The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is continuing to offer a new opportunity for public schools to feed students after the regular school year ends. Schools can continue to offer the Child Nutrition Unit (CNU), Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Summer Meals Program serving breakfast and lunch with summer school or education sessions, or choose the ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program that is designed to reach students in needy areas. The ADE Summer Meals Program, as operated in the past, requires collection of meal money based on eligibility status of students and can be operated by any public school regardless of the percentage of free and reduced students in the school.
The new ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program sites must have 50% or more Free and Reduced Eligibles. All students participating at an ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program will eat at no charge, regardless of income status, thus all meals at the site will be claimed at the free reimbursement rate. In this program the district will serve one or two meals per student at no charge, including breakfast, lunch, snack, or supper. However, the District will not claim both lunch and supper meals for a student at the same site on the same day. These sites do not require an educational program, but summer school, remedial or regular education can be part of the ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program. For reimbursement rates see Comparison Chart Attachment #4. New Meal reimbursement rates will be effective as of July 1, 2003. Districts will be notified as soon as USDA announces this new rate.
To participate in the ADE SEAMLESS Summer Feeding Program, the school food authority/school district will be required to:
1. Submit a Waiver(See Attachment #1) signed by the Superintendent and District Child Nutrition Director. Be sure to review site definitions in order to indicate the type of site that will be operated on the Schedule A. Definitions are located in Item 3b of Attachment #1 – Waiver.
2.Submit a Schedule A Seamless Summer Program Addendum (See Attachment #2) for the regular school district School Food Authority Agreement and Policy Statement for Child Nutrition Programs.
3.Receive written approval from CNU, ADE BEFORE meals can be served or program can begin.
4.Mark the monthly claim for reimbursement with an “S” for Summer Program Claim in the upper right hand corner.
To assist school district child nutrition directors in determining whether to participate in the ADE Summer Program, ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program or the Department of Human Services (DHS) Summer Program, see Attachment #3, Summer Program Comparison Chart. ADE will check with DHS to prevent a duplication of summer feeding efforts within communities or geographic areas in a state. Preference will be given to summer feeding programs that have operated previously and plan to operate the summer of 2003.
DEADLINES:
Arkansas Department of Education:
The ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program WAIVER DEADLINE is flexible. If possible, please submit no later than two weeks prior to beginning the progam. The Waiver must be approved by Child Nutrition Unit BEFORE PROGRAM STARTS. If the district’s Renewal to the Agreement for School Year 2002-03 indicated the regular ADE Summer Program with established dates, there is no need to submit a notice for that program. To change the status of summer program previously reported on the agreement, please submit the waiver and include the site on the Schedule A for the SEAMLESS Summer Program.
Should there be any questions about ADE summer meal programs, please contact the assigned CNU, ADE, Area Specialist for the school district or Barbara Smith at (501) 324-9502. For the district area specialist click on the county where the district is located at this hyperlink - http://cnn.k12.ar.us/newpage34.htm.
Arkansas Department of Human Services:
The deadline for the DHS Summer Feeding Program Applications is April 30, 2003. Deadline for application may be extended if a letter of intent is sent to DHS by the April 30th deadline.
Should there be any questions regarding the DHS Summer Feeding Program please contact Harley Fancher at (870) 743-2385 or Curtis Curry at (501) 682-8870.