Food Stamp Program | National School Lunch Program
School Breakfast Program | Summer Food Service Program
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Although we may not be thinking about summer yet, it is just around the corner. This is the best time to start work on expanding participation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Many state agencies are already beginning to hold trainings for SFSP sponsors, so there's no time to lose!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Eric Bost has identified the expansion of the SFSP as one of his highest priorities. Under his auspices, USDA national and regional offices are focusing considerable time and resources on increasing the number of meals that will be served by the SFSP this summer. USDA's efforts to expand the SFSP include the development and distribution of outreach videos, CD ROMs, press kits and brochures; meetings with dozens of youth-serving national organizations; and intensified collaborations with the state agencies that administer the SFSP - all specifically focused on expanding participation by sponsors, sites and children in the SFSP. (See Under Secretary Bost's message on SFSP here.)

FRAC has developed and collected SFSP materials and information that we hope will be useful to you in your efforts to get more nutritious meals to children this summer.

• Timeline and action steps for those seeking to expand participation in the SFSP (PDF)
• Basics on sponsoring the SFSP
• New 2002 SFSP reimbursement rates and eligibility guidelines (this document is a MSWord file)
• New seamless summer food waiver for school SFSP sponsors
• New policy memoranda that make it simpler for certain sponsors to operate the SFSP
• Maximum reimbursement pilot project for school and local government SFSP sponsors in 14 states
• What a state legislator can do to increase participation in the SFSP
• What school administrators need to know about summertime school meals (view on the web, or download as a PDF)

For more information on the SFSP, please follow the links below:

• New USDA website devoted solely to SFSP.
• FRAC's annual report on the SFSP and general page on SFSP.
• USDA's SFSP outreach materials.