Description

	Provides nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months and long vacation periods for schools on year-round schedules. Served 129.5 million meals in FY 2008.
	Reimburses sponsors, such as schools, local government agencies, playgrounds, residential and non-residential camps, faith-based organizations or private  nonprofit organizations for meals served to enrolled children at eligible sites. Sponsors receive reimbursement payments based on the number of meals served and the documented costs of running the program.
	For summer 2008, the USDA’s maximum reimbursement rate per meal were approximately: Breakfast - $1.72; Lunch/Supper - $3.03; and Snacks - $0.71.
	Serves up to two meals or one meal and one snack per day per child. Camps or sites that primarily serve migrant children may be approved to serve more meals.
	Includes two basic types of feeding sites…open and enrolled.
	*  Open sites—opened to the community; all meals are reimbursable if the site is        located in areas in which at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free        or reduced price school meals    *  Enrolled sites—opened to enrolled children only and where at least 50 of the        enrolled children at the site are eligible for free or reduced price school meals        and all meals are reimbursable.
	Sponsors may also receive USDA foods.

Background

	In 1968, the Special Food Service Program for Children (SFSPFC) was created as a 3-year pilot program consisting of both the Child Care Food Program and the summer program. Congress reaffirmed its support of these programs and, in 1975 separated the child care and summer feeding component of the SFSPFC and provided each with individual legislative authorization.
	The SFSP was designed to ensure that school-aged children in lower-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during the long school vacation, when they did not have access to school lunch or breakfast.

Participants

	Served about 2.1 million children at about 32,704 meal sites in 2008.
	Participants are generally children 18 and younger. However, meals and snacks are also available to people with disabilities older than 18, who participate in school programs for the mentally or physically disabled.

Budget

	$312.2 million in FY 2008.
	$293.7 million in FY 2007.

Contact Information

For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer  or contact your State agency that administers the SFSP. View Agency listings at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer , select “Contacts.”

Last modified: October 2007