With the expiration of pandemic waivers, student participation in after-school meal programs dropped by 23 percent, said the anti-hunger Food Research & Action Center on Tuesday. With the return to pre-pandemic operations, many after-school programs and meal sponsors continue to struggle with staffing shortages and increased food prices, said FRAC in a report.
“As children and their families recover from the fallout of the pandemic, substantial investments are needed to bolster their access to after-school suppers and snacks, and programming, to fuel their health and learning,” said Luis Guardia, FRAC president.
Participation in the after-school supper program has declined to 1.15 million pupils a day in October 2022, a drop of 339,360 students from an average day in October 2021, said the report. It was the lowest rate since October 2016. After-school snack participation of an average 1.19 million students a day in October 2022 was 15 percent lower than in 2019, before the pandemic.
To read the report on after-school meals, click here.