School Nutrition Programs Compliance Handbook

School Nutrition Programs Compliance Handbook

Chapter 13 - After School Snack Program

Aimed at promoting the health and well being of children and youth in our communities, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) offers cash reimbursement to help schools serve snacks to children in after school care programs.  SFA must comply with requirements for the National School Lunch Program. 

School Eligibility

To participate in the After School Snack Program, a school must be participating in the National School Lunch Program and sponsor an after school care program.  A school must provide children with regularly scheduled activities in an organized, structured and supervised environment.  The activities schools offer should include educational or enrichment activities (e.g., mentoring or tutoring programs).  Competitive interscholastic sports teams are not an eligible after school activity.  However, while athletic teams participating in interscholastic sports programs may not be approved, programs that include supervised athletic activity along with education or enrichment activities may participate. 

Schools participating in the program may only claim one reimbursable snack per child, per day.  Reimbursement is only provided for snacks served on the days school is in session.  Schools can only claim snacks for an eligible after school program.  Snacks are not reimbursed in programs operated before or during the child's school day, on weekends, on holidays, evening meals, or during vacation periods. If children attend an on-site day care program on days that school is not in session, snacks cannot be claimed. 

Children are eligible to participate through age 18. If a child turns 19 during the school year, reimbursement may be claimed for that child's snacks during the remainder of the school year. Schools and RCCIs may also claim reimbursement for snacks served to individuals who are determined to be mentally or physically disabled and are participating in a school program established for the mentally or physically handicapped.

Meal Components

Snacks served must meet the meal component requirements along with the nutritional requirement prescribed in 7 CFR 210.10.  The Afterschool Snacks meal pattern is based on the nutritional needs of children ages 6 to 12 years and is as follows:

At a minimum, two different food components must be served at the required serving sizes.  Older children may need additional foods and increase servings to meet nutrient needs.  Refer to table 13-1 on page 4 of this chapter for snack meal pattern.  The food components are meat, vegetable, fruit, whole grain rich bread/pasta/grains/cereals, and milk.  Not all foods are considered a creditable food item that may be served as part of a reimbursable snack.  Refer to Chapter 2 meal requirements. 

Determining Children's Eligibility

Pursuant to 7 CFR 245, children participating in pricing programs must pay for snacks according to income eligibility.  Children approved for reduced price cannot be charged more then 15 cents for snacks.  Snacks served must be priced as a unit. 

SFAs determine each child's eligibility to receive a free or reduced price snack following the same procedures used for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.  Area eligible schools are allowed to claim each snack per child as free due to the high rate of free and reduced priced eligible children participating in the program. 

The following are general rules about children's eligibility for snacks:

• Day students – Students enrolled in a public or private school that participates in an afterschool program are eligible to receive snacks based on their income or categorical eligibility status identified in the lunch program.  Schools with a nonpricing snack program will claim snacks in the appropriate category determined by income eligibility for free, reduced, or paid.  Schools cannot claim children who are not considered a part of the school program (i.e., toddlers, infants, or other children who do not enrolled in the regular day school program).
• Residential child care institutions - Children who reside in RCCIs are generally considered a household of one.  The child's income must be tracked on the master list maintained by the institution. In most cases, a child's income will fall within the income eligibility guidelines for free meals.  However, if a child receives income that exceeds the free limit for a household of one, all meals and snacks served to the child must be claimed in the appropriate category, either reduced price or paid. RCCIs must track the income of children periodically to determine the category in which meals may be claimed. 
• Day students attending an RCCI – If an RCCI operates a school that accepts day students, the students' eligibility for free, reduced or paid price meals must be determined and snacks claimed must be categorized.  Days student who do not participate in an after school program cannot be claimed for snacks. 

Area Eligibility

If a school or RCCI serves 50 percent or more snacks to students eligible for free or reduced price lunches, the school is area eligible and may serve snacks free to all participating students.  The state agency will determine if a school is area eligible.  If the program does not meet the criterion for area eligible, it may use the eligibility of a public school within its attendance area. Most programs operated by an RCCI can claim snack reimbursements at the free rate for all snacks.

Recordkeeping

As with all school nutrition programs records, schools must keep records for the After School Snack Program for a minimum of three years after the date of submission of the final claim report of the fiscal year or until all audit issues have been resolved.

At a minimum, schools and RCCIs participating in the After School Snack Program must maintain the following records:

• Meal counts (total snacks served each day);
• Documentation of each child's attendance at the after-school program on a daily basis;
• Documentation of compliance with the meal pattern requirements: menus and menu production records for each snack served are required
• Monitoring Checklist (must be completed two times a year, see checklist)

Pricing

If an SFA charges students for snacks, it must price the snack as one unit.  Schools that charge, cannot charge more than $.15 for a reduced-price snack.  Children who are eligible for free meals in the NSLP program cannot be charged for snacks. 

SFA cannot claim the number of snacks served to adults.  If an SFA chooses not to charge adult for snacks, it must support those cost through nonfederal funding. 

Counting and claiming

SFA must ensure that only one reimbursable snack per child is claimed for reimbursement.  Supporting documentation consists of complete production records, delivery records, snack orders, list of eligible children, and an accurate counting system. 

The counting system must ensure that only eligible snacks are counted.  Snacks that cannot be claimed for reimbursement are snacks served:  1) to adults; 2) as seconds; 3) to ineligible children due to age limit

On-Site Review

SFAs operating an After School Care Snack Program must review each snack program two times a year. The first initial review should be conducted during the first four weeks of the of the program year.  For RCCIs, program year will begin July 1.  For private schools, the program year begins on the first day of school.  SFAs should use the After School Snack Program Monitoring Checklist on page 5 of this chapter.  When is no answer is marked on the checklist, SFA must take corrective action immediately to bring the after school program into compliance. 

Civil Rights

All requirements for civil rights apply to the Afterschool Snack Program.  See Chapter 3 for guidance.  "And Justice for All" poster must be displayed in the snack area.  Staff should be trained on civil rights and the procedures for filing a complaint. 

All SFA are required to have a food safety plan for all areas in where food is served as part of the school nutrition program.  Staff should review the food safety plan to determine which sections are applicable to the afterschool snack program.  The plan must be available at both the preparation site and service site.

Table 13-1- After School Snack Meal Pattern

USDA recommends that schools offer larger portions for older children (ages 13-18) based on their greater food energy requirements.

1Bread, pasta or noodle products, and cereal grains must be whole-grain or enriched; cornbread, biscuits, rolls, muffins, etc., must be made with whole-grain or enriched meal or flour; cereal must be whole-grain or enriched or fortified.

2Either volume (cup) or weight (ounce), whichever is less.

3Edible portion as served.

4Alternate protein products must meet requirements in Appendix A of 7 CFR Part 210.

5Nuts and seeds are generally not recommended to be served to children ages 1-3 since they present a choking hazard.  If served, nuts and seeds should be finely minced.

6Yogurt may be plain or flavored, unsweetened, or sweetened – commercially prepared.

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK PROGRAM MONITORING CHECKLIST

NAME OF SCHOOL ____________________________________________________

REVIEWING OFFICIAL AND TITLE_______________________________________

The School Food Authority (SFA) must ensure that staff responsible for the operation of the After School Snack Program (ASSP) complies with USDA requirements.  SFA must designate a person to review ASSP a minimum of two times a year using this monitoring checklist.  The first review should be conducted during the first four weeks of snack service.  For each no answer, the school must take corrective action to ensure compliance.  SFA must keep the checklist and all supporting documentation for the snack program on file according to federal recordkeeping requirements.

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK PROGRAM MONITORING CHECKLIST

Continued

Corrective Action: For each "no" answer checked on the first page, list the findings, the corrective action and the date corrective action was implemented.

 1st Review

__________________________________________________             _____________________

Reviewing official                                                                                    Date

2nd Review

__________________________________________________             _____________________

Reviewing official                                                                                    Date

After School Snack Program - Production Record

Week of __________________________   School ________________________________   Mgr. Signature  _______________________________

• Best printed on one side of an 8.5 by 14 Legal size page.

After School Snack Program

Production Record Instructions

Column 1 – [MENU: DATE]

Enter menu items. Please refer to page 1-15 of the USDA Food Buying Guide for Reimbursable Snack Menu Requirements.  Enter the date of snack service.

Column 2 – [FOOD ITEM]

From the menu written, list by meal component, the food to be prepared and served.

Column 3 – [ACTUAL SERVING SIZE]

Record the serving size based on the appropriate age group from the "Meal Pattern Requirements for Children" information.

Column 4 – [TEMP. FOR PHFs]

When applicable, check and record the actual temperature of any cooked potentially hazardous foods with a properly calibrated clean and sanitized thermometer.  Hot foods must be cooked to the appropriate safe minimum temperature.  Check and record the actual temperature of any potentially hazardous foods when removed from cold or hot holding before placement on the serving line or delivery for service.  Cold foods must register 41 degrees F. or lower and hot foods 135 degrees F. or higher.

Potentially hazardous foods support the rapid growth of bacteria and require time-temperature control for safety (TCS).  Potentially hazardous foods must be kept hot (135 degrees F or hotter) or cold (41 degrees F or colder).

The U.S. Food Code (2008) identifies potentially hazardous foods as raw or cooked animal foods (meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs); heat treated plant foods (cooked vegetables, baked potatoes, texturized vegetable protein); cut melon; garlic-in-oil that has not been acidified; raw bean sprouts; and cut tomatoes.

Column 5 – [NUMBER OF SERVINGS PREPARED FOR STUDENTS]

Record the total number of complete servings that you prepared for students to take for this snack meal.  Enter the total beside each of the components to correspond with the menu for the day.

Column 6 – [NUMBER OF SERVINGS SERVED TO STUDENTS]

Enter the number of servings of each food item provided to students in the appropriate block.

Column 7 – [NUMBER OF SERVINGS LEFTOVER]

Record total number of individual servings prepared (made available) but not served.  Include all leftover prepared servings that are to be used as leftovers, that are to be discarded, or that were spoiled or damaged.  Date to Use – Date marking of potentially hazardous foods (PHF) that are prepared in the operation is required.  PHF cannot be saved for future use unless they are under direct and constant supervision or the CN Manager, temperatures below 41 degrees or above 135 degrees are monitored and recorded on the ASSP production record at the end of service, and the foods were not offered on a self-service line. If all of these conditions are not met, the PHF must be discarded. All PHF foods that meet these conditions must be used within three days from the date of production.  Record the date—three days from today's date.  The food will also need to be labeled.  Remember to discard the food if it is not used by the date marked.

The three-day rule applies to foods that were prepared in-house, such as meat/cheese sandwiches, as well as to opened packages of commercially processed food, such as a 24-pack of muffins.

Some types of food do not have to be used within three days after placement on a serving line. Commercially processed foods that are in unopened packages that have been on a serving line or that have been displayed in a refrigerated case, such as a milk box, do not have to be used within three days.   Commercially processed, non-potentially hazardous foods that are in unopened packages, such as packages of crackers or cookies, do not have to be used within three days. This type of food is shelf-stable and protected from external contaminants so food quality and safety is a very minimal concern.  However, these types of items must be used by the date that is stamped on the package.

It is important to note that if the package is damaged in any way, the food cannot be salvaged -- it must be discarded.  Also, if the food is potentially hazardous and it has been at unsafe temperatures it must be thrown out.

Unopened cartons of milk that have not been served to students do not need to be used within three days; However, milk must be used by the data stamped on the carton AND must be kept refrigerated or on ice during the entire snack service period. Once any food item, including milk, is served to a student as part of the snack, it is SERVED, and cannot be returned under any circumstances.

Column 8 – [TOTAL REIMBURSABLE SNACKS SERVED TO STUDENTS]

After the snack service has ended, record the total number of reimbursable snacks taken by students.  In order to be a reimbursable snack, each student must take two or more different components.  Only one reimbursable snack is allowed for each student.

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