April 2015

Dear Supporter,

Community Eligibility Deadline Extended

The deadline to opt in to community eligibility for the 2015-2016 school year has been extended to August 31, 2015. This allows eligible districts to feed more students and increase their federal reimbursements. Here are resources to help you take advantage of this option for your district.

• Check out new implementation data from the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities, including a paper, updated database, and interactive maps.
• FRAC’s Community Eligibility One-Pager (pdf)   
• Sample CEP Presentation Slides (PowerPoint file)

Breakfast Grants Available

Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) is now accepting School Grants for Healthy Kids applications for the 2015-2016 school year! Breakfast grants up to $2,500 are available. Eligible schools may apply to pilot or expand their School Breakfast Programs, pilot universal school breakfast and/or fund physical activity and nutrition initiatives working toward healthy schools certification.

In addition to funding, your school will receive year-round support, gain access to AFHK’s new and improved grants portal and ensure your students are healthy and ready to learn!
Apply by May 1, 2015 for a 2015-2016 School Grant for Healthy Kids.

USDA Awards Grants to Support Schools Serving Healthier Meals and Snacks

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award more than $30 million in grants to help schools prepare healthy meals for their children. Twenty-five million dollars in grants will help schools purchase needed equipment to make preparing and serving healthier meals easier and more efficient, and up to $5.5 million to will provide additional training for school food service professionals.

USDA provides the funding to states, which then competitively award grants to school districts, giving priority to high-need schools where 50 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Download the list of funding by state for FY14 and FY15.

FRAC’s Free Webinars Help Expand, Improve Breakfast, Summer Meals

Breakfast after the Bell
Spring is a great time to kick off a new breakfast after the bell program! Preparing now to pilot in a few schools can help facilitate smooth implementation in more schools in the new school year. Hear from school districts that have recently implemented grab and go and in-classroom delivery models and about the many benefits they have seen in their school districts as a result.
Learn more on this free webinar on Thursday, April 9 from 3  to 4 p.m. Register here.

Boost Your Summer Meal Participation
Summer is almost here, and now is the time to ramp up your outreach plans and increase the visibility of the summer nutrition programs to families in your community. Hear about effective strategies and resources that advocates and program providers use to promote the program.

Learn more on this free webinar, Outreach Strategies to Families, on Thursday, May 7 at 1 p.m.  Register online now.

Improving Breakfast Quality
Schools across the country have been working hard to implement new nutrition standards for school breakfast, which have been phased in over three years. Join our call to find out tips, menu ideas and successful strategies from school districts that have gone above and beyond to provide nutritious breakfasts to their students--and have made breakfast part of the school day by offering it in the classroom or through other alternative service models.

Webinar - Improving Nutrition Quality and Increasing Participation in Your Breakfast Program
Learn more on this free webinar on Thursday, May 14 at 3 p.m. Register today.