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Resource | Policy Community Eligibility Provision: Election Deadline and Annual Notification and Publication Requirements

This memorandum is a reminder to state agencies and local educational agencies that the statutory deadline to elect the Community Eligibility Provision for the following school year is June 30. This memorandum also provides a reminder of the annual CEP notification and publication requirements.

03/13/2026
Resource | Policy Interim Final Rule: NSLP and SBP - Elimination of the State Ameliorative Action Reporting Requirement for School Meals Eligibility Verification

Due to a technical problem with the docket that prevented comments from being accepted during part of the initial comment period, we are reopening the comment period for the interim final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on June 6, 2025. The rule rescinds an unnecessary reporting requirement for the school meals application verification process.

08/08/2025
Resource | Policy Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit”

This notice sets forth the interpretation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses for the term “Federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. In doing so, this notice supersedes any prior interpretation in any notice or other document issued by any USDA agency. This notice also describes and preliminarily identifies the USDA programs that provide “Federal public benefits” within the scope of PRWORA.

07/10/2025
Basic page Area Eligibility Mapper for CACFP and Summer Meals

This map displays census data and can be used for tiering of participating CACFP day care homes and eligibility of SFSP summer sites.

10/03/2024
Resource | Factsheets Community Eligibility Provision Factsheet

The Community Eligibility Provision is a National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program meal service option that allows schools and school districts located in high poverty areas to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students.

02/21/2024
Resource | Technical Assistance School Meals Model Application

USDA offers prototypes of school meal applications, as well as sample instructional documents intended to assist state and local officials in the design and distribution of their own application materials.

05/11/2023
Resource | Policy Department of Education Information on the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Households with a child  approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year are eligible for the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. EBB is a federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic.

05/19/2021
Resource | Federal Register Notices Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2020-2021)

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

03/20/2020
Resource | Training and Outreach Integrity Features of a Web-based School Meals Model Application

This webinar details guidance and best practices for incorporating integrity-oriented design features into web-based school meal applications. 

06/27/2017
Resource | Training and Outreach Getting to Know USDA's Web-Based Model Application for School Meals

Getting to Know USDA's Web-Based Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals

02/21/2017
Page updated: October 14, 2021