After-school meal participation is increasing

After-school meal participation has increased, according to a new report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). 

FRAC’s Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation — October 2023 report found that 23 million children received an after-school supper on an average school day in October 2023, representing an increase of 73,878 children, or 6.4%, when compared to an average day in October 2022. 

After-school snack participation also increased with 1.25 million children receiving an after-school snack during an average day in October 2023, an increase of 63,112 children from October 2022.

In addition, the number of sites serving after-school meals increased from 8,075 (October 2022) to 46,308 (October 2023). 

While after-school meal participation has seen an uptick, it still hasn’t hit pre-pandemic levels, the report noted. Back in 2019, for example, 1.42 million children were being served a supper on an average school day in October. 

The report’s authors note that a variety of initiatives could help increase after-school meal participation, including allowing operators to serve school supper through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) (currently, after-school suppers can only be offered through the Child and Adult Care Food Program) and eliminating the requirement that only low-income communities can offer after-school supper. 

“Childhood hunger is on the rise, and children are still recovering from the educational, social, and emotional impacts of the pandemic,” said Crystal FitzSimons, FRAC’s interim president in a statement. “To address these challenges, greater investments are needed to ensure children are able to get the nutrition they need at after-school programs that provide critical education supports, enrichment and child care.”