SNP - Community Eligibility Provision

What is Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)?

With the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the National School Lunch Program

now includes the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This program allows qualified schools to be approved to provide meals to all enrolled students at no charge, regardless of economic status.

What Houston County Schools are approved CEP sites?

For the 2023-2024 school year, Houston County will have 19 sites that benefit from this program. The following sites will provide meals to all enrolled students at no charge:

CB Watson Primary
Centerville Elementary
WIN Academy
Huntington Middle
Lindsey Student Support Center
Miller Elementary
Morningside Elementary
Northside Elementary
Northside High
Northside Middle
Parkwood Elementary
Pearl Stephens Elementary
Russell Elementary
Shirley Hills Elementary
Thomson Middle
Tucker Elementary
Warner Robins Middle
Warner Robins High
Westside Elementary

How does a school qualify to become a CEP school?

To qualify, a school must have 40 percent or more students eligible for free meals based on direct certification. Children are considered directly certified if they live in households that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). In addition, foster, homeless, runaway, or migrant children are included in the directly certified category. Schools are re-evaluated annually to determine if they continue to meet CEP criteria.

How does attending at CEP benefit my child?

Students enrolled in the aforementioned schools are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast, lunch, and snack (if the child is enrolled in an eligible after school program) at school at no cost to the household each day of the 2022-2023 school year. While the regular breakfast, lunch, and after school snack will be provided at no cost to students enrolled in CEP schools, supplemental sale items such as chips, cookies, beverages, etc. will still be available for purchase. These items can be purchased with cash, check (made payable to School Nutrition), or monies that have been placed on the child’s online account at myschoolbucks.com.

What happens if my child transfers from a CEP school to a non-CEP school?

The ability for a child to eat free is associated with the school they attend. Therefore, if a child transfers to a school that is not listed above, the parent or guardian will need to provide payment for the child’s meals until a Free and Reduced Meal Application is completed and the parent or guardian receives notice that it is approved. The quickest way for an application to be processed is to complete one online at www.schoollunchapp.com.