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Child Nutrition Services
23 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0023
(207)624-6842
Fax (207)624-6841

After School Snack Program

Maine Department of Education

After School Snack Programs in the National School Lunch Program

 

Federal Regulations for After School Snack Program

 

 

Eligible Programs

 

To qualify for reimbursement for snacks, an after school care program must meet the following criteria:

 

• The program must be administered by the LEA operating the National School Lunch Program.
• The purpose of the program must be to provide care in an after school setting and must include regularly scheduled, structured, and supervised activities.
• The program must include educational or enrichment activities. Any extracurricular activities can qualify under this provision only if their basic purpose is to provide after school care. Examples of these activities may include the school choir, debate team, drama society, etc.
• After school care programs that are designed to accommodate special needs may be eligible to participate.
• Programs that include supervised athletic activities may participate, provided the athletic activity is open to all and does not limit membership for reason other than space or security.
• The after school program must be operated by the LEA and not some other organization, although the school does not have to use its personnel or regular school facilities.
• The LEA must retain final administrative and management responsibility for the program including the program site.
• The LEA for the school must enter into an agreement with the Maine Department of Education and must assume full responsibility for meeting all program requirements, although the LEA may arrange with another organization, such as a PTA, to operate the after school program.

 

Ineligible Programs

 

• Interscholastic sports or other organized athletic programs/teams/leagues unless the program is open to all students and the basic purpose is after school care.
• Head Start Programs, because they are not after school care programs. Snacks may be served to these children only after their regular school hours.

 

Eligible Sites

• The Site must meet State or local health and safety standards.
• The Site must be administered by the LEA for the after school program.

 

Ineligible Sites

 

• LEAs participating only in the Special Milk Program are not eligible.
• Nonprofit sites that receive vended snacks from an LEA.

 

Ineligible Snack Times

 

• Snacks that are served before or during the child's school day may not be claimed for reimbursement. A child's eligibility begins when his or her school day ends, not necessarily when school ends in the building. Therefore, a half-day kindergarten student in an after school care program may be served snacks while older students are still in session.
• Snacks on weekends, holidays or during vacations may not be claimed.

 

Record Keeping

 

LEA's that choose to claim reimbursement for snacks must maintain the following records:

• If all meals are claimed free, you must have documentation that the site is located in an area served by a school in which fifty percent (50%) of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
• For sites that are not area eligible fifty percent (50%), applications for free or reduced price meals must be on file for all children for whom free and reduced price snacks are claimed.
• Daily meal counts by category.•  Daily attendance records, such as sign in sheets, for the after school program.
• Written snack menus.
• All records must be maintained for three years plus the current year.

Claims

• Claims will be submitted electronically through the regular claim process.

 

This provision represents an important initiative to bring nutritious snacks to Maine children. Eligible schools are encouraged to participate.

Please feel free to contact Child Nutrition Services at (207) 624-6843 or e-mail walter.beesley@maine.gov if you have questions or need assistance.

 

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• What are "After School Snacks"?

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) now offers cash reimbursements to help schools serve snacks to children after their regular school day ends. After school snacks give children a nutritional boost and draw them into supervised activities that are safe, fun and filled with learning opportunities.

 

•  How can children benefit from the snack service?

After school snacks help ensure that children receive the nutrition they need to learn, play and grow. Organized, structured, and supervised programs that provide snacks allow children to think and behave better, and help them make the grade!

 

•  Is my after school care program eligible?

In order for a site to participate, your school district must run the NSLP. Additionally the after school care program must provide children with regularly scheduled educational or enrichment activities in a supervised environment. Contact your State education agency for further information regarding program eligibility.

•  What days can I offer ASSP?

ASSP can be offered only on the days that school operates. It is not available on weekends, holidays, and vacations.

•  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 fruit(s) or full strength vegetable or fruit juice; a serving of while grain or enriched bread and/or cereal.

 

•  How much money will my school get for serving snacks?

Snacks served in after school care programs that are "area eligible" (see Question 6) will be reimbursed at the free rate, regardless of an individual student's eligibility for free or reduced price lunches. Snacks served in after school care programs that are not area eligible will be reimbursed at the free, reduced price and paid rate depending on each individual's eligibility for free or reduced price meals. For the period of July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999, reimbursement is $0.5325 for free snacks, $0.2675 for reduced price snacks, and $0.04 for paid snacks. The rates of reimbursement for Alaska and Hawaii are higher. These rates are adjusted annually.

 

•  How is "area eligible" defined?

An after school care program site is "area eligible" if it is located at a school or in the attendance area of a school where at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduced price meals for the most recent October data. For example, if a high school with less than 50 percent free or reduced price school enrollment is located in the attendance area of middle school that has 50 percent or more of the enrolled children eligible for free or reduced price meals, then the after school care program located in the high school would be area eligible.

 •  If my site is not area eligible, must I take applications for individual students to determine whether they are eligible for free or reduced price benefits?

Since your school district is already participating in the NSLP, it will have free and reduced price applications on file. The eligibility determinations for those applications would apply for both the lunch and snack service under the NSLP. If an approved free or reduced price application is not on file, the school district will earn the paid rate of reimbursement for snacks served to that student unless the student makes application and is approved for free or reduced price benefits.

 

•  How do I apply for after school snacks?

Contact the school food service director in your school district. You may also want to contact your State education agency for more information. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service homepage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm has a list of State agencies.

•  When do the reimbursements begin?

As soon as the State agency approves your application, reimbursement will be earned for snacks served. Your program may also be eligible for retroactive reimbursements if you met snack program requirements and maintained accurate records of the snacks served back to October 1, 1998. Contact your school food service director (and State agency) to determine if you are eligible to receive retroactive reimbursement.

 

•  What records must be maintained?

Your school food service staff 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, if you are area eligible, you must record and report the total number of snacks served each day by category of reimbursement (i.e., whether they are served free, at a reduced price or paid). You will also be required to maintain documentation of compliance with the meal pattern.

 

•  If I am not eligible under NSLP, what can I do?

If you are not eligible under the requirements for the NSLP, you may still qualify for snack reimbursement under the Child and Adult Care Food Program. To find out, contact your State agency.

 

•  Who administers the program?

The NSLP is administered on the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Within the individual States, the program is administered by State agency, in most cases through offices in the State Department of Education. At the local level, the program is administered by the school/school district.

   

"Healthy Eating Helps You Make the Grade!"

 

After School Snack Meal Pattern

 

Components (Select two different components from the four listed)	Ages 1 and 2	Ages 3 Through 5	Ages 6 Through 12
Milk Milk, fluid	½ cup	½ cup	1 cup
Vegetables and Fruits Vegetable(s) and /or fruit(s) or full-strength fruit or vegetable juice or An equivalent quantity of any combination of these foods (Juice may not be served when milk is served as the only other component)	½ cup	½ cup	3/4 cup
Grains and Breads¹   Bread or Cornbread, biscuits, rolls, muffins, etc. or Cold dry cereal² or Hot cooked cereal or Cooked pasta or noodle products or Cooked cereal grains or an equivalent quantity of any combination of the above grain and bread products	½ cup ½ serving ¼ cup or 1/3 ounce ¼ cup ¼ cup ¼ cup	½ slice ½ serving 1/3 cup or ½ ounce ¼ cup ¼ cup ¼ cup	1 slice 1 serving ¾ cup or 1 ounce ½ cup ½ cup ½ cup
Meat and Meat Alternates Lean meat or poultry or fish³ or Cheese or Eggs or Cooked dry beans or peas or Peanut butter or soy nut butter or other nut or seed butters or Peanuts or soy nuts or tree nuts or seeds or Plain yogurt or sweetened and flavored or An equivalent quantity of any combination of the above meat and meat alternates	½ ounce ½ ounce ½ egg 1/8 cup 1 tbsp.   ½ ounce 2 oz. or ¼ cup	½ ounce ½ ounce ½ egg 1/8 cup 1 tbsp.   ½ ounce 2 oz. or ¼ cup	1 ounce 1 ounce 1 egg ¼ cup 2 tbsp.   1 ounce 4 oz. or ½ cup

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¹Bread, Pasta or noodle products, and cereal grains must be whole-grain or enriched or fortified

²Either by volume (cup) or weight (ounce), whichever is less

³Edible portion as served

 

 

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Orange Juice Graham Crackers w/ Peanut Butter	Banana Bread Milk	Grape Juice Bagels w/ Low fat Cream Cheese
Watermelon Chunks Milk	Blueberry Muffin Milk	Apple Juice Crackers/Cheese cubes
Low fat Yogurt Banana	Oatmeal Cookies Milk	Peanut Butter Sandwich Milk
Cheese and Crackers Tomato Juice	Soft Pretzel w/ mustard Milk	Mixed Dried Fruit Graham Crackers
Pizza w/ Cheese	Cereal Milk	½ Ham and Cheese Sandwich Milk

 

After School Snack Program Forms:

Application/Agreement for After-School Care Snacks in National School Lunch Program is now part of attachment IV

Daily Record Form--After School Snack

Site Review Form--After School Snack

 

All the forms can be found on the Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition Forms Page

 Child Nutrition Program Forms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5/2013

 

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