Seamless Summer Option (SSO)

Children need good nutrition, all year long. The Summer Food Service Program, National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, and the Seamless Summer Option make it possible for schools to provide nutritious meals, after the regular school year ends. Schools participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program are eligible to apply for the Seamless Summer Option. Seamless Summer has less paperwork, making it easier for schools to feed children during the traditional summer vacation periods and, for year-round schools, long school vacation periods. Once approved by the State agency, the school serves meals free of charge to children, including teenagers through age 18, under the school meal program rules. Meals are reimbursed at the free rates for school lunches, school breakfasts, and afterschool snacks, which are slightly lower than the Summer Food Service Program rates.