COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 48

March 2, 2007

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Nutrition Options for Students in the Summer

Good nutrition is essential for good health and effective learning every day, all year long. Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does the need for good nutrition. Eligible students receive free or reduced price meals while they are in school; however, when school is out many of these students lose access to nutritious meals.

Schools have three options to help bridge the nutrition gap in the summer. School division leaders are encouraged to consider participating in one of the following programs to meet the nutritional needs of students during the summer months:

• National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Schools can serve breakfast and/or lunch to eligible students through the regular School Lunch and Breakfast Programs during academic summer school sessions. Participation in these summer programs can be accessed through the departments School Nutrition Program Web software (SNPWeb).

• USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Schools that 1) are located in areas where 50 percent of the children are eligible for free and reduced price meals; 2) open their programs to neighborhood children; and 3) serve all meals at no cost to participants, can earn higher reimbursement for meals served under the SFSP. There is no academic requirement for participation. Schools can sponsor the program or they can provide meals as a vendor to sponsoring organizations such as the Recreation and Parks Department or the YMCA. In Virginia, the SFSP is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture(USDA).

• Seamless Summer Option. Under this option, eligible schools (those with at least 50 percent of students eligible for free or reduced price meals) remain in the regular School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and serve free meals to all children, including those from the neighborhood. All meals are reimbursed at the free rate under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. There is no academic requirement. Meals are served to all children in the neighborhood at no cost and the site must be open to anyone under 18 years of age.

For more information about the school lunch and breakfast programs and the seamless summer option, please contact Lynne Fellin, acting director of school nutrition programs, or the assigned school nutrition specialist at (804) 225-2074. For information about the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), administered by staff of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Food & Nutrition Service, USDA (USDA-MARO), call 1-800-448-USDA or visit their website at http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/states/virginia/va_sfsp.htm

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