According to new data from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) the growth in the past year’s school meal participation is due to the establishment of state-level universal school meal programs and the growing rate of schools and districts opting into the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The CEP is a federal program that allows high-poverty schools to serve free meals to all students without collecting household income applications. In January, FRAC found that school participation in CEP jumped 19% in the 2023-24 school year, leading to half of all National School Lunch Program (NSLP) schools now using the provision.
However, as momentum grows for universal school meal policies, advocates fear that programs like CEP could see cuts as the Republican-controlled Congress goes through its budgeting process.
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