Who: Missouri public schools operating on a 4-day instructional week
What:
Public school districts who have opted to shorten their instructional week from five to four days and have lengthened the instructional time for each day by at least an hour enjoy flexibility when planning afterschool meal services. Specifically, these districts can avoid challenges with afternoon transportation services.
CACFP requires an enriching or educational activity to be offered to students at the time the meals or snacks are served. Children are not required to participate in these activities, but they must be offered. A variety of activities can be offered, but they cannot exclude children based on ability. For example, varsity sports cannot be used as the qualifying activity for CACFP (although, importantly, varsity athletes can be served at a CACFP site, as there is another qualifying activity being offered).
In most cases, schools serve afterschool meals after the final dismissal bell rings. But “a school operating longer than the traditional school day may be eligible for afterschool meal reimbursement, provided that is operates at least one hour longer than the minimum number of school day hours required for the comparable grade levels by the local educational agency in which the school is located,” according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), which oversees the CACFP in our state.
DHSS is operating the program according to guidance from the USDA issued in 2011. That year, the federal agency expanded the eligibility rules to organizations and schools operating extended instructional days. Most public school districts in Missouri operating on a four-day-week schedule also have extended instructional periods on those days.
Some schools operating in this way that serve afterschool meals report a higher rate of participation in CACFP among students, particularly since afternoon school buses can arrive after meals are served.
Steps:
- Contact the DHSS’ Bureau of Community Food and Nutrition Assistance.
- CACFP sponsors should always inform state officials when changing your service model.
- This can be in the form of an email, letter or telephone call.
- CACFP@health.mo.gov
- 573-751-6269, or 800-733-6251
- P.O. Box 570; Jefferson City, MO 65102
- Notify CACFP that you are operating on an extended day. It is not enough to only state that the afterschool meals service is operating four days a week, you must provide details about the school instructional time.
