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Child Nutrition Programs

The child nutrition programs include the five USDA domestic food assistance programs that primarily serve the nutritional needs of children.  They are the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Special Milk Program.  The child nutrition programs subsidize the provision of healthy and nutritious meals in school, daycare, afterschool program and summer program settings.      

Eligibility

Specific eligibility requirements for the five child nutrition programs vary by program.  In general, all children are eligible to receive meals through the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Special Milk Program.  Children from low-income families may qualify to receive free or reduced-price meals through these program.  Income eligibility guidelines are adjusted annually and are available on the USDA's web page.  The Child and Adult Care Food Program is also available to disabled individuals and the elderly (age 60 or older).  The Summer Food Service Program operates only in low-income areas. 

Children from families enrolled in the Food Stamp Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, homeless or runaway children and migrant children are categorically eligible to receive free meals through the child nutrition programs.  Geographical regions with 50 percent or more of families designated as low-income or qualifying for free meals are certified for "area eligibility."  In this case, all children in the region are able to receive free meals through the programs, without submitting household income paperwork. 

For additional information on specific eligibility requirements, please see the USDA's Child Nutrition Overview page. 

Issues for States

Local Wellness Policies

Recognizing that schools play a critical role in promoting student health and preventing childhood obesity, Congress passed a law that requires each school district that participates in the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program to establish a local wellness policy by the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.  These wellness policies should include nutrition guidelines for all foods available on the school campus, assurance that the guidelines for school meals are not less restrictive than those set by the U.S. secretary of agriculture, and goals for nutrition education and physical activity.

The USDA's Team Nutrition website provides information and best practices for Local Wellness Policies. 

Program Access

In the 2003 - 2004 school year less than half of the children that received free or reduced-price lunch received free or reduced-price breakfast, and only 19 percent of children receiving free or reduced-price lunch during the school year participated in the Summer Food Service Program.  Program availability is a significant barrier to greater participation in the child nutrition programs.  In the School Breakfast Program busing schedules, crowded cafeterias and budget constraints contribute to low program participation.  In the Summer Food Service Program sponsors (such as school districts, local government agencies or nonprofit organizations) must be recruited to operate the program.  

Publications

Tool Kit

The Hunger and Nutrition Partnership's publication, "Addressing Hunger and Nutrition: A Tool Kit for Positive Results," contains sections on the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program.  

State Issues in Child Nutrition: Direct Certification and Local Wellness Policies

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 reauthorized all child nutrition programs for five years, expanded program eligibility and made a number of changes intended to improve program access and streamline program administration.  Specific provisions of interest to states include a direct certification (automatically certifying categorically eligible children for free meals) requirement in the school meals programs, the requirement for school districts to establish a Local Wellness Policy, and expanded categorical eligibility for homeless, runaway, and migrant youth.  This issue brief highlights state activity on direct certification and local wellness issues and discusses what states can do to maximize the expanded categorical eligibility for homeless, runaway, and migrant youth. 

Bill Summary: Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004

This summary of P.L. 108-265 explains the changes made to each of the Child Nutrition Programs (National School Lunch Program, National School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and WIC Program) as part of reauthorization in 2004. 

Updated October 2005