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.
This final rule amends the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent.
FNS Handbook 501, Exhibit O shows the FDPIR monthly distribution guide rates by household size effective Sept. 1, 2023. This document is commonly referred to as the "FDPIR Guide Rate."
This rulemaking proposes to expand access to the Community Eligibility Provision by lowering the minimum identified student percentage participation threshold from 40 percent to 25 percent, which would give states and schools greater flexibility to choose to invest non-federal funds to offer no-cost meals to all enrolled students.
This memorandum provides return to the full issuance of eight units of vegetables or soup in CSFP food packages for May 2022 distributions and beyond.
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.
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.
This memorandum is in regards to a temporary shortage of ultra-high temperature (UHT) fluid milk in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
This updated Distribution Rates includes new CSFP USDA Food items and removes the guide rate attachment for children, who were phased out of CSFP in February 2020, as directed by the 2014 Farm Bill. With this update, the Distribution Rates have been simplified and pared down to one attachment.
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.