Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Basic page Families/Caregivers
08/10/2023
Basic page Applying for Free and Reduced Price School Meals

USDA offers prototypes of school meal applications, as well as sample instructional documents intended to assist state and local officials in the design and distribution of their own application materials.

05/11/2023
Basic page Income Eligibility Guidelines

The Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEGs), are used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals or free milk.

02/09/2023
Resource | Research, Analysis & Background | Food/Nutrient Analysis Indicators of Diet Quality, Nutrition, and Health for Americans by Program Participation Status, 2011–2016: USDA NSLP Report

This study used 2011–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to examine the relationship between estimated program participation, diet quality, indicators of nutrition and health, food consumption patterns, and nutrient intakes. 

06/08/2022
Resource | Notices Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2022-2023)

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. 

02/16/2022
Resource | Notices Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2021-22)

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.

03/04/2021
Resource | Notices Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines (2019-2020)

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020.

03/20/2019
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2019-0004 Flexibility for the Administrative Review Cycle Requirement

In school year 2013-14, FNS introduced the unified administrative review and a 3-year review cycle. Since then, FNS has received feedback about the difficulties of the shorter review cycle, both for the state agencies conducting the reviews, and for school food authorities preparing for and responding to reviews.

SP12-2019
02/22/2019
Resource | Comment Request Food Crediting in Child Nutrition Programs - Extension of Comment Period

The purpose of this Request for Information is to help FNS gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders on how FNS' crediting system can best address today's evolving food and nutrition environment, as well as to offer first-rate customer service to those operating and benefitting from the child nutrition programs.

02/20/2018
Resource | Comment Request Food Crediting in Child Nutrition Programs: Request for Information

The purpose of this Request for Information is to help FNS gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders on how FNS' crediting system can best address today's evolving food and nutrition environment, as well as to offer first-rate customer service to those operating and benefitting from the child nutrition programs.

12/14/2017
Page updated: October 14, 2021