Guilford County Schools’ Initiative: Making Free School Lunch a Reality for Families in Need
Guilford County Schools encourages parents to fill out free school lunch and reduced lunch forms, with 92 schools offering free meals due to community need, and eligibility based on income or assistance program participation, emphasizing the value of completing the application for identifying school needs and district grants. Photo ( gettyimages)
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Streamlining Access to Free School Lunch and Reduced School Lunch: A Path to Lightening the Financial Load for Parents”
Guilford County Schools is actively promoting the completion of free school lunch and reduced lunch forms, aiming to alleviate the daily financial burden of school meals for parents. In Greensboro, North Carolina, the cost for a school breakfast stands at one dollar, while lunch comes to about three dollars. However, depending on their circumstances, parents have the opportunity to bypass these expenses or significantly reduce them, with lunch costing just 40 cents.
Currently 92 Guilford County Schools operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) ensuring that meals are entirely free for 72 percent of the district’s students due to a high level of need in the community. This marks an increase from 65 schools in 2022. The program is designed to provide access to free school lunch for those who qualify, helping ease the financial strain on families.
The Community Eligibility Provision is an integral component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, offering an alternative to household eligibility applications for free school lunch and reduced-price meals in local educational agencies and schools situated in high-poverty areas. Schools qualify for CEP status when a sufficient number of their students are directly certified through programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Medicaid. For parents with students in these schools, there’s no need to worry about completing forms since the school handles the applications. However, for the 34 schools that don’t meet the criteria, parents are encouraged to fill out free and reduced lunch forms.
Applying for Free School Lunch, Easy Steps to Alleviating Financial Burden
It’s important to note that it’s not too late to apply for these programs, as eligibility is determined by various factors, including total household income, the individual status of the child, or participation in any assistance program by a household member. Remarkably, the district requires just one application for all children in a household attending Guilford County Schools, and eligibility for free school lunch is not influenced by US citizenship or immigration status.
Travis Fisher, the Executive Director for School Nutrition for Guilford County Schools, emphasizes the significance of filling out the form for free school lunch, even if there’s uncertainty about eligibility, as it aids the district in identifying the specific needs of each school. This program benefits a significant number of students, and in non-CEP schools, efforts are made to ensure that eligible students for free and reduced lunches are not overlooked. Families across all schools are encouraged to participate in completing the application, as the information collected can also be used by the district to qualify for grants and other poverty-based programs.
You can find the free and reduced application here.
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