The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in public and private schools, providing nutritionally balanced meals each school day. Through NSLP, schools may also provide nutritious afterschool snacks to children in supervisededucational or enrichment activities. Schools receive a cash reimbursement for each lunch or snack served in addition to USDA commodity food donations.
Lowincome children are eligible for reducedprice or free lunches and snacks. Children in households with incomes below 130 percent of the poverty level or those receiving SNAP or TANF qualify for free meals, and those with family incomesbetween 130 and 185 percent of the poverty line qualify for reducedprice meals. NSLP is an entitlement program that guarantees a set reimbursement for each qualifying meal or snack served.
- NSLP operates in over 101,000 schools and serves 31.2 million children each school day. Over 62 percent receive free (16.2 million) or reducedprice (3.2 million) lunches.
- Schools may charge no more than 40 cents for a reducedprice lunch.
- Federal Program Cost: $10.0 billion in FY2009.
The School Breakfast Program (SBP) operates in public and private schools, providing nutritionally balanced meals each school day. Schools receive a cash reimbursement for each breakfast served. Lowincome children are eligible forreducedprice or free breakfasts under the same income guidelines as NSLP. SBP is an entitlement program that guarantees a set reimbursement for each qualifying meal served.
- SBP operates in more than 87,000 schools and serves 11 million children each school day. About 82 percent receive free (7.9 million) or reducedprice (1.1 million) breakfasts.
- Of the 19.4 million children receiving free or reducedprice lunch, only 46 percent (9 million) receive breakfast.
- For every 100 schools operating a lunch program, only 86 operate a breakfast program.
- Schools may charge no more than 30 cents for a reducedprice breakfast.
- Federal Program Cost: $2.6 billion in FY2009.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free meals and snacks to lowincome children during the summer months and long school vacations. SFSP may be operated by schools, government agencies, summer camps, daycamps, churches, or community organizations. Programs may be open (any child who shows up may participate) or enrolled (only children who apply and enroll may participate).
SFSP meals and snacks are provided free to all children at an eligible site. To be an eligible open site, the site must operate in an area where at least 50 percent of children qualify for free or reducedprice meals. To be an eligible enrolled site, at least 50 percent of children enrolled in the program must qualify for free or reducedprice meals. Enrolled sites that do not meet the 50 percent eligibility guideline may still operate SFSP, but the site is only reimbursed for meals served to children who qualifyfor free or reducedprice meals.
SFSP sites receive a cash reimbursement for each meal or snack served. SFSP is an entitlement program that guarantees a set reimbursement for each qualifying meal or snack served.
- SFSP operates in 34,700 sites and serves 2.2 million children on an average summer day.
- Of the 19.4 million children receiving free or reducedprice lunch, only 11 percent (2.2 million) receive meals through SFSP on a typical summer day.
- For every 100 school lunch programs, there are only 34 summer food sites.
- Federal Program Cost: $346 million in FY2009.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) safeguards the health of lowincome women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk. The program provides monthly packages ofnutritious foods, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. WIC food packages are designed to supply the nutrients typically lacking in the diets of the target population.
Eligibility is limited to families with incomes up to 185 percent of the poverty level. WIC is not an entitlement program – it can only serve as many people as it has funding available. Funding is set each year through the annual appropriationsprocess.
- WIC serves an average 9.1 million women, infants, and young children each month. About 76 percent of participants are infants (2.2 million) and children (4.7 million).
- Monthly food packages average $42.42 per person. Food accounts for about 71 percent of WIC program expenditures.
- Federal Program Cost: $6.5 billion in FY2009.
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides healthy meals to preschool children in day care centers and child care homes. Lowincome children are eligible for reducedprice or free meals. CACFP also provides free meals tohomeless children residing in eligible emergency shelters.
CACFP's "AtRisk" Afterschool Care Program provides free snacks to lowincome children in afterschool supervised educational or enrichment activities. 14 states are also eligible to serve free suppers: CT, DE, DC, IL, MD, MI, MO, NV, NY, OR, PA,VT, WV, and WI. AtRisk Afterschool Programs may be operated by schools, churches, local parks and recreation departments, and other community organizations. Programs must be located in areas where at least 50 percent of children are eligiblefor free or reducedprice meals.
CACFP programs receive a cash reimbursement for each meal or snack served. USDA also makes commodity foods available to institutions participating in CACFP. CACFP is an entitlement program that guarantees a set reimbursement for eachqualifying meal or snack served.
- CACFP operates in 1.8 million day care homes and centers.
- Of the 3.3 million participants, about 82 percent receive free or reducedprice meals or snacks.
- Federal Program Cost: $2.5 billion in FY2009.
All program data for FY2009, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (data as of February 1, 2010). At time of printing, FY2009 data was preliminary and subject to revision.
