This memorandum provides best practices for establishing a single application process for experienced program operators providing year-round meal services to at-risk children in low-income areas.
This memorandum provides the total funding amount available to FNS to distribute to state agencies, which is $252.6 million for FY 2024. This includes $219.6 million in new funds available under Section 19 of the National School Lunch Act, which is the prior year base amount adjusted for inflation, and an additional $33 million in unexpired carryover funds from previous years.
Attached to this memorandum, please find a revised edition of the Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals, with an accompanying instructions document. These materials may be adapted for direct use by state and local agencies, or as a reference for designing an effective application packet that meets all statutory and regulatory requirements.
This memorandum provides information on the revised Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals. USDA updated the prototype application to improve the user experience for applicants by adjusting the reading level, streamlining the application instructions, and by adding clarity to the mailing instructions to reduce the number of applications sent to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
The purpose of this new collection is to collect qualitative and quantitative stakeholder feedback through meetings, focus groups, interviews, other stakeholder interactions and surveys, as well as requests for administrative data, as part of the planning process for FNS regulatory actions, the semi-annual regulatory agenda, research studies, outreach, training and the development of guidance.
This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection that FNS employs to determine public participation in the National School Lunch Program and to obtain, account for, and record information from state and program operators that is necessary to effectively manage the NSLP and ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory program requirements.
FNS plans to collect periodic data to obtain information on operational challenges facing institutions who operate or administer child nutrition programs, including state agencies, SFAs and Summer Food Service Program sponsors. The Operational Challenges in Child Nutrition Programs (OCCNP) Surveys, are designed to collect timely data on emerging school food service operational challenges, including but not limited to supply chain disruptions, food costs, and labor shortages, and/or related issues in SY 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and SY 2025–2026.
This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk as stated in FNS regulations.
This collection of information is necessary for the application of the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards by school food authorities.
This collection is an extension, without change, of a currently approved collection for maintaining the National Disqualified List of institutions, day care home providers, and individuals that have been terminated or otherwise disqualified from CACFP participation.