Area Eligibility Duration in the Summer Food Service Program

In an effort to provide administrative relief to state agencies and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsoring organizations, we are extending to the SFSP a provision of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that allows state agencies and institutions to rely upon a determination of area eligibility for up to five years when based on National School Lunch Program (NSLP) data. The provision has been extended to the NSLP in relation to Seamless Summer sites and applying it to the SFSP provides for consistent administration across Program lines.

Effective immediately, SFSP sponsors of sites determined to be area eligible based upon school data are now required to re-determine site eligibility every five years instead of every three years. New sites determined to be area eligible based upon school data will be considered eligible for up to five years from the date of determination.  State agencies may extend by two years, for a total of five years, the area eligibility of sites currently participating on the basis of school data.

Please convey this information to all SFSP sponsoring organizations as soon as possible.

State agencies may direct questions regarding this guidance to their regional office.

STANLEY C. GARNETT
Director
Child Nutrition Division