2025 Afterschool Meals

Whether you’re an experienced leader or just starting out, enhance your Afterschool Meals program with the power of the 3 Cs: communication, collaboration and competition. Discover effective strategies for building and sustaining excitement around this essential program.

Are your afterschool programs needing a boost? Get knowledge of nutritional needs for at-risk youth and on the five essential food components from USDA’s MyPlate. Also, learn how you can increase physical activity in youth, address nutritional challenges and promote healthy eating by securing federal funding for food served in eligible At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) programs.

Schools have a unique opportunity to reach low-income children needing meals. Many children go home to an empty house, and a meal before leaving school can make all the difference! Hear about some of the obstacles and solutions in making this important meal available to students. Also, learn how sponsors can help in the process of making supper become a reality in your school.

What is the difference between SUN Meals and Afterschool Meals programming? Learn the differences between the two programs regarding reimbursement rates, meal options, meal patterns, monitoring, and eligibility. Then, test your understanding by participating in a review game.

Serving supper with CACFP Afterschool Meals has successfully expanded across various states, focusing on its significant impact in alleviating food insecurity and supporting family well-being. Through real-life examples and practical strategies, explore how this program not only addresses immediate nutritional needs but also helps families financially and strengthens family bonds.

Ready to level up your understanding of monitoring in SFSP or After School Meals? Whether you are a beginner or a veteran who never stops studying, discover key points of monitoring compliance, along with tips to be successful in audits, and put your knowledge on display while maximizing reimbursements for your programs.

Discover how a local food program, in just five years, skyrocketed from serving 500 meals daily to 2,000. Learn how they cut costs, reduced waste, and maximized efficiency using ready-made food, all while collaborating with community sites and education leaders to expand their program’s impact.

Running an at-risk rural nutrition program provides challenges, including accessibility, cultural barriers, and sustainability. Learn to create a viable program by addressing the improvement of program infrastructure, tailoring programs to local cultures, and focusing on sustainable, community-driven solutions.

Explore opportunities to bridge connections between school districts and community-based organizations to support connecting families with participating programs year-round. Learn how to increase and leverage collaboration to create opportunities for alignment that support CACFP and SFSP and more effectively address food insecurity amongst the families you serve.