Beginning on December 1, 2023, all students in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) will be eligible to receive a free healthy breakfast and lunch at school. This will continue for the next three years as part of the Community Eligibility Provision under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
The USDA expanded access to school breakfast and lunch to an estimated 3,000 more school districts by increasing the availability of the Community Eligibility Provision. CEP is a simplified meal service option that allows schools to provide meals at no cost to all students without requiring families to apply for free and reduced-price meals. Instead, school districts receive federal funding based on a formula using existing data from SNAP and other programs, and local or state funds must fill any gap between program costs and federal support.
In September, six schools in the ICSD became eligible for free breakfast and lunch under the same program: Belle Sherman, Beverly J. Martin, Cayuga Heights, Enfield, Fall Creek, and Lehman Alternative Community School. Subsequently, the USDA lowered the required share of low-income students from 40% to 25%, allowing all students in the district to be eligible for free breakfast and lunch.
This year, the Child Nutrition Department, in partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation and the Park Foundation, launched a new robust nutrition program that allows schools to serve healthy, delicious, and sustainable meals. When students have access to adequate, healthy food, it not only helps them develop lifelong healthy eating habits but improves overall academic success.
“We are thrilled that all students in the ICSD will now have access to nutritious and delicious food in school,” Beth Krause, Director of Child Nutrition, said. “CEP supports our vision to ensure every learner in our district can thrive and meet their true potential."
NEXT STEPS FOR FAMILIES
Students at Belle Sherman, Beverly J. Martin, Cayuga Heights, Enfield, Fall Creek, and Lehman Alternative Community School are already eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch as part of the Community Eligibility Provision approved for these schools at the start of the school year.
We are requesting that all families fill out this brief CEP Household Income Eligibility Form to assist with the Title I process for continued state funding. Please submit this form to your building principal by mail or email. If you have already filled out this form for a student at one of the schools listed above, you do not need to fill it out again. Only one form submission per household is required.
If you utilize MySchoolBucks for meal payments, you will no longer need to add funds to your account after November 30, 2023, unless your student wishes to purchase a second breakfast/lunch or food item a la carte. If you anticipate having a remaining balance, please fill out this form by December 15 to initiate a refund. (Staff will still be able to use their MySchoolBucks accounts to pay for school meals. All pricing remains the same for adults.)
- Families can view the school meal menus by visiting the website or downloading the ICSD app in the App Store or Google Play.