Students taking part in a some Carter County school system programs will receive a healthy, nutritious snack thanks to grant funding.

The Carter County School System has once again been selected for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, according to Sonya Miller, a supervisor with the school system who will be overseeing the grant program.

“We’ve had this one for years,” Miller said. “We just have to renew it every year.”

According to Miller, the school system has received this grant funding since 2004 to provide food to students. Those students participating in Head Start, Carter Cares, and the Students and Teachers Achieving Results Successfully (STARS) high school after school program will receive a snack during those programs at no charge.

“We are considered an at-risk location, so everyone gets a snack for free,” Miller said.

The grant is a reimbursement grant, which means the school system must expend the money on the front end and then get reimbursed through the grant once the expenditures are made.

“We are reimbursed 91 cents per student per day for the program,” Miller said.

Funding for the Child and Adult Care Food Program comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is administered through the Tennessee Department of Human Services, according to Miller.

All of the snacks provided to students through the program are healthy, nutritious food options, Miller said.

The locations for eligible programs include: Central Elementary, Cloudland Elementary, Hampton Elementary, Happy Valley Elementary, Happy Valley Middle, Hunter Elementary, Keenburg Elementary, Unaka Elementary, Valley Forge Elementary, Cloudland High School, Hampton High School, Happy Valley High School, and Unaka High School.

The elementary and middle schools are sites of the Carter Cares after school program and Headstarts, while the high schools are the sites of STARS programs for after school.

The STARS and Headstart programs are already underway for the school year, which began on Monday. Carter Cares sites will open for students on August 21.

Prior to the opening of the Carter Cares locations, Miller said each elementary school will be hosting parent meeting sessions on Monday, August 20, to discuss the program. Each school has their own schedule for the parent meetings, according to Miller. The elementary schools sent out information to participating families regarding the meeting, but Miller said if any parent has questions regarding the time or location of the meetings they can contact their elementary school for that information.