This report summarizes the results of the school year 2007-08 application verification process for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 permits direct verification of school meal applications and requires FNS to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of direct verification by school districts.
This report responds to the legislative requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Under direct certification, children are determined eligible for free school meals without the need for household applications by using data from other means-tested programs.
The School Lunch Eligible Non-Participants Study, conducted for USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, was designed to determine "why children eligible to participate for free and reduced-price meals do not apply or participate" in school nutrition programs.
The study examined the costs charged to SFAs (reported costs), as well as those costs incurred by the school district in support of SFA operations, but not charged to the SFA (unreported costs). Together, the reported costs and the unreported costs are the full cost of meal production.