New
Jersey Agriculture Secretary Art Brown, Jr., said
today that child care centers sponsoring United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) food programs can
now receive reimbursement for snacks served to children
between the ages of 12 and 18 as part of qualifying
after school care programs.
Before
the expansion of USDA's Child and Adult Care Food
Program (CACFP) under the federal Child Nutrition
Reauthorization Act of 1998, snack reimbursement
was only provided for children up to age 12 in licensed
day care centers.
AThe
Act demonstrates USDA's commitment to supporting
after school activities aimed at promoting the health
and well being of children and youth in our communities,A
said Christopher J. Martin, administrator for USDA's
Food and Nutrition Service's Mid-Atlantic Region.
To
be eligible for this new USDA reimbursement component,
after school care programs must meet the following
CACFP criteria:
- An
eligible institution must be a public governmental
entity, including public schools or private
not-for-profit organizations (i.e., IRS tax-exempt
under 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code).
The
purpose of the program must be the provision
of care in an after school setting.
Programs
must include regularly scheduled education
or enrichment activities in organized, structured
and supervised environments.
- The
school age child care facility must be located
in a school attendance zone where at least
50% of enrolled children are eligible for free
or reduced price school meals.
For
more information, contact NJDA's Bureau of Child
Nutrition at 609-984-1250.
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