Sites Needed to Provide Important Afterschool Meals for Kids

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is looking for community sponsors to run afterschool snack and supper programs for at-risk children. This federal program provides free meals to students while they are engaged in positive afterschool programs.

Today's students face difficult challenges on their path to educational success, according to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan.
  
"Many students must overcome a variety of obstacles to achieve academic success," Flanagan said, "like poor diet, limited opportunities for organized activities, uncertain home environments, too much television, risky health behaviors, and stress.

"Local groups and organizations can use the afterschool snack and supper programs to help fill the void that children face on a daily basis," Flanagan said.

Research has demonstrated the positive relationship between good nutrition and academic achievement. MDE's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers an Afterschool Snack and Supper Program in At-Risk Areas that can improve the quality of nutrition for eligible students. The CACFP provides a cash reimbursement for snacks and suppers served to children while in an afterschool program. Reimbursement is for school-age children who are 18 years of age or under at the beginning of the school year.

"We need more organizations to sponsor these crucial afterschool food programs for our children," said State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus. "Good nutrition is a building block in the community for healthy, happy kids who are ready to learn. The need is there and the federal reimbursement for the food is available. Now we need more locations to serve the children."

Eligible sites must:

• Be located in an attendance area of a school where 50 percent or more of the students are eligible for free and reduced price meals.
• Offer educational or enrichment activities after the regular school day ends or on weekends during the times of the year that school is in session.
• Meet licensing, health, or safety codes required by state or local law.
• Serve meals that meet the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meal pattern requirements.

Many students go home to an empty cupboard and absent parents. Their food needs are great but the resources are minimal or non-existent. The CACFP Afterschool Snack and Supper Program in At-Risk Areas could be a stop-gap measure. What child wouldn't want something to eat immediately after the school day? Students who participate in the CACFP Afterschool Snack and Supper Program in At-Risk Areas receive healthy snacks and/or balanced suppers. 

Interested groups and organizations can contact the CACFP staff at (517) 373-7391 for further information. To preview a sample CACFP application, go to www.michigan.gov/meis. Scroll down to Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) and click on the Child Nutrition Application Program (CNAP). To login, use "systemsa" and use "samplesa" as the password. The sample application is in "read only" format.