ORDINANCE approving and authorizing submission of an application for grant assistance to the TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOOD AND NUTRITION for the Child and Adult Care Food Program Grant; declaring the City's eligibility for such grant; authorizing the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department to act as the City's representative in the application process, to accept such grant funds, if awarded, and to apply for and accept all subsequent awards, if any, pertaining to the Program

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) requests City Council approval to apply for and receive a reimbursable grant from Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Food and Nutrition (F&N) for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).  If approved, the Ordinance will authorize the Director to act as the City’s representative in the application process, to sign the original award, accept and expend such grant funds if awarded, and to apply for and accept subsequent awards pertaining to the program for a period of five years from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2022.

The amount requested for the 2017-2018 program year is $1,454,648.42 to serve approximately 1,800 average daily meals and 1,600 average daily supplements (snacks) at approximately 80 eligible sites. However, the program will authorize additional reimbursements if additional meals and supplements are served. No matching funds are required.

The purpose of CACFP is to help contracting entities integrate nutritious meals and snacks with organized child care services. The CACFP provides reimbursement for meals and snacks served to children in at-risk, after-school care centers such as public and non-profit community recreational centers located in low-income areas. The 2017-2018 program year will provide after-school food and nutritional services to 45 HPARD Community Centers and 25 unaffiliated eligible sites.  This grant becomes a multi-year grant contract amendment to HPARD’s Summer Food Service Program.  The amendment allows HPARD to expand food services to its After-School Enrichment Program and other eligible sites as long as State funding is available, and HPARD continues to be an eligible entity to manage such funds.

After-School Meal Program Site Eligibility Criteria:

• Site must be zoned to a school that has 51% or more of students receiving free or reduced lunch.
• Site provides an enrichment activity.
• Site is a school, daycare facility, facility with a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) license waiver, or the facility operates for less than 2 hours.

Eligible sites must complete the following steps for TDA approval to participate in the program:

1. The site must complete a two-part application which includes the site eligibility application and the application agreement.
2. The site returns the completed application with a copy of their sites license, DFPS waiver and/or leaflet showing hours of operation to be less than 2 hours (all sites must turn in a program leaflet).
3. The qualifying school that the site is zoned to must be verified through the school district website or district office, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) report printed for submission with the site application.
4. All site application documents are submitted to HPARD Director for signature.
5. After-School Meal Program staff submit the site application to the TDA Texas Unified Nutrition Programs System (TX-UNPS) website, and scanned copies of the complete application are e-mailed to TDA.
6. TDA reviews site application and approves site, typically within 2 weeks.

Director’s Signature:

__________________________

Stephen Wright, Director

$1,454,648.42 Federal Government Interest Bearing - HPARD - CACFP 

Fund 5004 (TX Department of Agriculture)

Luci Correa

Phone: (832) 395-7057