Program objective

To provide children with a nutritional boost during supervised education and enrichment activities that occur after the end of their regular school day.

Eligibility criteria

• All public schools, nonprofit private schools tax exempt under 501(c)(e) of the Internal Revenue Code and residential child care institutions that participate in the National School Lunch Program are eligible to sponsor a program that may begin at any time during the year.
  
• Participating sponsors receive cash reimbursement based on the number of snacks served to eligible children. Children are eligible to participate through age 18, and if a student's nineteenth birthday occurs during the school year, reimbursement may be claimed for snacks served to that student during the remainder of the school year.
  

Participation requirements

• Sponsors must annually sign an agreement with the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture that includes, but is not limited to, the following requirements:
  
  • Planning snack menus which meet specific minimum meal pattern requirements.
    
  • Claiming reimbursement only for snacks served to children that meet the required meal pattern.
    
  • Providing a free or reduced price snack to children from households meeting criteria for eligibility, based on household size and income and a paid snack to children ineligible for free or reduced benefits.
    
    -OR-
    
    
  • Providing all children free snacks if the serving site is considered "area eligible." An after-school care program site is "area eligible" if it is located at a site or in the attendance area of a school where at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduced price meals
    
  • Operating the program on a non-profit basis solely for the benefit of children within the school/site

Meal pattern requirements

In order to be reimbursed, the snacks must contain at least two different components of the following four:

• A serving of fluid milk;
• A serving of meat or meat alternate;
• A serving of vegetable(s) or fruit(s) or full-strength vegetable or fruit juice;
• A serving of whole grain or enriched bread or cereal.
  

Pricing of snacks

• The price charged to paying children is established by the sponsor, but must be within the maximum prices established by the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs.

Record-keeping

• A reimbursement voucher is filed monthly with the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
  
• Records must be maintained which include, but are not limited to, applications for free and reduced price meals, daily snack counts and income records, daily dated menus, production records.
  
• The required statistical and financial records supporting all reimbursement vouchers must be kept on file for a period of three years following the fiscal year to which they pertain except that, if audit findings have not been resolved, the records shall be retained beyond the three year period as long as required for the resolution of issues raised by the audit.
  
• All records must be available for administrative review and/or audit by the Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs, New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture.

For further information

Further information on the After School Snack Program or any other Child Nutrition Program may be obtained from:

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
DIVISION OF MARKETS
BUREAU OF CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS
P.O. BOX 334
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08625
TELEPHONE: (609) 984-0692
FAX: (609) 984-0878

In the operation of USDA Child Feeding Programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age or disability. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any USDA related activity, write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.