Go Back to School with Hunger Solutions New York!

As the summer winds down, Hunger Solutions New York would like to send a sincere thank you to all who participated in the Summer Food Service Program! Nearly 450 schools and community organizations served free, nutritious meals at thousands of sites across the state. Summer 2023 featured the implementation of the new rural non-congregate flexibility. Intended to support families in rural areas with transportation and time barriers, this permanent flexibility allows eligible sites to provide multiple days worth of meals through grab-and-go or home delivery methods. We saw multiple sites employ this new model and look forward to sharing best practices soon. Thanks again for helping to make this summer a success!    

As you prepare for a new school year, the following resources and strategies can help you expand the reach of your programs, effectively communicate to families about resources available, and ensure strong administration.

Last Chance to Apply for CEP: Deadline is Thursday, August 31!

With the new CEP state subsidy available for the 2023-2024 school year, this summer has brought unprecedented opportunities to schools across New York State. More schools have applied for this provision than ever before! Thank you to all the schools working through the summer on this tremendous effort to support families and to expand access to free school meals for all. 

Still considering whether to apply? The deadline to offer free meals to all students in the coming school year is approaching! If you’re eligible and have not applied yet, this is the last call to submit your application. Learn more on our CEP State Subsidy webpage or reach out directly to Francesca.DiGiorgio@hungersolutionsny.org for individualized support. 

Serve Afterschool Meals and Snacks with CACFP!

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) helps afterschool programs and childcare providers serve healthy meals and snacks to children in their care, alleviating hunger and supporting kids’ learning and development. As summer meals come to a close, consider whether your program can switch to CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals during the school year. For schools already serving afterschool snacks through NSLP, CACFP allows an opportunity to serve complete meals and receive nearly four times the reimbursement rate compared to afterschool snacks.

Updated Reimbursement Rates in 2023-24

For At-Risk Afterschool Meals offered through CACFP, the reimbursement rate has increased from $4.03 per meal in 2022-23 to $4.25 in 2023-24. The 2023-24 At-Risk Afterschool Snack reimbursement amount remains about the same as the previous year at $1.17. New rates for Centers and Homes have also been updated for 2023-24. For more information on all updated CACFP reimbursement rates, visit ChildcareMealsNY.org or the NYSDOH webpage. 

While thousands of providers already participate in CACFP, many more could join! Learn more and help us spread the word about this valuable program:

• Visit AfterschoolMealsNY.org and ChildCareMealsNY.org to learn more and access outreach resources, including our new Afterschool Meals palm card. 
• Watch our recorded Afterschool Meals webinar from May 2023, “Fuel Learning Beyond the School Day: How Schools & Programs Can Serve Free, Healthy Afterschool Meals in the 23-24 School Year.” We covered the basics of CACFP’s afterschool meals including eligibility, meal requirements, and how to get started.
• Celebrate afterschool programs on Thursday, October 26, 2023, with “Lights On Afterschool”, the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. Use the hashtag #LightsOnAfterschool on social media and find more ways to participate by visiting the Afterschool Alliance's web page.  
• Already a CACFP provider? Share your story about CACFP and how it benefits kids in your program and community.
• Questions about CACFP? Interested in getting started? Contact Kayla.Snyder@HungerSolutionsNY.org or Cody.Bloomfield@HungerSolutionsNY.org to learn more. 

Leverage Our Resources for a Successful Start to the School Year

The new school year is a fresh start to connect children and families with the nutrition they need to learn, grow, and thrive. Our resources equip schools with the information and strategies needed for Back-to-School.

Direct Certification

Upgrade your direct certification strategies with our easy-to-use tipsheet, developed collaboratively with the NYS Education Department and other NYS directors. Direct certification should always be the first step in establishing student economic needs and is a win-win approach for your program, students, and families. This practice helps prevent students from slipping through the cracks and eases administrative burdens since it reduces the number of school meal applications.

School Meals Application Toolkit

Improve your return rate of F/RP applications and household income forms with our School Meals Application Toolkit. This resource offers outreach tips and ready-to-go sample language, flyers, graphics, and social media posts designed to effectively communicate to families about the benefits and importance of submitting their household income information. 

SNAP Outreach Toolkit for Schools

Capture more kids through direct certification by engaging in SNAP Outreach. As trusted messengers, schools can leverage their existing communication networks to communicate about SNAP and its benefits to families. A concrete way to connect families to SNAP is through our *NEW* SNAP Outreach Toolkit for Schools which includes:

• A flyer that directs families to the SNAP application at mybenefits.ny.gov and to the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP)  for free and confidential help with the application.
• A sample graphic and language about SNAP to use in communications like newsletters, emails, or your district website.
• Social media graphics and messages about SNAP that you can download and post on your school’s social media channels.

From Our Partners

Make your voice heard!: American Farmland Trust (AFT) “Improving Farm to School Incentives in NYS” Survey

Do you want to serve more local foods through your School Food Authority? Have you experienced challenges qualifying for the 30% NYS Initiative? Or have you qualified for it in the past? Make your voice heard by filling out this 20-minute survey by September 1, 2023. Details below:

• This survey is for all School Food Authorities in New York State, regardless of their participation or interest in the 30% NYS Initiative.
• Preview the survey questions to gather the necessary information before taking the survey. These responses will lay the groundwork for advocacy efforts that will improve the program for years to come. 
• Please email mperry@farmland.org if you have additional questions about this project. 

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) for a Lunch and Learn Series

Join this webinar series to learn about research and recommendations from Saratoga CCE for the local food system that considers distribution, infrastructure, farm-to-institution, food access, the emergency food system, and climate change. Webinars will run every Wednesday in September at noon. Register here for all four webinars.

Join Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) for back-to-school webinars:

“Back to Basics with School Breakfast! A Deep Dive on Breakfast After the Bell”
Thursday, September 7, 3-4pm | Register here

“Advocates: A Key Ingredient to School Meal Success”
Thursday, September 21, 3-4pm | Register here

Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser