{"id":13755,"date":"2026-04-29T09:13:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/virginia\/?p=13755"},"modified":"2026-05-07T13:19:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T13:19:43","slug":"no-kid-hungry-virginia-nearly-60-of-students-can-access-no-cost-meals-in-virginia-schools-from-cep-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/virginia\/2026\/04\/29\/no-kid-hungry-virginia-nearly-60-of-students-can-access-no-cost-meals-in-virginia-schools-from-cep-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"No Kid Hungry Virginia:\u202fNearly 60%\u202fof Students can Access No-Cost Meals in Virginia Schools from CEP Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

RICHMOND, Va. (May 7<\/span><\/b>, 2026)<\/span><\/b>\u202f\u2013 More students than ever can access no-cost meals in Virginia schools thanks to participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), according to an analysis of state data by No Kid Hungry Virginia.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 1,200 Virginia public schools within 116 school\u202fdivisions currently\u202fparticipate\u202fin CEP, helping to connect\u00a0nearly\u202f708,000\u00a0students\u202fwith free school breakfast and lunch.\u202fThat\u2019s\u202froughly 60%\u202fof the state\u2019s learners.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CEP allows\u202feligible schools\u202fserving higher numbers of low-income families\u202fto\u202fprovide\u202fno-cost breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting household income applications.\u202fThe\u00a0funding\u00a0option\u00a0was created by the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Virginia schools started implementing CEP during the 2014-2015 school year, when 11 school\u202fdivisions and 86 schools\u202fparticipated\u202fin CEP.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to maximizing CEP participation, Virginia has become a\u202fnational leader,\u201d said Sarah Steely, director of No Kid Hungry Virginia. \u201cWe\u2019ve\u202fseen tremendous growth in CEP adoption and school meals access over\u202fthe past decade thanks to our state and school leaders, nutrition teams,\u202ffamilies\u202fand food security advocates. The increase means more nourished kids eating breakfast and lunch at school, and more families who\u202fare able to\u202fstretch household food budgets. We owe it to Virginia\u2019s students \u2013 and Virginia\u2019s parents \u2013 to\u202fmaintain\u202fthat momentum.\u201d\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By decreasing stigma and\u202feliminating\u202fpaperwork burdens for busy families, schools that\u202fparticipate\u202fin CEP are associated with meaningful increases in school\u202fmeals\u202fparticipation.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research shows that students who\u202fparticipate\u202fin school meals can have positive diet-related outcomes, see academic growth and experience reduced hunger, especially among learners living in households that are navigating income insecurity.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

School division enrollment for CEP is May 1-June 30: What to know<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Delegate Cia Price introduced\u202f<\/span>House Joint Resolution No. 267<\/span><\/a>\u202fduring the 2026 Virginia General Assembly to highlight the importance of CEP.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0CEP enrollment\u00a0period\u00a0for\u202fthe\u202f2026-2027\u202fschool year\u202fis\u202fMay 1-June 30.\u202fNo Kid Hungry\u202fVirginia\u202fis encouraging all school\u202fdivisions to consider\u202fmaintaining\u00a0or expanding\u00a0CEP, as well as\u00a0opportunities to maximize the program\u2019s impact in participating schools.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Under CEP, schools are prohibited from collecting both household income applications and student payments for school meals. Instead,\u00a0student enrollment in programs like SNAP or Medicaid\u00a0is used to approximate\u00a0free or reduced-price eligibility levels. When schools have at least 25% of their student body\u00a0\u201cdirectly certified\u201d\u00a0for free or reduced-price school meals,\u00a0mainly\u00a0through\u00a0data matching with\u00a0SNAP or Medicaid, the school is eligible to\u202fparticipate\u202fin CEP.\u202fInstead of receiving federal reimbursement funding based on\u00a0individual student\u00a0eligibility, the school receives funding according to a formula based on\u00a0the percentage of\u00a0directly certified students.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The decision to\u202fparticipate\u202fin CEP often requires thoughtful conversation among school division leadership.\u202fThe administrative cost savings from the elimination of processing household income applications and recouping unpaid meal debt may offset\u00a0any\u00a0lost revenue from adopting CEP, but some divisions or\u00a0schools\u202f\u00a0may\u00a0need to consider potential revenue-boosting opportunities\u00a0in order to\u00a0break even,\u00a0such as:\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n