CEP is a federal provision that allows high-poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. This option increases school meal participation by removing stigma, maximizes federal reimbursements, reduces administrative paperwork, and eliminates unpaid school meal debt. CEP schools continue to operate both the School Breakfast and National School Lunch programs, and must uphold nutrition standards and meal quality, but processes and procedures for counting and claiming reimbursable meals are simplified. 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.
The enacted FY2024 State Budget included an additional $134.6M to expand access to free school meals through the new Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) State Subsidy. This funding became available to New York schools participating in CEP starting in the 2023-2024 school year. The CEP State Subsidy ensures all CEP meals are reimbursed at the “free rate”, allowing all eligible New York schools to provide free meals to all students while alleviating the financial burden.
The CEP State Subsidy is a critical step in New York’s expansion of free school meals. In the first year of implementation, the CEP State Subsidy enabled over 1,200 schools to newly adopt CEP, effectively expanding access to free school meals to more than 347,000 additional students.
CEP Benefits Students and Schools:
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 an individual household application—can participate in CEP.
Identified students include:
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.
Whether a school is already using CEP or considering applying, the following are key strategies to sustain the program and maximize its impact:
Effectively capture all low-income students: When determining eligibility and applying for CEP, schools must calculate their percentage of identified students—the number of students eligible for free school meals without an application from the total enrolled. Two strategies to effectively capture all low-income students include:
Maximize CEP’s impact with Breakfast After the Bell: Once free breakfast is available to all students, CEP schools can further improve accessibility by incorporating breakfast into the school day with Breakfast After the Bell. Service models such as Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go and Second Chance Breakfast increase participation by meeting students where they are and ensuring time to eat.
Schools that implement Breakfast After the Bell in combination with CEP see greater increases to school breakfast participation compared to schools that implement CEP without any 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.
CEP & School Funding Streams:
Template Presentation
Use this template to make the case for CEP in your district. Customize with your own district’s data to drive home your pitch.
CEP Webinars from Hunger Solutions New York and No Kid Hungry New York
Note: these webinars were held throughout summer 2023, prior to the CEP rule change that lowered the eligibility threshold from 40% to 25%. Any references to the summer 2023 CEP application process or eligibility at 40% are now outdated, however all other aspects of CEP eligibility, enrollment, and implementation remain the same.
State Resources:
NYSED
National Resources:
USDA