U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here's how you know
        Here's how you knowDot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**
              
              Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
        Https**The site is secure.**
              
              The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.  *You are now leaving the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website and entering a non-government or non-military external link or a third-party site.*

*FNS provides links to other websites with additional information that may be useful or interesting and is consistent with the intended purpose of the content you are viewing on our website. FNS is providing these links for your reference. FNS is not responsible for the content, copyright, and licensing restrictions of the new site.*
  
  
    *Site LogoFood and Nutrition Service
                  U.S. Department of Agriculture*
Menu


    close

        
        
                        
        
  
          Home
      
                        
              Programs
      
                
        
  
          **Programs**
          
                        
              SNAP
      
                        
              Nutrition Education & Food Safety
      
                        
              Meals for Schools and Childcare
      
                        
              Food Distribution & Emergency Assistance
      
                        
              WIC
      
                        
              Summer Nutrition Programs
      
                        
              Assistance for Seniors & Adult Care
      
                        
              Farmers Market Programs
      
                        
              NAP Block Grants for Territories
      
                        
              Data & Research
      
                
        
  
          **Data & Research**
          
                        
              Data Visualizations
      
                        
              Research & Analysis
      
                        
              Program Data
      
                        
              Funding
      
                
        
  
          **Funding**
          
                        
              Grant Opportunities
      
                        
              Grants Management
      
                        
              Doing Business with FNS
      
                        
              Newsroom
      
                
        
  
          **Newsroom**
          
                        
              Press Releases
      
                        
              Blogs
      
                        
              Notice to Stakeholders
      
                        
              Federal Register Notices
      
                        
              Success Stories
      
                        
              Newsletters
      
                        
              USDA Press Releases
      
                        
              USDA Blogs
      
                        
              Contact FNS Press Office
      
                        
              Resources
      
                
        
  
          **Resources**
          
                        
              Factsheets
      
                        
              Federal Register
      
                        
              Infographics
      
                        
              Guidance Documents
      
                        
              Policy Memos
      
                        
              Videos/Webinars
      
                        
              All Resources
      
                        
              Our Agency
      
                
        
  
          **Our Agency**
          
                        
              Acting Under Secretary
      
                        
              Deputy Under Secretary
      
                        
              Administrator
      
                        
              Assistant Administrator
      
                        
              FNS Careers
      
                        
              Contact us
      
                        
              Civil Rights
      
                        
              Equity Action Plan
      
                        
              Partnerships
      
                        
              Freedom of Information Act
      
                        
              State Systems OfficeSearch


          
                      Contact Us
                                
                          
        
                Report Fraud
                                
                          
        
                AskUSDA
                                
                          
        
                USDA.gov Breadcrumb
    HomeUSDA Expands Access to School Breakfast and Lunch for More Students
Press Release
    Release No.
              USDA-0197.23

      **Contact:**FNS Press Team
    Contact Us
**WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2023** – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it is giving an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost, by expanding the availability of the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known as CEP.“Today’s announcement comes as we approach the one-year anniversary of the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, where the Biden-Harris Administration promised to advance a pathway to healthy school meals for all students,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA has taken an important step toward fulfilling that promise by expanding access to CEP. Increasing access to free, healthy school breakfast and lunch will decrease childhood hunger, improve child health and student readiness, and put our nation on the path to better nutrition and wellness.”CEP is a simplified meal service option that allows schools to provide meals at no cost to all students without requiring families to apply for free and reduced-price meals. Instead, school districts receive federal funding based on a formula using existing data from SNAP and other programs, and local or state funds must fill any gap between program costs and federal support. Before this final rule, at least 40% of students had to live in households participating in certain income-based federal assistance programs, in order for a school, group of schools, or school district to be eligible for CEP. This final rule lowers that threshold from 40% to 25%.While this change in CEP applies across the country, it will be particularly impactful in states and school districts which commit to supporting healthy school meals for all students with their own funds.Eight states have taken additional permanent actions to make sure hunger is not a barrier to children’s success, in addition to allowing eligible schools to participate in CEP. California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont passed state laws allowing their schools to serve healthy school meals to all their students at no cost. In these states, schools that previously were not eligible for CEP can now take advantage of this final rule to experience more efficient, streamlined school meal operations as well as predictable federal funding levels.CEP – and all models for providing healthy school meals for all at no cost – is a win-win for schools, kids, families and communities and provides many benefits, including:Lowering food costs for families;Increasing food and nutrition security, especially for students from households that barely miss the cutoff to be eligible for free and reduced-price school meals;Eliminating school meal debt;Reducing social stigma for students who eat free or reduced-price meals, while other students pay full price;Increasing student participation in school breakfast and lunch programs, which increases revenues and helps schools offer healthier meals; andSaving time by simplifying program operations for hardworking school nutrition staff.“Healthy school meals are an essential part of the school environment — just like teachers, classrooms and books – and set kids up for success and better health,” said Stacy Dean, USDA deputy under secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “More children are fueled for learning and development when they can count on tasty, nutritious meals at school. While there is still more work ahead to ensure every K-12 student in the nation can access healthy school meals at no cost, this is a significant step on the pathway towards that goal.”USDA is also supporting expanded access to healthy school meals by offering extensive financial support for schools, including providing:50 cents more per lunch and 18 cents more per breakfast for school year 2023-24, compared to last school year’s base reimbursement rates, through annual inflation adjustments and Supply Chain Assistance;$30 million in Healthy Meals Incentives grants to 264 small and rural school districts nationwide;$30 million in Equipment Grants for states and school districts operating school lunch programs; andNearly $11 million in Farm to School Grants, serving 1.2 million children.USDA also continues to expand its Direct Certification for Medicaid Demonstration Projects, which ensure that eligible children in households receiving Medicaid benefits automatically receive free or reduced price school meals without their families filling out an application. The demonstration projects have been implemented in 38 states, and USDA continues to invite more states to participate. In school year 2019-20, 1.4 million students received free and reduced-price school meals thanks to direct certification through Medicaid.Related ResourcesWebpage: Community Eligibility ProvisionWebpage: USDA School MealsWebpage: USDA Support for SchoolsFNS works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the National School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs, the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022, highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.*#**USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.*Page updated: March 19, 2024 Return to top

      Home
                              
              Programs
                              
              Data & Research
                              
              Funding
                              
              Newsroom
                              
              Resources
                              
              Our AgencyUSDA
                              WhiteHouse.gov
                              FNS PartnerWeb.gov
                              No Fear Act
                              Privacy Policy
                              Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
                              Non-Discrimination Statement
                              Civil Rights
                              Accessibility
                              FOIA
                              Information Quality
                              Peer Review
  Sign up for Updates
      Your Email Address:
  
      *Site LogoFood and Nutrition Service
                  U.S. Department of Agriculture*
Menu
Twitter Facebook Gov Delivery Instagram Flickr YouTube RSS Feeds