Afterschool programs provide children with the opportunity to promote academic, social, and emotional learning and development. By the time the school bell rings, children are often hungry – making it hard for them to be fully focused and engaged. Afterschool programs have limited funds, which makes it difficult to provide food.
To address this need, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act provides federal funding to afterschool programs in communities of need to provide a nutritious food to every child. As of 2010, New Jersey’s afterschool programs are authorized to participate in the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program.
Afterschool programs serving (or hoping to serve) snacks or meals to their students may qualify for federal reimbursement under this program. For more information about the program, including eligibility requirements, please see our At-Risk Afterschool Meals Flyer and At-Risk Afterschool Meals Guide.
The At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program is part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operated by the US Department of Agriculture and administered in New Jersey by the NJ Department of Agriculture.
See How Afterschool Meals Impact Youth:
Have questions? Contact NJSACC’s Program Coordinator Vista to discuss your program’s options, call 908-789-0259 x 5 or email vista@njsacc.org.
To determine program eligibility or to begin the sponsorship process, contact the NJ Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Specialist for your county at 609-984-1250.
Healthy Snack Guide for Afterschool Programs
The Healthy Snack Guide was designed to help afterschool organizations, families, and communities serve, create, and educate youth about healthy snacks and/or meals. This guide provides information regarding At-Risk Meals Program eligibility, Nutrition Guidelines, sample snack menus, fruit and vegetable guides, and much more.
NJSACC’s Children’s Health and Nutrition Resources
Click here to learn more about NJ’s Quality Standards for Afterschool
Afterschool programs provide children with the opportunity to promote academic, social, and emotional learning and development. By the time the school bell rings, children are often hungry – making it hard for them to be fully focused and engaged.
Your child’s health and nutrition is an important topic on every parent’s mind. To help make everyone’s job a little easier, below are four different resources (printable flyers.) The flyers explain the importance and benefits of family meals and eating a healthy breakfast. The last printable flyer below identifies the positive and negative effects of Screen Time.
Feel free to print them out, hang them up and share with parents!