Fact Sheet
What is the Summer Food Service Program?*
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program that reimburses agencies for providing nutritious meals to children 18 years or age and younger. The program operates during periods when school is not in session for 15 continuous school days.
Who can be a SFSP sponsor?
Entities eligible to be a SFSP sponsor include public and private schools, Indian tribal governments; units of local, municipal, or county governments; and other public or private nonprofit agencies.
Are there any restrictions?
Private nonprofit organizations are limited to operating 25 sites and may not serve more than 500 children per site.
How will the SFSP benefit the children?
In California, needy children are eligible to receive at least one nutritious meal daily while attending school. When school is out, children often miss this nutritious meal. A well-balanced diet is important to a child’s growth and development. Children who do not receive proper nutrition are likely to be absent from school due to illness; they also do not concentrate or perform well when they are in school. Providing children with a nutritious meal when school is not in session helps them to return to school ready to learn and succeed.
How does the SFSP affect participation in other activities?
Meals from the SFSP are an excellent incentive for bringing children to ongoing programs. The SFSP is often used in conjunction with job training programs for teenagers and young adults. The SFSP also provides employment for food service workers who usually do not work during the summer months.
What foods can be served?
Meals must follow a specified meal plan that includes milk, fruits, vegetables or juice; grain products (cereal, muffins, etc.); and meat or meat alternate (ground turkey, eggs, cheese, bean, etc.). The quantity of each item depends on the meal being served: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. The SFSP allows most sponsors to serve two meals or a meal and a snack each day. Residential camps and migrant sites may claim three meals each day.
How are sponsors reimbursed?
A sponsor submits monthly claims in order to receive reimbursement. The claim form may be obtained from our Summer Food Service Program page. The SFSP reimburses sponsors by the number of eligible meals served multiplied by the current rate regardless the sponsor’s administrative and/or operating expenses. Visit our Rates, Eligibility Scales, and Funding page for current rates.
What type of sites may be approved to operate?
“Open” sites may be established where poor economic conditions exist. To determine a site’s eligibility, 50 percent of the children enrolled in the nearest school must qualify for free and reduced price meals. Census tract information must show that 50 percent of the children living in the area are low-income. “Restricted-open” sites may limit the number of meals served on a daily basis due to safety, security, or control issues.
“Closed-enrolled” sites serve identified groups of children that:
1. Live in a pocket of poverty;
2. Live in other areas and are transported to a location where less than 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced price meals/low-income; or
3. Participate in a program that provides recreational, cultural, religious, or other types of organized activities.
If 50 percent or more of the children enrolled are determined as low-income, then the sponsor can be reimbursed for all meals served.
Camp sites are only reimbursed for meals served to children who are determined to be low-income.
How to obtain additional information or obtain an SFSP application for participation?
If you wish to obtain an application for participation or additional SFSP information, you may contact one of the SFSP specialists listed below.
* Dennis Arena at 916-327-2220, or by e-mail at darena@cde.ca.gov
* Patty Atherton at 916-327-5456, or by e-mail at patherto@cde.ca.gov
* Melissa Garza at 916-322-5885, or by e-mail at mgarza@cde.ca.gov
* Nicole Gomez at 916-327-5865, or by e-mail at ngomez@cde.ca.gov
When is the SFSP application due?
Submit your application 45 days before beginning meal service. You must submit your application no later than June 15 for the current federal fiscal year. If we receive your application after June 15, we cannot approve program participation until October 1.
How Many Participate in the Program?
The SFSP is severely underutilized. There are approximately 2.8 million children in California eligible to receive free or reduced-price school lunch, in 2001 about 30% of them participated in the summer nutrition (SFSP and school lunch combined). Of the children receiving free and reduced priced lunches, just under 44% receive a lunch during the summer. The program is severely under utilized by older children and children in rural areas.
Many counties in California don’t serve summer meals despite a high need for them. In 2000, 16 of 58 counties did not have a single summer food site. There are almost 13,000 children in these counties alone who rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year, but are left to fend for themselves during the summer.
Isn’t there a new waiver the helps schools serve summer meals without having to operate the traditional Summer Food Program?
Yes. Schools can now request a waiver to operate sites that feed children who are not in school under National School Lunch Program rules and guidelines. By doing so, schools have less paperwork and monitoring requirements, allowing schools the opportunity to take on new sites and stay open all summer long. Call CFPA to get information on the Seamless Waiver 415.777.4422 ext.108.
How much reimbursement does the government provide?
SFSP reimbursements are now based on the number of reimbursable meals served multiplied by the combined operating and administrative rate for that meal. For summer 2009, the maximum reimbursement rate per meal in most States is:
Self Preparation-Rural Sites
Breakfast: $1.815
Lunch/supper: $3.1825
Snack: $.7525
Other Types of Sites (Vended-Urban)
Breakfast: $1.78
Lunch/supper: $3.13
Snack: $.735
*Sources: California Department of Education, California Food Policy Advocates, and the United States Department of Agriculture.
