FNS Documents & Resources

The School Breakfast Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It began as a pilot project in 1966, and was made permanent in 1975. At the state level, the program is usually administered by state education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with local school food authorities in more than 78,000 schools and institutions.

This fact sheets was designed to help summer sponsors and site supervisors easily comply with program requirements.

This fact sheets was designed to help summer sponsors and site supervisors easily comply with program requirements.

El Programa de Servicio de Alimentos de Verano (SFSP) del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, también conocido como el Programa de Verano, brinda a los niños y adolescentes en las áreas de bajos ingresos, comidas gratis cuando no hay escuela. 

This fact sheet (in English or Spanish) provides information about how SFSP works and what you can do to participate in summer meals.

The Special Milk Program provides milk to children in schools, child care institutions and eligible camps that do not participate in other federal child nutrition meal service programs. The program reimburses schools and institutions for the milk they serve. In 2011, 3,848 schools and residential child care institutions participated, along with 782 summer camps and 527 non‐residential child care institutions. Schools in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs may also participate in the Special Milk Program to provide milk to children in half‐day pre‐kindergarten and kindergarten programs where children do not have access to the school meal programs.

The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Categorized by food type, the USDA Foods Product Information Sheets describe the items expected to be available for schools and institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and other child nutrition programs.