Are you new to child nutrition?
Do you have a specific child nutrition area of focus, but don’t know all the programs out there?
Are you trying to explain all your options to feed kids to someone on your team, and you need them to catch up, and quick?
We get it. Feeding students healthy meals is demanding and fast-paced. Keeping up with all the federal nutrition guidelines does not make your job any easier. We have the list for you! Below is a quick and simple cheat sheet to the child nutrition acronyms that can make your head spin. In 280 characters (the length of a Tweet) or less, we explain the basics of the programs that sometimes just seem like alphabet soup. It’s designed for a quick read, so you can get back to doing what you do best: feeding kids. And GO!
SFSP (Summer Food Service Program): Free summer meals that can be offered (sponsored) by schools or organizations. Sponsors buy the food upfront, and then are reimbursed by the federal government for each meal consumed. Usually, meals must be eaten on site, but not during COVID.
For more info on SFSP, click here.
SSO (Seamless Summer Option): Free summer meals that can be offered by schools only. Sponsors buy the food upfront, and then are reimbursed by the federal government for each meal consumed. Reimbursement is generally lower than for SFSP.
For more info on SSO, click here.
CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) Afterschool: Free snacks and suppers for kids served at sponsoring schools or organizations. Sponsors buy the food and are reimbursed for each meal/snack served.
For more info on CACFP Afterschool, click here.
NSLP (National School Lunch Program): Optional lunch program for public and private schools. All lunches meeting nutrition requirements are reimbursed at a different level, depending on how much the child paid for the meal. There are different reimbursement rates for free meals, reduced-price meals, and paid meals.
For more info on NSLP, click here.
SBP (School Breakfast Program): Optional breakfast program for public and private schools. All breakfasts meeting nutrition requirements are reimbursed at a different level, depending on how much the child paid for the meal. Different reimbursement rates for free meals, reduced-price meals, and paid meals.
For more info on SBP, click here.
CEP (Community Eligibility Provision): Program for qualifying schools allowing free breakfast and lunch for all kids. Reimbursement to schools depends on Identified Student Percentage (ISP; portion of students in programs like SNAP or other identified programs). High ISP=more meals at highest reimbursement rate.
For more info on CEP, click here.
P-EBT (Pandemic EBT): A new federal program that provides grocery benefit cards to qualifying students to cover the costs of the school meals missed because of the COVID-19 school closures. Students in CEP schools and students signed up to receive free or reduced-price meals qualify for the program.
For more info on P-EBT, click here.
FFVP (Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program): Program that provides free fresh fruits and vegetables to elementary schools to serve to kids outside of breakfast and lunch times. Schools buy the fresh produce and are fully reimbursed for the cost (plus for limited non-food costs)
For more info on FFVP, click here.