Summer starts and students who relied on the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for their primary source of nutrition are still hungry every day. Schools already enrolled in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and/or National School Lunch Program (NSLP) may wish to participate in the Seamless Summer Option. Reimbursement rates for the Seamless Summer Option are the same as the SBP and NSLP rates during the school year.
The Seamless Summer Option combines features of the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This option reduces paperwork and administrative burden, making it easier for schools to feed children from low-income areas during the traditional summer vacation periods, for year-round schools, and long school vacation periods (generally exceeding two to three weeks). By enrolling in the Seamless Summer Option, schools will not only provide a service to children in their school but the community at large.
Public Act 096-0734 requires all school districts in Illinois planning to operate an academic summer school or enrichment program in a building with 50 percent or more of the students eligible for free or reduced-price meals must operate a summer feeding program for at least the duration of the program.
