The Issues

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shutdown of in-person school in the early spring of 2020, park and recreation professionals surged into action to provide meals to community members. Leveraging the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Seamless Summer Option (SSO), park and recreation professionals were able to seamlessly provide meals to kids age 18 and under who traditionally rely on meals served through their school day.

Additional child nutrition waivers allowed professionals to provide meals to any child in need of a meal under age 18 through area eligibility waivers; practice meal pattern flexibility, meaning parents and caregivers could pick up meals on behalf of kids; offer non-congregate meals, resulting in innovative ways to deliver meals (like drive-through options or weekly meal boxes); and waive activity requirements, so meals could be served with no required educational component. As the pandemic continued through summer, professionals continued serving meals through SFSP while providing innovative summer programming and adapting programs to meet physical distancing regulations and COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

But now as we move into the 2020-2021 school year, our professionals and partner organizations who have stepped up to serve meals, and our families that have benefited from these quick actions, are facing their next challenge. The child nutrition waivers that were extended this spring during the early spread of the COVID-19 pandemic are expiring. This means as soon as schools are officially back in session — whether virtual or in-person — meal providers would no longer have access to SFSP SSO meal reimbursement and children and families who rely on these programs will face additional hardships.

An additional challenge is the economic hardship facing families across the country. While area eligibility is regulated at 50 percent of an area eligible for free or reduced lunch, so many community members are facing challenges due to unemployment (the unemployment rate in July 2020 was 10.2 percent compared to July 2019 at 3.7 percent), making the actual need much higher — a fact not reflected in the current regulations. Waiving this requirement ensures that everyone who needs a healthy meal can access one, including families that find themselves facing new financial challenges.

The expiration of these child nutrition waivers is a crushing action, as it strips the flexibility needed to ensure that children who rely on free and reduced-price school meals still get the nutrition they need while schools are shuttered or have schedules that include both remote and in-classroom learning.

Compromise

In union with our out-of-school time partners, NRPA has been advocating to extend the child nutrition waivers indefinitely. As this pandemic continues into the foreseeable future, access to reliable, quality meals is more essential than ever.

In mid-August, USDA released updated guidance that takes a small step in the right direction of providing this increased access.

• SFSP waiver extension until the end of the year

  • Previously set to expire on September 30, the SFSP SSO waiver has been extended. USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on August 31 that the SFSP waiver would be extended through December 31, 2020, saying: “This extension of summer program authority will employ summer program sponsors to ensure meals are reaching all children – whether they are learning in the classroom or virtually – so they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever-changing learning environments.” These waivers extend the non-congregate, meal pattern, parent pick-up, and area eligibility flexibilities to the summer programs.

• Afterschool waiver clarifications for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

  • For out-of-school providers in areas where school is back in session, USDA has offered clarification on child nutrition waiver extension:
    • Enrichment activity requirement: Under the non-congregate and parent pick-up waivers, enrichment activities typically required for kids to receive a meal or a snack through CACFP may be conducted virtually or in other non-congregate ways. Examples include online homework assistance, activity packets, electronic games and books, or e-learning activities kids can partake in at home.

• Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Extension Option for States

  • P-EBT was a program created through The Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide nutritional resources to families who are losing access to free or reduced-price school meals as schools across the country close in response to COVID-19. P-EBT provides households an EBT card with the value of the free school breakfast and lunch reimbursement rates for the days that schools are closed.
  • Funds for P-EBT will be issued on a rolling basis through August but are set to expire. As P-EBT is issued through the state level, USDA will consider state requests to extend their P-EBT plans through September 30 as part of USDA’s broader effort to help schools restart their school meal programs.

While these updates are a step in the right direction, immediate action is needed to ensure that no child goes hungry this year.

What can you do?

Share your story. The most effective action you can take is to share your story of the impact of the child nutrition waivers in your community. First-hand accounts are crucial in making the case that these waivers are critical to the health and well-being of your community members. We encourage you to reach out to your state officials sharing how you’ve used the waivers (for example, the number of meals you served during emergency feeding programs), personal stories of families who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to access food, and how your community would struggle without access to these meals. If you’re not familiar with reaching out to elected officials, please feel free to share your story with NRPA, and we can share on your behalf.

It’s also impactful to raise public awareness of these issues and writing a letter to the editor is a great way to do this. Consider the same talking points as above to highlight the essential role park and recreation professionals are playing in emergency feeding programs, as well as sharing more information on where families can access meals. The National Education Association has guidelines on writing a strong letter.

Ask your state to request at P-EBT extension. For more information on P-EBT in your state, and to visit your state’s website to request at P-EBT extension, visit the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) P-EBT resource center.

NRPA will continue to advocate for access to these critical meal programs, which are needed now more than ever.

Maureen Neumann is Program Manager at NRPA.