Summer Food Service Program
**Updated**USDA Extends Free Meals for Kids Through June 30, 2021
Original memo dated October 13, 2020. Updates are indicated by double asterisks (**).
The New York State Education Department (SED) has elected the use of the Nationwide waiver flexibilities provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow free meals to continue to be available to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year:
SFSP New Sponsor Application Request Form
SED is now accepting applications for participation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during the 2020-2021 school year until December 31, 2020 to the extent that federal and state funding allows. This is for new sponsors who have not been approved to operate the SFSP. The deadline to submit an application is October 31, 2020. To request an application, please fill out this SFSP Application Request Form here.
Public SFAs: Summer Meals Programs can be used to serve meals at no charge at the beginning of the 2020-2021 School Year
Ensuring Access to Meals
Non-public SFAs and SFSP Sponsors: Summer Meals Programs can be used to serve meals at no charge at the beginning of the 2020-2021 School Year
CN SFSP Nationwide Waiver Extensions
The United States Department of Agriculture has released the following nationwide waivers related to Summer Food Service Operations:
SFSP NYS Waiver Requests
The New York State Education Department is requesting extensions to the following USDA waiver flexibilities to allow sponsors of the Summer Food Service Program to continue to operate with these allowances after August 31, 2020 until school starts.
USDA Meals for Kids Site Finder
To slow the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), many schools have closed unexpectedly. To ensure that children who rely on free or reduced-price meals at school are able to get the nutrition they need, USDA is working with states to continue providing meals to students. Usually, the rules require that children gather and eat their meals on site.
Providing Multiple Meals at a Time During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
Below is a guide for providing multiple meals at a time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Find an SFSP Site Near You
Feeding Children in Need and Child Care for Essential Workers During the Summer
The memo below is regarding feeding children in need and child care for essential workers during the summer. For the original memo, please click here.
As schools closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was critical that school districts provide meals to all students and particularly to students who rely on the two meals a day provided in school when school is open.
