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.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) resource center provides extensive resources for parents, teachers, and school officials at the local, state and federal levels to better understand CEP and its benefits, along with useful tools to help facilitate successful implementation of the provision.
The net monthly income standard for each household size is the sum of the applicable SNAP net monthly income standard and the applicable SNAP standard deduction.
FNS Handbook 501, Exhibit O shows the FDPIR monthly distribution guide rates by household size effective June 1, 2024. This document is commonly referred to as the "FDPIR Guide Rate."
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.
The Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEGs), are used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals or free milk.
This is a model application developed by USDA to demonstrate the potential functionality of a school district's application. NO information will be saved or submitted for processing. If you are a parent, contact your child's school to find out where you can access their application for school meal benefits.
Featured here is USDA’s Web-Based Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals, along with accompanying guidance materials and resources.
This White Paper examines whether any additional means-tested programs might be feasible for use in the direct certification of school-age children participating in school meals or for verification of household income on meal applications.