Afterschool Nutrition Programs help millions of low-income students across the country get access to healthy meals they might not otherwise receive outside of school. When districts offer an afterschool nutrition program (ANP), eligible students are able to receive a snack or meal on a weeknight, weekend, and school holiday.

In 2017, more than 46,000 districts participated in ANPs offered through both the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Together, these programs served over 1.07 million children and participation has continued to grow year over year. 

For the past two years, MySchoolBucks and Heartland School Solutions has provided Growth Grants to school nutrition programs across the country. To date, we have awarded over $100,000 to districts who use MySchoolBucks and helped over 130 food service departments promote their nutrition programs in fun and creative ways, using funds they might not otherwise have access to. In addition to offering our food service Growth Grant program for the 2019-20 school year, we are excited to offer for the first time Growth Grants for before & aftercare programs! 

This week schools and programs nationwide are celebrating all that afterschool professionals do each day! It's a time to recognize those who work with students during out-of-school hours, including community partners, afterschool program staff, and youth and child care workers. 

As a childcare director, one of your main goals is to deliver successful and engaging programs for students. That means managing registration, taking payments, and communicating with parents are all vital and equally important. 

Afterschool programs play an essential role in boosting academic performance, promoting physical health, and creating a safe environment for children of working parents.  If you're a teacher or director who operates one of these programs, you know how much work goes into keeping children engaged.

Here are five websites we found that are packed with tons of free (and fun!) activities for kids: