Report: School supper program growth slowed significantly in 2016

Nearly 1.1 million low-income children benefited from after-school suppers in October 2016, up from just 200,000 children in October 2011, according to the recently released report Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). Most of that growth took place in the first four years of the period covered, the report found, when participation increases averaged over 200,000 a year. In 2016, the increase fell to 48,000 and because the report does not cover the most recent school year, it’s not clear whether that was a statistical anomaly or the start of a more extended downward trend.

The report did note that as of October 2016, only one of every 20 low-income children who participated in school lunch received an afterschool supper.

“Much more needs to be done to reach the millions of children who rely on school lunch, by helping them make it through the evening with a healthy supper that was funded by the Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP),” the report commented in its introduction.

Among the reasons the report cites for the shortfall is a shortage of after-school supper and snack sites, especially in low-income communities where there are a limited number of after-school programs, due in part to inadequate private and public funding. It noted that just over 44,000 after-school programs participated in CACFP snack or supper programs or the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) after-school snack program, according to its latest figures.

And even where after-school programs exist, the report adds, many either limit foodservice to a snack instead of a supper or don’t provide food at all, either because of limited budgets and/or staff to operate the program or do the requisite paperwork, or because they simply are unaware of the relatively new supper option.

The report sets a goal of reaching 15 children with the Afterschool Supper Program for every 100 low-income children participating in school lunch. In 2016, only the District of Columbia reached that goal, serving 17.2, while California (12.2) and Vermont (10.8) came closest among the states to reaching that goal. Among model programs specifically cited in the report are two school districts: the Hartford County Public Schools in Maryland and the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools.

Among the report’s recommendations for increasing after-school meal participation were the following…

• increase public funding for after-school programs
• serve suppers instead of (or in addition to) snacks
• recruit more school districts to provide after-school suppers and snacks
• support and expand year-round participation by integrating the Afterschool Supper Program with the Summer Food Service Program
• streamline and simplify the Afterschool Supper Program
• serve meals during weekends, holidays and unanticipated school closures; and
• improve meal quality

The report measured the reach of the CACFP-funded Afterschool Supper Program and the CACFP and NSLP funded Afterschool Snack Programs, focusing on participation in October of each year from 2011 through 2016, both nationally and in each state.

“After-school suppers are a game-changer for reducing childhood hunger and drawing children into afterschool enrichment programs,” commented FRAC President Jim Weill. “One of the most effective ways to increase participation in after-school suppers is to ensure that there are more programs that offer after-school activities to the children who need them, and that those programs provide suppers.”