Provisional Programs

CEP allows schools to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting household income applications. Federal reimbursement is based on the Identified Student Percentage (ISP)- students in programs such as SNAP, TANF, foster care, Head Start, migrant or homeless. Districts report ISP annually and may keep the same reimbursement rate for up to four years; any costs not covered by federal funds must come from other sources.

Schools qualify for CEP with an Identified Student Percentage (ISP) of 25% or higher. The ISP is multiplied by 1.6 to set the reimbursement rate—for example, a 62.5% ISP equals 100% free reimbursement (62.5% x 1.6 =100%).

Provision 2 allows schools to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students while reducing paperwork. Eligibility applications are collected once every four years, and schools are reimbursed using meal percentages set in a Base Year. In later years, schools no longer collect applications- just the total number of meals served each day. 

Districts with higher numbers of free and reduced-price eligible students benefit most. Any costs not covered by federal reimbursement must be paid from other sources, such as the general fund.