Child Nutrition Programs
In Oklahoma, the Child Nutrition Programs are administered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Summer EBT
Summer EBT is a new federal program that provides benefits to buy groceries to qualifying families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer. Summer EBT benefits come in the form of pre-loaded cards (like a debit card) that families can use to purchase groceries at participating stores. Families can receive a food package valued at $120 per eligible child. These benefits work together with other available programs, such as Summer Meals, SNAP, WIC, and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation (FDPIR or commodities) to help ensure children have consistent access to critical nutrition when school is out.
Click here for more information on Summer EBT, or call 918-213-4855 8AM to 7PM Monday through Friday or 9AM to 1PM Saturday.
Summer Meals
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program that provides kids and teens in low-income areas nutritious meals when school is not in session. Kids and teens aged 18 and under can visit a participating site to receive a free meal. Approved sites in rurally-designated areas may offer grab-and-go meals.
- Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) Summer Food Mapper helps identify areas that are eligible for Summer Meals
- Access program planning tools No Kid Hungry’s: Summer Meals Best Practices Page
- Find your nearest Oklahoma Summer Meals site by visiting www.meals4kidsok.org
Afterschool Meals
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s At-Risk Afterschool Meals component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers federal funding to afterschool programs that offer enrichment activities and serve a meal or snack to children and teens in low-income areas.
- Visit Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) Afterschool Meals Resource Library
- Learn more about program guidelines with USDA’s CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Handbook
- No Kid Hungry offers Afterschool Meals program Best Practices
- Read how Oklahoma expanded its participation in Afterschool Meals program during the 2016-2017 school year through the FRAC 2018 Afterschool Nutrition Report
School Breakfast
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions. The School Breakfast Program gives students the opportunity to start their day full, focused, and ready to learn by providing a healthy breakfast at school.
- Read about School Breakfast Program participation across the state: Oklahoma School Breakfast Report (2022)
- Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) shares Strategies to Increase School Breakfast Participation
- Learn more Breakfast After the Bell (BATB) models through Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom’s Resource Page and Toolkits
- No Kid Hungry provides Best Practices for Implementing Breakfast After the Bell
Hunger Free Oklahoma’s work on Breakfast After the Bell is sponsored by Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom and the Walmart Foundation.
CEP
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. CEP allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.
- Learn how CEP works with USDA’s Fact Sheet
- Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) CEP Resource Page provides program guidance for school district leaders
- In 2024, 159 Oklahoma school districts and 467 schools began participating in CEP, bringing the total in Oklahoma to 267 districts and 849 schools.
- Determine if your school or district is eligible to participate in CEP with FRAC’s CEP Eligibility Database
Special Milk Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also has a program to assist schools in Providing Nutritious Milk to Children.