Sites Needed to Provide Important After-School Meals For Kids
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is looking for community sponsors to run after-school snack and supper programs for at-risk children. This federal program provides free meals to students while they are engaged in positive after-school programs.
Today’s students face difficult challenges on their path to educational success, according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan.
“Poor diet; limited opportunities for organized activities; uncertain home environments; too much television; risky health behaviors; and stress are obstacles our students must overcome to achieve academic excellence,” Flanagan said.
Research has demonstrated the positive relationship between good nutrition and academic achievement. MDE’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers an At-Risk After School Snack/Supper program that can improve the quality of nutrition for eligible students. The CACFP provides a cash reimbursement for snacks and suppers served to children while in an after-school program. Reimbursement is for school-age children who are 18 years of age or under at the beginning of the school year.
“We need more organizations to sponsor these crucial after-school food programs for our children,” said State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus. “Good nutrition is a building block in the community for healthy, happy kids who are ready to learn. The need is there and the federal reimbursement for the food is available. Now we need more locations to serve the children.”
Eligible sites must:
Be located in an attendance area of a school where 50 percent or more of the students are eligible for free and reduced price meals;
Offer educational or enrichment activities, after the regular school day ends or on weekends, during the times of the year school is in session;
Meet licensing, health or safety codes required by state or local law; and
Serve meals that meet USDA meal pattern requirements.
Many students go home to an empty cupboard and absent parents. Their food needs are great but the resources are minimal or non-existent. The CACFP At-Risk After-School Snack/Supper program could be a stop-gap measure. What child wouldn’t want something to eat immediately after the school day? Students who participate in the CACFP At-Risk After-School Snack/Supper program receive healthy snacks and/or balanced suppers.
Interested groups and organizations can contact the CACFP staff at (517) 373-7391 for further information. Click to preview a sample CACFP application. Scroll down to Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) and click on the Child Nutrition Application Program (CNAP). To login, use systemsa and use samplesa as the password. The sample application is in “read only” format.
State Board Approves Content Expectations for State’s K-12 Social Studies Classes
LANSING – The State Board of Education unanimously approved today the state’s new Social Studies content expectations for grades K-12.
These are the first updates to Michigan’s Social Studies standards since 1996. They reflect several years of study, review, revision, and public input.
“The Social Studies expectations are the culmination of several years of development and involvement of content and subject experts, educators, national review, and public input,” said State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus.
“We had valuable input from the public, both at our meetings and on-line,” she said. “We think we have one of the most outstanding Social Studies curriculums in the country.”
The Social Studies content expectations cover History, Civics and Government, Geography, and Economics, and are aligned with national standards.
Of special interest to State Board members was the importance of civics and government, and teaching children how to become better engaged in their local, state, and federal governments.
“Students not only need to know the ‘what’ about civics and government,” said State Board member Nancy Danhof, “they need to know ‘how, when, and where’ they can become actual participants in their government.”
Amendments were made to the proposed curriculum expectations to drive citizen participation in their government, as well as amendments to include personal finance education throughout the K-12 system; teach Michigan history beyond statehood in the fourth grade; and highlight the leadership roles of multi-cultural individuals in civic participation that affected positive change throughout the history of the United States.