OVERVIEW
HISTORY OF THE SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM
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OVERVIEW

In 1968, the United States Congress established the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for Children. The purpose of the program is to provide meals for children from low-income families during the summer months when many school cafeterias are closed.

Since the founding of the SFSP, Pennsylvania’s approximately 250 SFSP sponsors have been "filling the gap" by providing nutritious meals for low-income children during the summer months. In responding to their communities needs, sponsors are providing nurturing and nourishment for over 128,000 children at supervised and safe locations.

HISTORY OF THE SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

1968 – P.L. 90-302 established the Special Food Service Program for Children (SFSPFC), a 3-year pilot program that was the forerunner of the Summer Food Service Program and the Child Care Food Program.

1975 – P.L. 94-105 separated the Child Care and Summer Food Service components of the SFSPFC. Eligibility for the SFSP was extended to include residential summer camps and institutions conducting a regularly scheduled program for children.

1977 – P.L. 95-166 addressed abuses which had developed in the program by mandating stricter eligibility rules for sponsors, tightening accounting procedures and imposing penalties for fraud.

1978 – P.L. 95-627 extended program eligibility to some mentally and physically handicapped persons over the age of 18.

1979 – P.L. 96-108 limited the eligibility of some private non-profit institutions that sponsored large programs and purchased meals from food service management companies.

1980 – P.L. 96-499 limited summer meal service at most sites to lunch and either breakfast and or a snack.

1981 – P.L. 97-35 limited the types of organizations eligible to sponsor the SFSP by excluding private, non-profit sponsors other than schools and residential camps. The law also changed the area eligibility requirements by requiring that one-half of the children in the area be from families with income at or below 185 percent of poverty.

1982 – P.L. 97-370 mandated that sponsors submit their final reimbursement claims for meal service to state agencies within 60 days of the claiming month, and that states submit program operations reports to the Department within 90 days of the month covered by the report.

1986 – P.L. 99-500 and 99-591 allowed sponsors, which are school food authorities to use facilities, equipment, and personnel for non-profit nutrition programs for the elderly. These laws also extended automatic free meal eligibility to children from households receiving food stamps or Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

1989 - P.L. 101-147

• made meal providers who conduct food service primarily for homeless children eligible to serve as sites;
• allowed private non-profit organizations to act as sponsors subject to certain conditions;
• required states to conduct outreach to private non-profit organizations in FY 1990 and FY1991;
• required states to conduct training and technical assistance to non-profit private organizations; and
• made academic year National Youth Sports Programs eligible to participate year-round.

1994 – P.L. 103-448 raised priority for private non-profit sponsors with program experience, and removed the one-year waiting period for non-profit sponsors operating in areas formerly served by school or government sites. The law authorized operation of the SFSP at non-school sites at times other than the summer due to emergency school closure. It established start-up and expansion grants.

1996 – P.L. 104-193 included amendments designed to streamline program operations and reduce costs. The law:

• removed expansion as a stated program goal;
• lowered reimbursement rates for operating costs;
• limited the number of reimbursable meals services for certain sponsors;
• eliminated participation of “academic year” National youth Sports program sites;
• eliminated start-up and expansion grants.

1998 – P.L. 105-336

• modified the remaining restrictions on participation by private non-profit organization sponsors;
• expanded the availability of “offer vs. serve”;
• moved homeless sites into the Child and Adult Care Food Program;
• eliminated Federal requirements for registering commercial vendors.

2001 – P.L. 106-554 enabled certain States with low participation to be reimbursed based on meals times rates and removed cost accounting requirements. Sponsors could use administrative funds to pay for program operational expenses and vice-versa.

2004 – P.L. 108-265 included provisions that were designed to improve program access for all eligible children, maintain high program standards and integrity, and address the problems of childhood obesity. It expanded the pilot project that removed cost accounting requirements to six more states. A single free and reduced price application and direct certification for each household were made valid for 12 months. Household allowance for military personnel living in privatized housing when determining eligibility was eliminated. Rural Transportation Grants, through a competitive process, were established to enable up to 60 sponsors in five states to receive funds to help provide meals to children in rural communities.

2007 – The Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act was signed into law on December 26, 2007 and extended the pilot project that simplified cost accounting procedures in the Summer food Service Program to all sponsors in all States. made meal providers who conduct food service primarily for homeless children eligible to serve as sites;