and increase the number of children who have access to summer and afterschool meals.
• Streamlining the child nutrition programs to enable schools, local government agencies, and non-profits to feed children 365 days a year through allowing flexibility to do CACFP Afterschool Meals year-round or Summer Meals year round, for all types of providers.
• Address barriers to providing nutritious meals after school and during the summer in rural, underserved locations. Transportation can be a major barrier to students’ access to meals in rural communities. Providing funding support through a grant program to get children to a Summer Food Service Program that offers high quality educational and enrichment activities is a vital way to support access in underserved areas.
• Ensure children in need are provided with ample number of meals. Many children participate in evening enrichment programs during the school year and summer months when their parents are working. Program should have the option of serving two meals and a snack or three meals that children can continue learning throughout the day.
• Increase access to the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program. The At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program is currently only available through the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP), which has proved a barrier to many school nutrition programs wishing to provide afterschool meals. Allowing At-Risk Afterschool Meals to be served as an option under the National School Lunch Program (as is currently done with Afterschool Snacks) will ease administrative burden on programs and increase the number of low-income children who have access to nutritious afterschool meals.
• Increase the summer meal reimbursement per meal per student for programs offering enhanced enrichment, learning opportunities, mentoring, or student transportation.

Make your voice heard on these important issues! Contact your members of Congress today and ask them to support increase access to high-quality afterschool and summer meal programs.