Healthy Living and Nutrition

Nutrition Assistance Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers three different nutrition assistance programs that can help afterschool and summer learning providers offer nutritious meals or snacks to participating children.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
Known as the Summer Meals Program, SFSP ensures that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Afterschool programs that participate in CACFP give children and teenagers the nutrition they need, and draw them into constructive activities that are safe, fun, and filled with opportunities for learning.

National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Afterschool Snack Service
NSLP Afterschool Snack Service is a federally-assisted snack service that provides cash reimbursement to encourage or assist schools in serving snacks to children after the regular school day. The afterschool snack component of the NSLP helps children fully engage in afterschool programming by filling the hunger gap many children face in the afternoon and early evening. Children participating in an approved afterschool care program age 18 and under, and participating children who turn 19 during the school year, are eligible to receive reimbursable snacks through the NSLP.

Oral Health

SmileConnect®
This organization helps connect afterschool programs with dental resources and preventive services for their kids. They use a comprehensive approach to improve children’s oral health, including continuing medical education, technical assistance, community engagement, and enabling technology infrastructure.

Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs

• Find Meals for Kids When Schools Are Closed
• Pennsylvania Department of Education Food and Nutrition
• Selecting an Afterschool or Summer Meal Program
• Summer Food Service Programs State Contacts
• Summer Meals Promotional Materials: Raise Awareness
• Why We Serve Summer Meals (USDA)

Healthy Eating, Physical Activity Guidelines and Education

• Get Active: Be Healthy Afterschool Toolkit
• Global Family Research Project
• Healthy Eating in Out-of-School Time: The Promise and the Challenge
• Healthy Out-of-School Time Coalition
• Health-Related Behaviors and Academic Achievement Among High School Students
• National Afterschool Association Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards
• National Physical Activity Plan
• Policies and Standards for Promoting Physical Activity in After-School Programs
• State of Obesity

Public Funding

• Financing Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs: Federal Funding Sources and Other Strategies
• Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
• The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative: A Legacy of Success
• The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools