Purpose.

Many low income families have come to rely on the meals provided to their children throughout the school year. School meal programs can greatly support students' health and learning. When school is out for the summer, children lose out on these meals and parents may find it harder to make ends meet. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) works to see these students through to the next school year by providing free summer meals. The purpose of this study was to investigate one local school district's program in order to better address any barriers that parents believed were keeping their children from participating in the SFSP.

Methods.

A web-based questionnaire was utilized to survey parents of children enrolled in one local school district in the Midwest. Data was collected in order to make comparisons between participative and non-participative families of the SFSP. Parents were asked to indicate the significance of potential obstacles preventing participation and the interventions they anticipate would be most successful. Independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests were performed to analyze differences between those surveyed, including SFSP knowledge and participation, number of children per household, and families' summer food environments.

Results.

Responses were received from 302 parents, who represented 566 children and all nine schools within the district. It was found that the majority of children (n=252, 83%) ate lunch at their family home during the summer months. Thirty parents (13.8%) reported that their children had attended one of the district's summer meal sites during the summer, while 188 (86.2%) responses were collected stating that the parents' children did not participate in the most recent SFSP. Parents whose children participated in the SFSP agreed to a higher degree that summer food bills increased, it is harder to make ends meet, and that they struggle financially during the summer (t=2.47, p<.05; t=3.59, p<.01; t=4.32, p<.001), respectively. Parents reported mixed perceptions of SFSP offerings, influenced by whether or not they had previous knowledge of the SFSP and whether or not their children had participated in the program. Parents whose children had participated in the SFSP provided significantly more feedback to the inquiry which sought what was most important for the program to offer (t=2.44, p<.05). The provision of recreational and sport activities, crafts, and tutoring at SFSP sites was significantly more important to individuals with no previous knowledge of the SFSP (m=2.23 +/- 1.185) as compared to parent who were already familiar with the program (m=2.69 +/- 1.249) (t=2.83, p<.01). On the other hand, the intervention to extend meal hours was perceived, to a level of significance, as more important if the parents' children had previously attended the SFSP (m=1.80 +/- 1.186) compared to parents whose children had not (m=2.40 +/- 1.141) (t=2.59, p<.05).

Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals.

The primary objective of the study was to uncover the thoughts of area parents in order to provide feedback specific to one local school district. Though the study was tailored to the district's SFSP offerings and community needs in a Midwestern town, it presents results and a survey model that may be translated to programs of similar nature. Studied barriers to participation include a lack of need or interest, associated stigma, and transportation barriers. Recreational or physical activities, free adult meals, and different food items were program offerings perceived as most important. Strategies predicted to increase children's participation include extending meal times beyond one hour, serving at different or additional locations, and mobilizing meals.