Alaska summer meal sponsors move to new application and claims system in 2027

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development will move Summer Food Service Program applications and claims to a new platform in 2027, the department's Child Nutrition Programs office told sponsors in its October bulletin.

The federally funded program pays for free summer meals for children 18 and younger in low-income areas, according to the department's Summer Food Service Program page. Sponsors, such as school districts and nonprofit organizations, are reimbursed based on the number of meals they serve to eligible children. The program served 1.3 million meals to more than 10,000 children in summer 2025, according to a March department report. A separate effort, Meals to You, reached 31 school districts and 147 communities that summer and delivered more than 1 million meals, according to the department's Meals to You page.

Sponsors will train on the new platform in February or March, before applications open. The first session will cover applications, with a claims session to follow. The department told sponsors to watch their email for details.

A civil rights course is coming to the department's online training site, and the administration basics course will be updated before next summer's training.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its Area Eligibility Mapper, which sponsors use to confirm a site qualifies for the program, for fiscal year 2027.

The final deadline for August claims is Oct. 30.