Provision 2 requires that the school serve meals to participating children at no charge but reduces application burdens to once every 4 years and simplifies meal counting and claiming procedures by allowing a school to receive meal reimbursement based on claiming percentages.

Please advise your state agencies that a January 2002 amendment to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act clarified the definition of homeless children and youth. Another provision of the statute requires each school district to designate a local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths. 

The No Child Left Behind Act contains a number of changes that affect the Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers. This memo contains those changes that are pertinent to the child nutrition programs.

This memorandum clarifies the term "equivalent combination" found in the traditional and enhanced food based meal pattern charts at §§ 220.8(g)(2) and 220.8(g)(3) of the School Breakfast Program regulations.

The purpose of this memorandum is to answer questions regarding the requirement at section 226.16(b) that state agencies approve sponsored facilities’ applications for participation in CACFP, and the timing of the initial reimbursements to sponsored facilities in CACFP.

We have received several inquiries regarding the collection of eligibility information during a Provision 2 or Provision 3 cycle.

This memorandum extends this categorical eligibility provision to the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program for Children, and closed enrolled sites in the Summer Food Service Program.

In response to inquiries from three regional offices, we are issuing the attached guidance with regard to the eligibility for free meals of children participating in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs.

Prior to issuance of a final rule, we are authorizing determining agencies to disclose free and reduced price meal or free milk eligibility information to the extent authorized in the statute.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 made a number of changes to the National School Lunch Act which governs the waiver process in the child nutrition programs. This memorandum identifies the changes and provides guidance to be used in developing and submitting waiver requests to the child nutrition division.