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After School Snack Programs Print E-mail

The Afterschool Snack program has been established by Section 102(d) of Public Law 105-336 to provide nutritious snacks for children involved in after-school programs. Snacks can be provided by Child and Adult Care Food Programs (CACFP) or schools through the National School Lunch Programs (NSLP). Reimbursement for snacks served in after-school care programs became effective October 1, 1998.

icon USDA Afterschool Care Snack Program Handbook for School Programs (1.94 MB 2006-06-06 15:25:42)

Programs that provide care after the school day ends may be eligible for USDA reimbursement for snacks served to children through age 18. To be eligible for reimbursement, after-school care programs must meet the criteria listed under each program. The criteria is slightly different for participation under CACFP and NSLP, so review both options carefully to determine which is best for your situation.

CACFP Afterschool Snack Overview

How do I apply for CACFP afterschool snacks? Contact your CACFP State agency today to participate in this Program! In Iowa and in most states, the CACFP State agency will be your State Department of Education. If you are located in Iowa you may call the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Nutrition Programs and School Transportation for more information at (515)-281-5356 or contact: Rod.Bakken@iowa.gov

Is my afterschool care program in an eligible area?

In order for a site to participate, your program must be "area eligible". An after-school care program site is "area eligible" if it is located in the attendance area of a school where at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduced price meals. Afterschool care programs can use free and reduced price meal data from elementary, middle, or high schools to document a site as "area eligible". You must also provide children with regularly scheduled educational or enrichment activities in a supervised environment.

How do we get reimbursed?

Programs may claim reimbursement for one snack per child, per day. All snacks which meet the CACFP meal pattern are reimbursed at the free rate. Sites may not charge for snacks served to eligible participants.

What type of snacks must be served in my program?

In order to be reimbursed, the snacks must contain at least two different components of the following four: a serving of fluid milk; a serving of meat or meat alternate; a serving of vegetable(s) or fruits(s) or juice; a serving of whole grain or enriched bread and/or cereal.

What times of the day/year may snacks be claimed?

Snacks may be reimbursed under CACFP after the school day has ended and at any time of day on weekends, holidays, and vacation periods during the school year.

What records must be maintained?

Your State agency will provide you with specific information on the reporting and record keeping requirements. You will need to maintain a roster or sign-in sheet for participating children. Additionally, you must record and report the total number of snacks you serve each day, and document compliance with the meal pattern for CACFP. Your State agency will be able to provide you with a copy of the CACFP meal pattern.

Which Type Should I Choose? Outside School Hour Child Care (OSHCC) or "At-Risk" Afterschool Snack Program (AASP)?

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) has two special types of serving sites (OSHCC and AASP) that are well suited for part-day childcare operations (usually before school hours, or after school hours or both before and after school hours). Your part-day childcare site(s) operation may be located separately from your full-day childcare center or located within your full-day childcare center but serving a group of older children distinctly separate from the full-day children.

If you have a part-day childcare, use the following information to determine if you are eligible, whether the OSHCC or the AASP best suites your part-day childcare needs, and whether or not you wish to submit an OSHCC or AASP Site Application.

You must first contact the State Agency before submitting a new Site Application.

You are qualified for an OSHCC when you:
  • Serve a separate group of children up to age 13 years before/after normal school hours, usually during the school year, school vacations and during the summer.
  • Serve Breakfast or PM Snack or both.
  • Located anywhere in a licensed/license-exempted facility.
  • You collect Free and Reduced-price Income Eligibility Forms if you claim reimbursement at free or reduced-price rates.

You are qualified for an AASP when you:
  • Serve a separate group of children up to age 19 years after normal school hours during the school year, including weekends and during school vacations.
  • Serve a PM Snack
  • Located in a licensed/license-exempted facility located within an eligible low-income area (50% or more based on school data or based on 2000 US Census data). All snacks are automatically reimbursed at the free rate.

For an additional afterschool snack option, review the Child and Adult Care Food Program afterschool snack basic information. 

CACFP Afterschool Snack Resources

icon CACFP Snack Meal Pattern (27.24 KB 2006-06-06 10:08:13) 

icon CACFP Sample Cycle Menu (79.47 KB 2006-06-06 09:47:48)
 
icon CAFP Daily Snack Count Form (26.4 KB 2006-06-06 09:48:50)

icon CACFP Daily Snack Attendance Form (117.85 KB 2006-06-06 10:02:04)
   
icon CACFP Sample Snack Menu Form (22.96 KB 2006-06-06 09:50:56)

NSLP Afterschool Snack Overview

How do I apply for afterschool snacks? Contact the school food service director in your school district if you are located outside of Iowa. If you are located in Iowa you may call the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Food and Nutrition for more information at 515-281-5356 or contact: Patti.Harding@iowa.gov

Is my afterschool care program eligible?

In order for a site to participate, your school district must operate the NSLP. Additionally the afterschool care program must provide children with regularly scheduled educational or enrichment activities in a supervised environment. Sites are either area eligible in which case all snacks are served free or snacks are served and counted based on the free and reduced or paid eligibility of the student. Contact the Bureau of Food and Nutrition, Iowa Department of Education at (515)-281-5356 for further information regarding program eligibility in Iowa.

How do we get reimbursed?

Schools may claim reimbursement for one snack per child, per day. If the site is located in an area served by a school in which at least 50% of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, all children are eligible to receive reimbursement for snacks at the free rate. Sites located in other areas must count meals and claim reimbursement by eligibility type of the child (free, reduced-price and paid) and have documentation of eligibility. No more than $.15 may be charged for a reduced-price snack.

What type of snacks must be served in my program?

In order to be reimbursed, the snacks must contain at least two different components of the following four: a serving of fluid milk; a serving of meat or meat alternate; a serving of vegetable(s) or fruits(s) or juice; a serving of whole grain or enriched bread and/or cereal.

What times of the day/year may snacks be claimed?

Meals may only be claimed when served after the school day has ended. Meals served on weekends, holidays, or vacation periods may not be reimbursed under the NSLP.

What records must be maintained?

The following records are required to receive reimbursement:
For sites that are not area eligible, free and reduced price applications for all children for whom free and reduced price snacks are claimed;
Meal counts (totals for sites qualifying for free reimbursement for all children;
meal counts by type for all other sites);
Documentation for each child's attendance;
Documentation of compliance with meal pattern requirements (menus) and food production records.

Documentation of two monitoring reviews done by the school food authority each year must also be maintained. The first review must be done within the first four weeks of Program operations. Forms for each type of record may be found under NSLP Afterschool Snack Resources, "USDA Afterschool Care Snack Program Handbook for School Programs."

For additional afterschool snack options, review the National School Lunch Program afterschool snack basic information: www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Afterschool/default.htm

NSLP Afterschool Snack Resources

icon USDA Afterschool Care Snack Program Handbook for School Programs (1.94 MB 2006-06-06 15:25:42)

icon Iowa Afterschool Snack Program Daily Attendance Record (10.86 KB 2006-06-06 15:01:24)  

icon Snack Participation Data Worksheet(Roster) (5.07 KB 2006-06-06 15:50:25)

icon Self Monitoring Form for On-Site Reviews of Afterschool Care Snack Program (11.46 KB 2006-06-06 15:03:56)  

icon Iowa Afterschool Snack Program Food Production Record Worksheet (9.87 KB 2006-06-06 15:02:33) 

 

Afterschool Snack Program Contacts

 

Afterschool Snack Program Links
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 October 2007 )