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Description
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Provides nutritionally balanced lunches to
children each school day in more than 101,000 public and nonprofit
private schools and residential childcare institutions. |
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Reimburses schools for snacks served to
children through in after-school educational or enrichment
programs. |
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Reimburses at the following rates (current
as of July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008: Free Lunches - $2.47;
Reduced-Price Lunches -$2.07; Paid Lunches - $0.23; Free Snacks -
$0.68; Reduced-Price Snacks - $0.34; Paid Snacks - $0.06. |
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Serves lunches that must comply with the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans and provide one-third of
Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C,
iron, calcium and calories. |
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Provides USDA commodity foods and cash
reimbursement to State agencies for meals served through operating
agreements with school districts. The USDA provides additional
support through its Team Nutrition initiative, including technical
training and assistance to school food service staff, and nutrition
education. |
Background
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The program evolved from Depression-era
efforts to assist children in low-income households and was
established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President
Harry Truman in 1946. |
Participants
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30 million students in more than 101,000
schools and residential childcare institutions participated in FY
2006 (daily average). |
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Children
from household incomes at or below 130% of the federal
poverty level ($26,845 for a family of four for
school year 2007-2008) are eligible for free meals. Those with
higher incomes may be eligible for reduced-price meals. |
Budget
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$7.5 billion in FY 2006. |
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$8.0 billion in FY 2007
(est). |
Contact Information
Last modified: October 2007
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