Seamless Summer and Other Options for Schools
Children need good nutrition,
all year long. The Summer Food Service Program,
National School Lunch and
Breakfast Programs, and the
Seamless Summer Option make it
possible for schools
to provide nutritious meals, after the regular
school year ends.
Seamless Summer Option
Schools participating in the
National School Lunch or School
Breakfast Program are eligible
to apply for the Seamless Summer Option.
Seamless Summer has less
paperwork, making it easier for
schools to feed children during
the traditional summer vacation
periods and, for year-round
schools, long school vacation
periods.
Once approved by the State
agency, the school serves meals
free of charge to children,
including teenagers through age
18, under the school meal
program rules.
Meals are reimbursed at the free
rates for school lunches, school
breakfasts, and afterschool
snacks, which are slightly lower
than the Summer Food Service
Program rates.
Summer Food Service Program
SFSP
is ideal if you
sponsor enrichment,
recreational, or activity
programs over the summer.
The State agency reimburses
sponsors for free meals served
to children, including teenagers
through age 18, at approved meal
sites in low-income areas.
Simplified rules allow
sponsors to earn the maximum
rates of reimbursement for the
meals served and use the money
as needed to enhance the
food program for children.
School Lunch and Breakfast
The
National School Lunch and
School Breakfast Programs
are available for any school
that is hosting an academic
summer school.
Academic summer schools that
intend to serve meals only to
enrolled students follow the
same rules and claiming
procedures for free,
reduced-price, and paid meals
that they follow during the
regular school year.
The Right Option for Your School
Which program will be the best option for serving meals to children in
your community? To help you decide, we have created a
chart to show how SFSP, traditional school meals, and
the Seamless Summer Option compare.