School Breakfast and Lunch Programs

Starting in the 2025-26 school year, all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in New York State will offer Universal Free School Meals to all students, regardless of income status. In New York State, the New York State Department of Education administers this program, and local schools operate the program. All students receive the same meal options.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a meal service option for local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in high-poverty areas. CEP may be implemented in individual schools, groups of schools, or entire school districts. CEP allows participating schools to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without the burden of collecting household applications. CEP streamlines student eligibility and participation, creating more opportunities for students to receive the nutrition necessary to optimize academic performance.

New York State has enacted Universal Free School Meals, which requires all schools participating in the federal School Breakfast and School Lunch Programs to operate CEP or Provision 2, providing access to breakfast and lunch meals to all students at no charge each school day. If your child attends a school participating in CEP, there is no further documentation or action needed. Please note that schools participating in CEP may ask families for household income data to support other local, state, and federal funding to the school.

Schools not eligible for CEP are required to operate Provision 2 and may require households to complete a family income form.

Benefits:

The meals are the same for all children, and no child may be identified as low-income or discriminated against in any way. Although all students can now receive free meals at school, it is still important to complete a household income form if requested by the school. These forms help the school establish financial need, which can impact state and foundation aid, grants, and education and technology funding. Households that complete an income form and meet the eligibility criteria may also be eligible for other benefits, such as waivers for SAT/ACT registration fees, band instrument fees, and discounts on AP exam fees, and possibly others. Check with your school to see what programs they may offer for low-income eligible households.

How to Apply:

Applications are not required for CEP schools. Those who attend Provision 2 schools in their base year of operation will be asked to complete a free and reduced-price meal application at the beginning of the school year or will be notified by the school that their child has been identified through a Direct Certification Matching Process (DCMP) as free-eligible based on SNAP or Medicaid, if applicable.

When completing a free and reduced-price meal application, information about family size, income and sources of income are required.

Families receiving TANF and/or SNAP benefits do not have to fill out an application if they submit to the school a direct certification letter provided by the Local Department of Social Services. SNAP and/or TANF recipients may also complete an application for free and reduced-price meals which only requires them to provide the case number, the names of the children and an adult household signature.

Applications are kept confidential and may be submitted at any time during the school year.

For more information on household income forms and discount programs available, please contact your school.