Fedral school lunch program

ERS-sponsored research found that children from food-insecure and marginally food-secure households were more likely to eat school meals, and received more of their food and nutrient intake from school meals than did other children. To learn more, please see:. To learn more about the impact of NSLP on food insecurity, please see:. The legislation also authorized an additional 6-cent payment per meal to schools when they demonstrated that they were serving meals that met the updated standards and established new regulations for meal prices charged to students not certified for free or reduced-price meals.

To learn more about the new standards and how schools strive to provide healthy and appealing meals that encourage student participation, please see:. In response to concerns about the role of the school meal environment in children's diets and other issues, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of also established updated nutrition standards for non-USDA foods sold in schools often called "competitive foods" participating in USDA's school meal programs. The Act also created the Community Eligibility Provision CEP , an option that allows high-poverty schools to offer free meals to all students.

To learn more about CEP, please see:. Children participating in these programs may be given numbers, tickets, or swipe cards, may prepay for meals, or may simply pay at the register. The meals are the same for all children, and no child may be identified as a free or reduced-price student or discriminated against in any way.

Full-price students must either pre-pay for meals or pay for the meal at the time of service. Families fill out applications at the beginning of the school year or are notified by the school that their child has been identified as free eligible based on SNAP, if applicable.

Information about family size, income and sources of income are required. Applications are kept confidential and may be submitted at any time during the school year. Back to Top. Skip to content Skip to site navigation. Your browser does not support Javascript. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews ky3. How to stay warm in the winter without breaking the bank. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

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