The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Child Nutrition Unit (CNU) continues to offer two options for public schools to feed students after the regular school year ends.
ADE OPTION 1. REGULAR SUMMER MEALS PROGRAM serves breakfast and lunch as a continuation of the regular school meal programs. Any of the child nutrition programs (breakfast, lunch, Afterschool snack, and special milk) may be served as part of the summer educational programs operated by the school district. With the regular summer meals program, the approved collection procedure must be used to collect money and count/claim the students by eligibility category. The regular summer meals program may be operated by any public school regardless of the percentage of children receiving free and reduced-price meals.
To continue the breakfast, lunch and/or Afterschool snack programs, notify the CNU office of the dates these meal programs will be offered if this information WAS NOT listed on the Renewal of the Agreement for the 2005-2006 School Year and approved by CNU prior to July 2005.
ADE OPTION 2. SEAMLESS SUMMER PROGRAM may be operated in a site or in the attendance area of a site with 50% or more of the students eligible for free and reduced price meals. ALL STUDENTS participating in a SEAMLESS Summer Program will EAT AT NO CHARGE regardless of income status and all meals 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 education program, but summer school, remedial or regular education can be part of the SEAMLESS Summer Program. For reimbursement rates see Attachment #4, Comparison of Reimbursement Rates. New meal reimbursement rates will be effective as of July 1, 2006. Districts will be notified as soon as USDA announces these new rates.
To participate in the ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program, the School Food Authority/school district will be required to:
1. Submit an Application (See Attachment #1) signed by the Superintendent and School District Child Nutrition Director. Be sure to review site definitions in order to indicate on Schedule A the type of site that will be operated. Definitions are located in Item 3(b) of Attachment #1.
2. Submit a Schedule A SEAMLESS Summer Program Addendum (See Attachment #2). List only sites where meals will be served.
3. Receive written approval from ADE CNU BEFORE meals can be served or a program can begin.
4. Mark a school district’s monthly claim for reimbursement with an “X” in the upper right hand corner next to 'Seamless Summer'.
5. REMEMBER that all meals must be counted and claimed at the “point of service” (that point when it can be determined that a reimbursable meal has been served to an eligible student).
To assist school district Child Nutrition Directors in determining whether to participate in the ADE Regular Summer Meals Program, ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Summer Food Service Program, see Attachment #3 – Comparison of 2005-2006 Summer Programs. ADE will check with DHHS to prevent a duplication of summer feeding efforts within communities or geographic areas in the state. Preference will be given to summer feeding programs that have operated previously and plan to operate during the summer of 2006.
DEADLINES:
Arkansas Department of Education
The ADE SEAMLESS Summer Program Application DEADLINE is NO LATER THAN 2 WEEKS PRIOR to beginning the program. The Application must be approved by the Child Nutrition Unit BEFORE THE PROGRAM STARTS. If a district’s Renewal to the Agreement for School Year 2005-2006 indicated the ADE Regular Summer Meals Program with established dates, there is no need to submit a notice for that program. TO CHANGE THE STATUS of a summer program previously reported on the Agreement, please submit the Agreement 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 ADE CNU 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/General%20Information/mapbyAS.htm
Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services
The application deadline for the DHHS Summer Food Service Program is May 15, 2006. This deadline for application may be extended to June 15, if a letter of intent is sent to DHHS by the May 15th deadline.
If there are any questions regarding the DHHS Summer Food Service Program please contact Harley Fancher at 870-743-2385 or Curtis Curry at 501-682-8870.