Navigating Area Eligibility in Summer and Afterschool Meals

Area eligibility indicates a location is eligible to operate an open meal site under the summer meals program (Summer Food Service Program and NSLP Seamless Summer Option) and/or an afterschool meals program (Area Eligible NSLP Snacks and the Child and Adult Care Food Program At-risk Afterschool Meals Program). Open meal sites can serve and claim reimbursement for meals provided to all children 18 and younger (for afterschool meals, all students who were 18 or younger at the beginning of the school year).

Determining if your site is area eligible can be complicated. This resource provides information on how to determine if a site is area eligible, the types of data that can be used to make that determination, and options for meal service if a site is not area eligible.