Resource Library

A significant number of children missed out on nutritious suppers and snacks offered by the Afterschool Nutrition Programs, according to FRAC’s latest report, Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation – October 2021 and October 2022.

The Afterschool Nutrition Programs offered an important opportunity to combat hunger during the 2020–2021 school year as communities and families continued to feel the educational, health, and economic impacts of COVID-19. Read the 2021 report to learn more.

This report analyzes national and state participation in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs in October 2019 when compared to participation in October 2018.

FRAC has developed a communications toolkit to help spread the word about the promising growth in afterschool nutrition participation. The toolkit includes our new report, our national news release, a sample news release, sample social media, and graphics.

FRAC’s report on participation data in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs measures how many children had access to afterschool suppers and snacks in October 2018, nationally and in each state. The Afterschool Supper Program served 1.3 million children on an average weekday in October 2018, an increase of 10.4 percent, or 126,393 children, from October 2017.

Increasing participation in the Afterschool Meal Program requires proactive planning and partnership. Developing a strong and cohesive outreach plan is an important way to increase participation, and the summer months are the perfect time to recruit afterschool sites, ensure existing sites will be returning, engage new partners, and increase awareness. Detailed below are things to consider when developing an afterschool meals outreach plan, as well as best practices shared by Florida Impact, Children’s Hunger Alliance, and the City of Seattle.

FRAC’s report on participation data in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs measures how many children had access to afterschool suppers and snacks in October 2017, nationally and in each state. 1.2 million low-income children benefited from afterschool suppers in October 2017, an 11.3 percent increase from the previous year.

This interactive map highlights participation in the Afterschool Supper Program and Afterschool Snack Program for each state.

Since the nationwide expansion of the Afterschool Meal Program was authorized in 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sponsors, state agencies, and anti-hunger, afterschool, and child advocates have been working to increase the number of programs and children participating. This fact sheet details promising practices that can help increase the reach of afterschool suppers.

Every day, school nutrition departments across the country provide healthy meals to children to fuel their minds and bodies. FRAC has a variety of resources to help school districts boost participation in school breakfast and lunch and implement strong afterschool and summer nutrition programs that maximize federal child nutrition funding.

The Afterschool Nutrition Programs fill the hunger gap that exists after school for millions of low-income children in rural communities. The programs, which include the Child and Adult Care Afterschool Meal Program and the National School Lunch Program Afterschool Snack Program, provide federal funding to afterschool programs operating in low-income areas to serve meals and snacks to children 18 and under after school, on weekends, and during school holidays.

An infographic stating early 1.1 million low-income children benefited from afterschool suppers in October 2016. From FRAC’s first-ever report on participation data in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs.

FRAC’s first-ever report on the Afterschool Nutrition Programs measures how many children had access to afterschool suppers and snacks in October 2016, nationally and in each state.

The report found that nearly 1.1 million low-income children benefited from afterschool suppers in October 2016, up from just 200,000 in October 2011.

The president’s fiscal year 2021 budget does not propose any direct changes to the federally funded Afterschool Meal and Snack Programs. These child nutrition programs, like the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Summer Nutrition Programs, are federal entitlement programs and are not part of the president’s proposal for the discretionary budget. The proposed budget does, however, zero out funding for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), the largest federal funding source for operations of afterschool and summer programs.

The Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program, authorized under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act), was created to ensure homeless students have educational rights and protections. State Education Agencies (SEA) and Local Education Agencies (LEA) must review and revise their current policies and procedures to safeguard homeless students’ access to high-quality education as part of drafting their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans.