The purpose of this memorandum is to remind schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any USDA Child Nutrition Program, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Special Milk Program for Children , Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and the Seamless Summer Option , of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in program meals.
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, free milk, and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits for the period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the levels of monthly benefits in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) Program. These adjustments reflect changes in the Thrifty Food Plan, as required under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
I write you today to share my guiding principles regarding nutrition programs, and to encourage states to partner with us as innovative collaborators and policy incubators. Gone are the days of the status quo; today starts a new chapter for the Department, states, territories, tribal communities, and each who render or receive nutrition programs.
This memorandum shares a letter from the United States Department of Education to Chief State School Officers regarding the applicability of FERPA to the disclosure of personally identifiable information for students' education records to facilitate the automatic enrollment of eligible children in the Summer EBT Program.
This memorandum addresses questions we have received about the provisions of the CAA that affect the Nutrition Assistance Programs in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
This notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payments, the amount of money the federal government provides states for lunches, afterschool snacks, and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the maximum reimbursement rates, the maximum per lunch rate from federal funds that a state can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program for Children.
USDA and eight other federal agencies recently published a final rule entitled, Partnerships With Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations at 89 FR 15671 (final rule). The final rule amended USDA regulations at 7 CFR part 16 related to equal opportunity for faith-based organizations that operate USDA programs and religious protections for USDA program beneficiaries.
This memo provides questions and answers addressing the FY 2024 benefit issuance and participation reporting requirements for Summer EBT. The guidance is divided into three sections. The first section addresses the benefit issuance reporting requirements for Summer EBT; the second section addresses participation reporting requirements; and the third section provides special instructions for reporting Summer EBT benefits issuance and participation data when Summer 2024 benefits are issued after Sept. 30, 2024 (i.e., in FY 2025).
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is extending for 120 days the public comment period on the interim final rule, “Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs.”