BACKGROUND: Participation in the US Department of Agriculture's summer meals program is consistently lower compared to National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation, even though the programs target the same population of children. The purpose of this study was to elucidate reasons for participation and nonparticipation in the summer meals…

This report starts with an overview of child nutrition programs' funding structure and then provides detail on each program, including a discussion of how they are administered, eligibility rules for institutions and participants, nutritional and other program requirements, and recent policy changes. Changes to child nutrition programs that have…

Financial support provided by the Legislature helps to ensure Washington children have access to healthy school meals. In fiscal year 2022, the Legislature provided $11.5 million to eliminate the co-pay for reduced-price meals, support summer meal programs, provide school districts with financial support for breakfast meal service, and provide…

The child nutrition programs support meals and snacks served to children in schools, child care, summer programs, and other institutional settings in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. This report starts with an overview of child nutrition programs' funding structure and then provides detail on each program,…

FNS Research Corner provides a continuing series to summarize recently completed and current research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the area of Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). Summaries of recently completed research projects and in-progress research are provided in this article.

The federal child nutrition programs provide assistance to schools and other institutions in the form of cash, commodity food, and administrative support (such as technical assistance and administrative funding) based on the provision of meals and snacks to children. The programs provide financial support and/or foods to the institutions that…

Many families rely on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded school lunch and breakfast programs to make the family's food budget stretch, improving their food security throughout the school year. These programs feed about 31 million students annually. During the summer where schools are not in session, food security decreases. The USDA…

Serving safe food is a critical responsibility for maintaining quality foodservice programs and healthy environments at schools and child care facilities. Child Nutrition Programs hopes you find this newsletter of assistance when reviewing the food safety program you have at each serving site. The articles contained in this issue are: (1) A…

The primary goal of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is to provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas when school is not in session. This issue of "Nourishing News" focuses on SFSPs. The articles contained in this issue are: (1) Is Your Summer Food Program Financially Fit? (Jean Zaske); (2) Keeping the…

Designed to meet the needs of children who have no other means of receiving nutritious meals during the summer months, the summer food program operates out of schools, churches, playgrounds, parks--facilities which can demonstrate that they have the capability to serve wholesome meals and snacks to children in needy areas. (Author/NQ)

This handbook gives those who monitor food service sites a work knowledge of their duties and responsibilities as representatives of sponsors in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The organizational structure of the SFSP and the training of monitors are reviewed. The responsibilities of visiting sites and checking site operations are…

Testimony concerning the Summer Feeding Program was heard during the June 25, 1971 hearing from R. S. Gribbs, mayor of Detroit, Mich.; K. Gibson, mayor of Newark, N. J. and, Arnold Robles and Edward Koplan, program administrators of Los Angeles County, Calif., and City of San Antonio, Texas. Testimony concerning the withholding of funds for…

This handbook describes the duties of the supervisor of a food service site in the Summer Food Service Program for Children. The responsibilities of the program sponsor are listed. These include handling bills and paperwork, training supervisors, and providing recordkeeping forms to the site supervisor. The responsibilities of the site supervisor…

This report discusses the administration of the 1977 summer food program for children. Widespread abuses in 1976 and earlier programs are reviewed. It is held that although some abuses did occur in 1977, these were fewer and less serious than before. Causes of the program abuses are discussed in detail, and include such factors as: (1) inadequate…

This handbook describes the duties of the supervisor of a food service site in the Summer Food Program for Children. The responsibilities of the program sponsor are listed first; these include handling bills and paperwork, training supervisors, advising about meal types and what to do with leftovers, providing record-keeping forms and…