School Breakfast Program
CEP State Subsidy Q&As
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
1. Who can participate in CEP?
To participate in CEP, at least 25% of enrolled students must be certified for free meals without an application. An entire School Food Authority (SFA), individual school building/Recipient Agency (RA), or group of RAs within an SFA can participate in CEP. SFAs should determine how to implement CEP to maximize the benefits to the most students.
Approved State-level Waiver Request
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has received State-level waiver authority from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from the requirements in Section 11(a)(1)(F)(x)(I) of the NSLA, 42 U.S.C. 1759a and FNS regulations at 7 CFR 245.9(f)(4)(i) to allow school food authorities to apply to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision for the 2023-2024 school year until August 31, 2023.
SY 23-24 Program Operations
*This is a consolidated list of information available on the website regarding program operations for school year 2023-2024 Program operations. Recent updates will be noted by the asterisk (*).
Comments from the Listening Sessions for the CNP: Revision to Meal Patterns Proposed Rule
The New York State Education Department (SED), Office of Child Nutrition Program Administration hosted two listening sessions on March 9th and 16th of 2023 to hear from New York State school food professionals on the potential impact of the “Child Nutrition Programs: Revision to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guideline for Americans” federal proposed rule.
Approved State-level Waiver Requests
The New York State Education Department has received State-level waiver authority from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve the following operational flexibilities that may be needed to provide meals to students required to learn virtually due to an unanticipated school closure during the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year.
Non-Congregate Meal Service
Upon approval from NYSED, allows students to consume meals outside of school settings.
Best Practices for NY School Meal Programs
The New York State Education Department (SED) Child Nutrition Program Office is embarking on a project to identify and collect best practices from School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating the school meal programs across our state. SED’s goal for this project is to develop new child nutrition tools and resources to assist SFAs in navigating challenges and enhancing their meal programs.
CEP Application and Guidance
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Application and Guidance is now available for the 2024-25 school year. This information can be found at http://www.cn.nysed.gov/content/CEP.
Proposed Rule: Community Eligibility Provision – Increasing Options for Schools
USDA webinar found here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/proposed-rule-cep-increasing-options-schools....
National School Breakfast Week
Join us in celebrating National School Breakfast Week!
National School Breakfast Week celebrates the importance of starting the school day with a healthy meal! From March 6-10, 2023, schools are encouraged to recognize the importance of a nutritious breakfast for all students. This year’s theme is “Dig into School Breakfast”.
