About CNP

The At-Risk Afterschool Meals Programs connects children with the free healthy food they need in a safe, supervised location. For many kids, this is their only opportunity to access a healthy meal after the school day ends. Afterschool meals sites offer fun learning and recreational activities so kids and teens can eat a healthy meal while staying active and being with friends.

Afterschool Meals Program Details:

• Meals are FREE to children and teens ages 18 and younger
• Food served at afterschool meal sites follows USDA nutrition guidelines and are paid for by the USDA
• All the locations are in the school cafeteria. Meals must be consumed at sites. No take home meals.
• Meals are offered to not only Bessemer City School children but to all children 18 and under regardless of where they attend school.
• Sites offer learning and recreational activities for kids of all ages so they can eat, hang out with friends and take part in activities offered
• Parents don’t need to apply to the program or show proof of income

The Afterschool Meals Program not only saves you money, but ensures your kids are getting the healthy meals they need every day in a safe, supervised place.

ALL Bessemer City Schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) provided schools and districts that predominately serve low-income children with a new option for meal certification.  Under the Community Eligibility Provision, schools do not collect or process meal applications for free and reduced-price meals served in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.  Schools must serve all meals at no cost with any costs in excess of the Federal reimbursement paid from non-Federal sources.  The evaluation, mandated by HHFKA, examined the implementation and impacts of the Community Eligibility Provision.

 

• Please review the "Diet Prescription for Meals at School" form.

• Give the form to your licensed Physician/Recognized Medical Authority to complete.

• Return the complete form to the School Nurse and or Cafeteria Manager.

Download the Diet Prescription Form

USDA Regulations & Guidance:

A child with medical conditions that are NOT disabilities must have licensed physician’s statement that includes:

• An identification of the medical or other special dietary condition which restricts the child’s diet.
• The food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet; and the food or choice of foods to be substituted.

USDA Regulations & Guidance: A child with disability must have licensed Physician’s statement that includes:

• The child’s disability
• An explanation of why the disability restricts the child’s diet.
• The major life activity affected by the disability.
• The food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet, and the food or choice of foods that must be substituted.

All five (5) of the Bessemer City Elementary Schools have been awarded the USDA Fresh Fruits & Vegetable Program Grant.

Goals:

• Create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices

• Expand the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience

• Increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption
• Make a difference in children's diet to impact their present and future health.

The program is seen as an important catalyst for change in efforts combat childhood obesity by helping children learn more healthful eating habits.

The FFVP introduces school children to a variety of produce that they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to sample.

  

The winning recipe for a healthy lifestyle includes a combination of both good nutrition and physical activity. Your body needs a variety of nutrient rich foods to grow and prevent illness. And your body also needs to move and exercise every day.

Key things you need to know about leading a healthy lifestyle are:
 

• Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables and whole grain products
• Control portion sizes and never "supersize"
• Get active for at least 60 minutes, five times a week for ages 6-18
• Avoid tobacco and illegal drugs all together

Well-nourished students have higher test scores, increased school attendance, improved concentration, and improved classroom behavior. Students, who are physically fit, sleep better and are better able to handle the physical and emotional challenges that they encounter during the day. 

Good nutrition leads to great academic performance. Your body needs healthy fuel to perform, to grow and to ward off illness and disease. Would you feed a million dollar racehorse junk food & soda? Of course not, so think about what you eat...because you are worth far more than a horse!

Good nutrition has a positive and direct impact on your ability to do well in school. When your nutritional needs are met, you have the cognitive energy to learn and achieve. You will be better prepared to learn, more likely to attend school, and are more apt to take advantage of learning opportunities.

Protein – Choose a variety of foods with lean protein

Protein is an indispensable nutrient and can be found throughout every tissue in our body. Protein is a vital source of energy, but the most important function of protein is building and repairing tissue. We also need protein for our immune function, proteins transport vitamins and minerals throughout our body.

Grains – Make half of all the grains you eat whole grains

Eating grains, especially whole grains, provides health benefits.  Dietary fiber from whole grains, may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.  Grains are important sources of many nutrients, including several B vitamins, magnesium and selenium.

Vegetables – Make at least half of your plate fruits and vegetables

 

Eating vegetables provides health benefits — people who eat more vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases.  Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

Fruits – Make at least half of your plate fruits and vegetables

Eating fruit provides health benefits — people who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Fruits provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

Dairy – Always choose fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk

Milk and dairy products are especially important to bone health during school aged years, when bone mass is being built. It provides important sources of calcium, potassium and vitamin D, and help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and help to lower blood pressure in adults.

Is Your Snack a Smart Snack? Use the Smart Snacks Product Calculator, developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, to take the guesswork out of nutrition guidelines! Simply enter the product information, answer a few questions, and determine whether your snack, side or entree item meets the new USDA Smart Snacks in School Guidelines.

Smart Snack Product Calculator

Kids often need snacks to help them get enough calories (ENERGY) throughout the day. Choosing healthy snacks that add nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to their diets is essential. Smart snacking is a great way to meet daily nutrient requirements that may be missed at meal times.

Students in our district are offered healthier school meals with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. The Smart Snacks in School standards published by the USDA will build on those healthy advancements by ensuring that all other snack foods and beverages available for sale to students in school are tasty and nutritious.

Nutrition Standards for Foods

Any food sold in school must:

• Be a “whole grain-rich” grain product; or
• Have as the first ingredient a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product or a protein food; or
• Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or
• Contain 10% of the Daily Value (DV) of one of the nutrients of public health concern in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (calcium, potassium, vitamin D, or dietary fiber)

Foods must also meet several nutrient requirements:

Calorie limits

• Snack items: ≤ 200 calories   

• Entrée items: ≤ 350 calories

Sodium limits

• Snack items: ≤ 230 mg   

• Entrée items: ≤ 480 mg

Fat limits

• Total fat: ≤ 35% of calories   
• Saturated fat: ≤ 10% of calories   
• Trans fat: zero grams

Sugar limit

• ≤ 35% of weight from total sugars in foods

Accompaniments

Accompaniments such as cream cheese, salad dressing and butter must be included in the nutrient profile as part of the food item sold. This helps control the amount of calories, fat, sugar and sodium added to foods.

Nutrient Standards for Beverages

All schools may sell:
 

• Plain water (with or without carbonation)
• Unflavored low fat milk
• Unflavored or flavored fat free milk and milk alternatives permitted by NSLP/SBP
• 100% fruit or vegetable juice, and 100% fruit or vegetable juice diluted with water (with or without carbonation) and no added sweeteners

Elementary schools may sell up to 8-ounce portions, while middle and high schools may sell up to 12-ounce portions of milk and juice. There is no portion size limit for plain water.

Beyond this, the standards allow additional “no calorie” and “lower calorie” beverage options for high school students.

•  No more than 20-ounce portions of calorie-free, flavored water (with or without carbonation); and other flavored and/or carbonated beverages that are labeled to contain < 5 calories per 8 fluid ounces or ≤ 10 calories per 20 fluid ounces.
• No more than 12-ounce portions of beverage with ≤ 40 calories per 8 fluid ounces, or ≤ 60 calories per 12 fluid ounces.
• Healthy Fundraisers   
• Food items that meet nutrition standards are not limited
• The standards do not apply during non-school hours, on weekends and at off-campus fundraising events
• The standards provide a special exemption for infrequent fundraisers that do not meet the nutrition standards. Each State agency is responsible for establishing the number of exempt fundraisers that may be held in schools each year.