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Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

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Description

Provides nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months and long vacation periods for schools on year-round schedules. Served 118.3 million meals in FY 2006.
Reimburses sponsors, such as schools, local government agencies, playgrounds, residential and non-residential camps, faith-based organizations or private nonprofit organizations for meals served to enrolled children at eligible sites. Sponsors receive reimbursement payments based on the number of meals served and the documented costs of running the program.
For summer 2007, the USDA’s reimbursement rate per meal is as follows: Breakfast - $1.51; Lunch/Supper - $2.64; and Snacks - $0.61.
Serves up to 3 meals or 2 meals and one snack per day per child. Sites that primarily serve migrant children may be approved to serve more meals.

Includes two basic types of feeding sites…open and enrolled.

  • Open sites—opened to the community; all meals are reimbursable if the site is located in areas in which at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced price school meals

  • Enrolled sites—opened to enrolled children only and where at least 50 of the enrolled children at the site are eligible for free or reduced price school meals and all meals are reimbursable.

 

Background

In 1968, the Special Food Service Program for Children (SFSPFC) was created as a 3-year pilot program consisting of both the Child Care Food Program and the summer program. Congress reaffirmed its support of these programs and, in 1975 separated the child care and summer feeding component of the SFSPFC and provided each with individual legislative authorization.
The SFSP was designed to ensure that school-aged children in lower-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during the long school vacation, when they did not have access to school lunch or breakfast.

Participants

Served more than 1.9 million children at about 30,200 meal sites in 2006.
Children 18 and younger. However, meals and snacks are also available to people with disabilities older than 18, who participate in school programs for the mentally or physically disabled.

Budget

$284.2 million in FY 2006.
$293.7 million in FY 2007.

Contact Information

For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer or contact your State agency that administers the SFSP. View Agency listings at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer, select “Contacts.”

 

Last modified: October 2007