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Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance CEP Planning and Implementation Guidance

A final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision-Increasing Options for Schools (88 FR 65778), was published on Sept. 26, 2023, with an effective date of Oct. 26, 2023, that established the 25 percent minimum ISP threshold.  As a result, more students, households, and schools have the opportunity to experience CEP’s benefits, such as increasing access to school meals at no cost, eliminating unpaid meal charges, minimizing stigma, and streamlining meal service operations.

02/12/2024
Resource | FAQs/Q&As | FNS-GD-2007-0022 Questions and Answers on Alternate Protein Products

The term "Alternate Protein Product" is the name used by FNS to identify products meeting requirements set forth in Appendix A of the NSLP, SBP, SFSP, and the CACFP within the section entitled Alternate Protein Products.

10/04/2022
Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance | FNS-GD-2018-0001 Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

The Food Buying Guide for child nutrition programs has all of the current information in one manual to help you and your purchasing agent buy the right amount of food and the appropriate type of food for your program(s), and determine the specific contribution each food makes toward the meal pattern requirements.

07/11/2022
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2021-0061 Department of Education Information on the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Households with a child  approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year are eligible for the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. EBB is a federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic.

SP 12-2021
05/19/2021
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2021-0030 Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

FNS is establishing a targeted waiver, for all states and local educational agencies, to extend statutory and regulatory deadlines relating to Community Eligibility Provision reporting and election during the public health emergency due to COVID–19.

COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #82
03/26/2021
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2020-0051 Nationwide Waiver of Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

FNS is establishing a nationwide waiver to support the Community  Eligibility Provision while schools are responding to the novel coronavirus. The deadlines affected by this waiver include the CEP election, notification and reporting deadlines.

COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #6
04/23/2020
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2019-0052 Requirements for Students Transferring from Provision to non-Provision Schools

This memorandum reminds state and local program operators about a provision in the final rule effective on July 1, 2019, relating to free and reduced price eligibility for students transferring between LEAs during the school year.

SP30-2019
06/10/2019
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2019-0027 CEP: Statutory Annual Notification and Publication Requirements and SY 2019-20 Election Deadline

This memorandum details guidance on the annual Community Eligibility Provision notification and publication requirements.

SP17-2019
03/26/2019
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2018-0049 Update of Food Crediting in the Child Nutrition Programs

This memorandum informs stakeholders on the progress made by FNS in updating the food crediting system for all child nutrition programs. This is a first step towards improving the crediting system to best address today’s evolving food and nutrition environment and meet the needs of those operating and benefiting from the CNPs.

SP08 CACFP02 SFSP02-2019
12/04/2018
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2017-0009 Community Eligibility Provision: Annual Notification and Publication Requirements

This memorandum details guidance on the annual Community Eligibility Provision notification and publication requirements and provides information on the USDA-developed reporting template.

SP20-2017
03/16/2017
Page updated: October 14, 2021