Afterschool Snacks

To be eligible to qualify for reimbursement under the School Lunch Program, after school care programs must meet the following three criteria:

• A school district or residential childcare facility (RCCI) which participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) must operate the after-school care program. The program does not have to use the school district’s personnel or regular school facilities. The school district or RCCI must retain final administrative and management responsibility for the program, including the program site. The school district or RCCI must be the party that enters into the agreement with the Nutrition Services at the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and must assume full responsibility for meeting all program requirements.
• The purpose of the program must be to provide care in after school settings. The program must be organized to provide children with regularly scheduled activities in a setting that is structured and supervised. By “regularly scheduled” it does not mean the program must occur daily. Moreover, while eligible programs would not need to establish formal enrollment procedures, they must have a means of determining if children are present on a given day, such as a roster or sign-in sheet.
• Eligible programs must include educational or enrichment activities in a supervised structured environment. Any extracurricular activities such as the school choir, debate team, and drama society, et al. can qualify to participate under this provision only if their basic purpose is to provide after school care as defined above. It must be emphasized that under no circumstances can organized athletic programs engaged in interscholastic sports be approved as after school care programs under this provision.

Schools qualify for snack reimbursement based on the numbers of paid, free and reduced-price children enrolled in the school. Schools may claim reimbursement for one snack, per child, per day. Children are eligible to participate through the age of 18, and if a child’s nineteenth birthday occurs during the school year, reimbursement may be claimed for that student during the remainder of the school year.

Snacks Claimed as Free based on Area Eligibility

Sites located in areas served by a school or in a RCCI, in which at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduced price meals:

• Are eligible to receive reimbursement at the free rate for snacks served to all children eligible for snacks, regardless of each individual child’s eligibility for free or reduced price lunches.
• Must document, using the most recent October claim data, that the site is located at a school, RCCI 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.
• Cannot charge children for snacks.

Snacks Claimed as Free/Reduced/Paid based on Non-Area Eligibility

Sites located in areas served by a school or in a RCCI in which less than 50 percent of the enrolled children are certified eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits:

• Must count snacks and claim reimbursement by type: free, reduced price and paid.
• Cannot charge children for snacks claimed at the free reimbursement rate.

Non-Area Eligible Sites have the option of implementing either a Pricing Program or a Non-Pricing Program.

In a Pricing Program – students are charged a fee for the snack based on their eligibility status; free eligible students receive their snack at no charge, reduced price eligible students may be charged no more than 15 cents and paid students pay the price determined by the school/facility.

In a Non-Pricing Program – all students receive their snacks at no separate charge and snacks are claimed in their respective categories – paid, free, and reduced.

The Afterschool Snack Program meal pattern for grades K-12 is defined by 7 CFR 210.10 (o)(2) of the NSLP regulations. Effective July 1, 2025, the USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, aligns the Afterschool Snack Program meal pattern for grades K-12 with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) snack meal pattern for children.

Afterschool Snack Program K-12 Meal Pattern

CACFP Snack Meal Pattern

Afterschool Snack Ideas

Afterschool Snack Program Creditable and Non-Creditable Foods

The At-Risk Afterschool Meals offered through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers reimbursement for some meals and/or snacks served to children in Afterschool Programs in low-income areas.   Details are available on the CACFP At Risk Meals and Snacks page.

At a minimum, school districts and RCCIs participating under this provision must maintain the following records.

• If all meals will be claimed free, the program site must be located in an area served by a school or RCCI in which at least 50 percent of the enrolled students are eligible for free and reduced price meals as indicated on the most recent Annual Membership Report.
• For all other sites, documentation of free and reduced price eligibility for children whom free and reduced price snacks are claimed must be maintained.
• Documentation of individual children’s attendance on a daily basis.
• Standard Operating Procedure
• Weekly Production Record
• Monthly Snack Participation Record For Snacks Claimed as Free, Reduced, Paid
• On-Site Review Summary for After School Care Snack Program (2 annually)