Community Eligibility Provision: What Do I Need to Know?

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Transcript Community Eligibility Provision: What Do I Need to Know?

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know?

Sunday, March 2, 9:45 am – 10:45

Speakers:

Robert Leshin

Assistant Director, Office for Nutrition, Health and Safety Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education

Josephine Mack

Director of School Nutrition Richmond County School System, GA

Lisa McCarty

Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Owensboro Public Schools, KY

CEP Background:

• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a four-year reimbursement option for eligible high poverty LEAs and schools • Advantages: All students receive free meals, eliminates over identification issues, simplifies meal claiming and reduces paperwork. • Formerly known as Community Eligibility Option (CEO) • Currently participating: DC, IL, KY, MI, NY, OH, WV, FL, GA, MD, MA • Available nationwide on July 1, 2014

Eligibility Requirements:

• LEAs must have at least 1 school with 40% or more “Identified Students” (certified without application) • Eligible LEAs/schools must offer breakfast AND lunch at no charge to all students • Do not collect free and reduced price applications from households in participating schools during the period of participation in CEP.

• CEP can be implemented in 1 school, group of schools or district-wide.

Identified Students:

Students certified for free meals w/o the use of a household application – e.g. directly certified with SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, categorically eligible – migrant youth, homeless, head start etc.

CEP Reimbursements

• % Identified Students x 1.6 = % meals reimbursed at “free” rate. All other meals reimbursed at “paid” rate – eg: At a school with 50% Identified Students, 80% of brkfst/lunches served would be reimbursed at free rate, 20% reimbursed at paid rate (50 x 1.6 = 80) • CEP schools/LEAs are guaranteed the same reimbursement rate for 4 years (or a higher rate if the Identified Student rate increases) • Total monthly meal counts needed for claim

USDA CEP Calculator:

Massachusetts Implementation SY 2013-2014

• Published guidance on website • Boston Public Schools only LEA participating in SY 2013-2014 • Increase in federal reimbursement • Additional CEP information sessions for LEAs with eligible schools • Presentation at state school business officials association

Massachusetts Challenges

• Implications of not collecting household income applications: Other Federal and State funding programs (Title 1, IDEA, E-Rate etc.) • Working with other offices to properly interpret USED issued guidance • Goal is to utilize existing sources of information to provide comparable low income statistics to eliminate collection of household income data

Massachusetts Challenges

• Updating NSLP application and claim reimbursement system to support CEP claiming • New staff member dedicated to CEP • Data: Validating ISP

Josephine Mack

Director of School Nutrition Richmond County School System, GA

Richmond County Implementation SY 2013-2014 Student Meals at No Cost

Richmond County is pleased to provide breakfast and lunch meals at NO COST to ALL students in our schools. No application is required. Students, please join us for breakfast and lunch at NO COST. A la carte items may still be separately purchased.

Richmond County School System Challenges

• Board members were reluctant to approve CEP because the concerned of school system losing funds and /or not qualify for other Federal and State programs (Title 1, E-Rate, etc.) • Completing all the calculations to determine how Title 1 would be impacted • Collaborating with other agencies to certify identified students (homeless, foster children)

Richmond County School System Challenges

• Determining how many more students will participate in Breakfast and Lunch Programs in order to have enough food purchased • Determining how to calculate our Free and Paid percentages for reimbursement

Benefits of Community Eligibility Provision

• No Paper Applications • Eliminate Student Charges • Eliminate Serving Alternative Meals • Eliminate Returned Checks • Increase Breakfast and Lunch Participation • It is what’s best for children…. in order for them to go to class and be ready to learn

Lisa McCarty

Assistant Superintendent of Support Services

Owensboro Public Schools, KY

School

CRAVENS ESTES FOUST HAGER NEWTON PARRISH SUTTON OMS SOUTH OMS NORTH OHS HIGH SCHOOL 7-HILLS ALTERNATIVE 411 655 53 OWENSBORO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

PAID

OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY 2011-2012

TOTAL % FREE % REDUCED FREE REDUCED %F/R

% DIRECT CERT

267 391 331 351 227 137 450 21 26 19 16 65 40 55 22 34 36 35 151 210 182 310 451 386 402 443 387 687 86 87 86 87 51 35 66 7 6 5 4 15 10 8 93 92 91 91 66 46 74 66.91% 68.61% 68.37% 60% 33.65% 24.18% 43.31%

CLAIM FREE

Group 100% Free Group 100% Free Group 100% Free Group 100% Free Group 100% Free Group 100% Free Group 100% Free 47 98 6 171 361 7 629 1114 66 65 59 80 7 9 9 73 68 89 42.81% 31.67% 54.41% Group 100% Free Pay for Meals Group 100% Free

IMPLEMENTING CEP

INVOLVE KEY PLAYERS IN DISCUSSION *SUPERINTENDENT *PRINCIPALS *SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

Questions to Consider???

• What will the community think about students not having to pay for their meals?

• Will it be positive or negative publicity for the district?

• Will there be an increase in student enrollment?

• Will the SFS lose money?

• Will our cost increase?

“STRATEGY”

• Avoid using the statement “Free Lunch or Free Meals” • It is not free, SFS pays for the food, labor, and other expenses • Promote it as “ A no cost meal to students”

RESULTS • Parents love it!

• Second year for Preschool-Elementary • First year for Middle School • Increase in participation • Increase in revenue-$ 200,000 (2012-2013) • Increase in food cost-$40,000

CEP RESOURCES

• SNA’s CEP Webinar Series: www.schoolnutrition.org/webinar – Making the Most of Community Eligibility Provision (under archives) – Eliminating School Meal Applications (March 26) – Determining which Schools will be Eligible to Participate in CEP (April 2) • SNA’s ANC Boston: www.schoolnutrition.org/ANC – CEP pre-con and ed sessions • Links to key USDA and State Materials: www.frac.org/community-eligibility

Community Eligibility Provision: What Do I Need to Know?

Transcript Community Eligibility Provision: What Do I Need to Know?

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know?

CEP Background:

Eligibility Requirements:

Identified Students:

CEP Reimbursements

USDA CEP Calculator:

Massachusetts Implementation SY 2013-2014

Massachusetts Challenges

Massachusetts Challenges

Richmond County Implementation SY 2013-2014 Student Meals at No Cost

Richmond County School System Challenges

Richmond County School System Challenges

Benefits of Community Eligibility Provision

Lisa McCarty

Assistant Superintendent of Support Services

IMPLEMENTING CEP

“STRATEGY”

CEP RESOURCES

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