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This presentation template is designed to help directors engage school administrators in prioritizing access to school meals as you consider whether to adopt or expand the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in SY23-24.

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Directors are encouraged to adapt these slides to fit your district. Opportunities to include your own data are noted throughout in [orange brackets].

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Additional guidance and resources on preparing for conversations about CEP with school administrators are available:

• Webinar: “Building Buy-in for CEP with School Leadership” View the recording and slides
• Talking points for CEP with School Administrators [NKH]
• CEP Financial Considerations for School Business Officials [NKH]

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We are here to help! For individualized assistance, at no cost, contact:

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Francesca DiGiorgio

Schools Meals Policy and Engagement Specialist

Hunger Solutions New York

francesca.digiorgio@hungersolutionsny.org

Community Eligibility Provision

A case for adoption/expansion at [insert district]

[Insert director name and title]

[Insert date]

Today’s agenda

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• Community Eligibility Provision Overview:
• A “no risk” option and new funding opportunity!
• Benefits of CEP
• CEP is a data driven path to feeding more kids
• Implementation: Transitioning to free school meals for all
• Questions?

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Overview of the Community Eligibility Provision

• Allows any eligible school, group of schools, or district with 25%+ “identified students” to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students.*

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• Mid-year election available! SED is now accepting applications for schools to adopt CEP.
• Applications will be approved on a rolling basis.
• Approved schools will be able to implement CEP starting the following month.
• Applications for CEP are due December 15, 2023.

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*Note: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) amended CEP regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent, effective October 26, 2023.

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Resources:

NYSED CEP Fact Sheet

HSNY CEP Fact Sheet

State Expansion of CEP

Enacted NYS FY24 Budget:

• Amended NYS Education Law adding Section 925, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) State Subsidy.
• Added $134.6M

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CEP State Subsidy: New funding opportunity

• Starting in the upcoming SY 2023-2024.
• Ensures all CEP meals are reimbursed at the free rate.
• Must be approved to participate in CEP.

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NYSED Resources:

• NYSED Memo: Expansion of Community Eligibility Provision in New York State
• NYSED CEP Factsheet
• NYSED CEP Application and Guidance

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HSNY CEP State Subsidy Webpage

The Benefits of CEP

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CEP Benefits Students

• Promotes equity and reduces stigma
• Less stress for families
• Safeguards students from hunger
• Improves student outcomes�

CEP Benefits Schools

• Eliminates unpaid school meal debt
• Reduces administrative burden, simplifies counting and claiming
• Recovers budget deficits in school nutrition programs
• Simplifies serving meals outside of the classroom

A data driven path to feeding more kids

Participation data

• [Insert district ADP in SY21-22] vs [Insert district ADP in SY22-23] → our participation decreased after waivers ended and meals no longer free to all
• Standard F/RP model leaves out kids who need school meals

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Eligibility data for CEP

• [Insert district ISP] → Who is included?
• Students living in households that receive: SNAP, TANF, Medicaid. Also students who are considered: homeless/runaway, migrant, foster, or attend Head Start/Even Start.
• Note: This is a subset of F/RP students and those who are most at-risk.

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CEP increases reimbursements

• [Insert current reimbursements] vs. [reimbursements under CEP]
• Reminder: New CEP State Subsidy allows all meals to be reimbursed at the federal free rate.

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Implementation

How would CEP work?

District-wide or partial CEP

• Resources to assess: grouping webinar recording and slides + Meals Count tool

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*If opting for partial CEP*:

Implementing CEP in eligible schools is still a win

• Reduces administrative burden and expands access to more students

Strong communication with families is key to success

• Resources: FRAC Partial Implementation Guide, NKH CEP Communications Toolkit

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CEP + Breakfast After the Bell = Win, Win!

Results After CEP Implementation:

• Improved student access
• More efficient programs
• Simplified counting and claiming
• Builds capacity for serving breakfast

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CEP creates optimal conditions for a successful Breakfast After the Bell program!

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Breakfast After the Bell

Benefits of School Breakfast

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Children’s achievement, well-being, and behavior are tied to their daily nutrition.

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A robust body of research supports that school breakfast’s plays a critical role in:

• Reducing Hunger
• Bolstering Student Success
• Improving Health
• Supporting Equity

Barriers to Traditional Breakfast

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Traditional breakfast, served in the cafeteria before the start of the school day, creates barriers to participation, such as:

• Buses not arriving in time for kids to eat before class
• Long cafeteria lines
• Pressure to get to class on time
• Social stigma that school breakfast is only for families experiencing financial hardship.
• Financial difficulties affording breakfast

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Back to Basics: School Breakfast

SBP participation in NYS saw a historic increase in SY 2021-2022. Up 14.5% from SY 2018-2019.

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This was when meals were free to all and schools pivoted to serving SB outside the cafeteria.

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Gains in SBP participation lost traction after expiration of federal waivers in SY 2022-2023.

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Offering Breakfast After the Bell is a strategy to maximize participation & your bottom line in SY 2023-2024.

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Source: School Meals Report 2021 and 2022, FRAC

Why Breakfast After the Bell at [insert district]?

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School Breakfast in [insert district]:

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• Low participation
• [##] kids who participate in breakfast each day vs. ## kids who eat lunch each day

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• [xx%] of kids eligible to eat free school meals that do not participate in breakfast.

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• Opportunity for [re]growth
• [##] kids who participated while breakfast was free vs. [##] kids who ate breakfast after switching back to a tiered payment structure.

Breakfast After the Bell Models

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Q&A

Appendix for directors

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We are here to help

For individualized assistance, at no cost, contact:

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Francesca DiGiorgio

Schools Meals Policy and Engagement Specialist

Hunger Solutions New York

francesca.digiorgio@hungersolutionsny.org