Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
CEP is a federal provision that allows high-poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. New York has enacted universal free school meals, which requires schools participating in the federal school lunch and/or breakfast programs to operate CEP, if eligible. Schools not eligible for CEP are required to operate Provision 2.
CEP streamlines program administration: schools no longer process school meal applications and use simplified processes to count and claim reimbursable meals. CEP is available to any school, group of schools, or district that has 25% or more students directly certified for free school meals by means other than a school meal application.
Benefits of CEP
CEP Benefits Students and Schools:
- Reduces the administrative burden—schools no longer collect fees or verify school meal applications
- Eliminates the stigma—ending the perception that school breakfast and lunch are just for “poor kids”
- Boosts participation—allowing more kids to experience the educational and health benefits linked to eating school meals
- Simplifies counting and claiming—making it easier to offer breakfast during the school day with Breakfast After the Bell
Expanded Free School Meals Through CEP: An Assessment of the Impacts in New York
During SY 2024-2025, Hunger Solutions New York surveyed 420 parents and 227 school professionals from schools across the state to understand the impacts of New York’s incremental expansion of free meals. Read the findings here.
How CEP Works
CEP schools:
- Must provide both breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost.
- Do not track meals by fee category (i.e. free, reduced-price, paid). They simply count the total number of meals served.
- Do not collect payment/fees from students.
- Do not collect and verify school meal applications. Note: In New York State, schools must still collect alternative household income forms for other state and local funding. Learn more about best practices for collecting income forms here.
All meals served in CEP schools are now reimbursed at the “free rate” under the Universal School Meals program.
Eligibility
Any district, group of schools in a district, or individual school with 25% or more “identified students”—children eligible for free school meals who are identified by means other than a school meal application—can participate in CEP.
Identified students include:
- Children that are directly certified for free school meals because their household participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and in certain instances, Medicaid.
- Children certified for free school meals without an application because they are homeless or a runaway, migrant, in foster care, or participating in Head Start.
How to apply
Eligible school districts must declare their intent to implement CEP in a school or group of schools for the upcoming school year by June 30. This requires applying to the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
Eligibility is based on the percentage of identified students calculated using enrollment as of April 1 and the current school year’s direct certification data. View the application and instructions.
Strategies to Sustain CEP
CEP plays an important role in ensuring the efficiency of the state-funded Universal Free School Meals Program in New York. This policy requires CEP participation to uphold strong administration of the federal school meal programs. CEP schools use streamlined and simplified processes to offer free meals to all students, which helps ensure strong program integrity and operations.
Schools can use these strategies, which are required under the Universal Free School Meals Law, to sustain CEP:
Capture all identified students: When applying for CEP, schools must calculate their percentage of identified students—the number of students identified as eligible for free school meals without an application—from the total enrolled. Two strategies to effectively capture all identified students include:
- Strong direct certification: When schools accurately establish economic need for students through this data matching process, it better positions them to qualify for and sustain CEP. Learn more about direct certification best practices from our tip sheet.
- Connect families to SNAP: Increasing the number of eligible families participating in SNAP also increases the number of identified students captured through direct certification. As trusted messengers, schools can use our SNAP Outreach Toolkit to spread the word to families.
Maximize CEP’s impact with Breakfast After the Bell: School breakfast is an opportunity to connect more students with free meals and increase revenue, but the program is often underutilized. Without a designated period to eat, schools can struggle to reach students, even when offering free breakfast for all. Serving breakfast as part of the school day can help schools improve access. With simplified counting and claiming, CEP schools are well-positioned to adopt innovative ways of serving Breakfast After the Bell (BAB).
Schools that implement Breakfast After the Bell in combination with CEP see greater increases to participation compared to schools that implement CEP without alternative breakfast service models. This effect is most pronounced when breakfast is served in the classroom, rather than the cafeteria. We can help you get started or expand your existing program.
Resources
CEP & School Funding Streams:
- US Department of Education Title I Guidance for Community Eligibility Schools
- Federal Communications Commission E-Rate Guidance for Community Eligibility Schools
- FRAC’s Community Eligibility Provision
Featured Webinars:
Hunger Solutions New York: “Offering Free School Meals to All: What’s Next?”
View the recording and slides
This webinar outlines immediate next steps for schools to prepare for statewide universal free school meals. It also highlights strategies to boost food security by maximizing school breakfast, summer nutrition, afterschool meals, and SNAP.
Food Research & Action Center: “Community Eligibility: A Proven Success”
View the recording
This webinar features Hunger Solutions New York in a panel discussion on the benefits of CEP for students, families and schools.
State Resources:
NYSED
National Resources:
USDA
We can help
We work with schools, government leaders, and organizations to expand CEP and ensure strong program administration. We provide strategies, resources, data, and free, individualized assistance to help schools:
- Determine CEP eligibility and navigate the application and/or recertification process;
- Understand CEP implementation and reimbursement;
- Maximize the percentage of “Identified Students” with strategies like direct certification and SNAP outreach to families;
- Connect with peers to share best practices and community partners to receive additional support;
- Implement Breakfast After the Bell to reach more students with free breakfast for all;
- Promote the availability of Universal Free School Meals to students and families.
Contact Francesca DiGiorgio, MPH, School Meals Policy and Engagement Specialist.
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