The Afterschool Meals Program may be administered as part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to offer either snack or supper.
Afterschool Snacks in the National School Lunch Program
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) offers financial reimbursement to help school-based programs serve snacks to children after their regular school day ends. To participate, school districts must be participating in the NSLP and the afterschool program must provide educational or enrichment activities in a supervised environment. Visit the USDA Afterschool website for a list of frequently asked questions.
Afterschool Meals in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers financial reimbursement to help school-based, non-profit, and non-school-based organizations serve healthy snacks and/or suppers to children in after-school care programs. To participate, programs must be “area eligible” and afterschool programs must provide educational or enrichment activities in a supervised environment. The USDA provides
CACFP Meal Patterns to view or download.
Special Milk Program
The Special Milk Program (SMP) ensures that children in schools and childcare institutions that do not participate in other federal meal service programs receive reimbursement for milk being served. The USDA provides a program fact sheet to view or download.