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Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

What is CEP?

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal school meal funding option that enables schools, participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, to streamline school meal operations by allowing schools with a minimum percentage of identified students to provide no-cost meals to all students as well as forgo the collection of free and reduced-price applications.

We partners with school districts considering CEP and provides grants and technical assistance to improve and expand existing CEP programs.

Understanding the Implications of the CEP Final Rule

Effective October 26, 2023, the Identified Student Percentage (ISP) threshold for participating in the CEP has decreased from 40 percent to 25 percent.

During this webinar, the No Kid Hungry team provided a brief overview of how CEP works, how the ISP threshold was changed, and what the change means for schools, districts, and states. Watch the webinar to learn more about the recent changes.

CEP Assessment Tools

Check Out the No Kid Hungry CEP Calculator

Meals Count is a free tool to help school districts optimize their Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) applications, maximize school meal funding, and fight childhood hunger.

Optimizing CEP Revenue with Meals Count

*UPDATED* CEP Data Analysis Tool

We are here to help! Have a question about CEP Rules & Policies, Technical Assistance, or the Tool.

SUBMIT YOUR INQUIRY

NO KID HUNGRY CEP WORKGROUP

The CEP Workgroup is a series of workshops led by school nutrition peers and experts, for school nutrition directors to help them prepare for the transition to CEP. Each session offers one-on-one support, active discussions with other districts, and a deep dive on each topics. The sessions include some of the following topics:

  • CEP Basics & Universal Meals for SY22-23
  • The Power of Partnerships & Strategic Groupings to Maximize ISP
  • Tips on Direct Certification & Data Management
  • Alternative Income Forms, Stakeholder Buy-In & Communications
  • Increasing Capacity & Participation with CEP

Rewatch the sessions! Watch the playlists of speaker presentations from both: CEP Workgroup 1.0 and CEP Workgroup 2.0.

Registration is closed. If you are interested in learning about the Workgroup or joining a future cohort, contact us at nokidhungryca@strength.org and stay tuned!

RESOURCES

We encourage you to always visit the California’s Department of Education and USDA websites for up-to-date information, deadlines, and waiver information.