Every child learns better when they're not hungry. CEP guarantees free meals for every student, no paperwork, no shame, no barriers.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS PODCAST
- What the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is and how it works
- Why the ISP threshold was lowered from 40% to 25% in 2023
- How CEP eliminates lunch shaming and unpaid meal debt
- The impact of universal free meals on student performance
- How CEP simplifies school administration and compliance
- What advocacy groups and new laws are doing to expand CEP
The Community Eligibility Provision, authorized by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, allows qualifying schools to offer free breakfast and lunch to every student with no household applications. Schools with an Identified Student Percentage of at least 25% — recently lowered from 40% — are eligible. Federal reimbursement is tied to that ISP, with any gap covered by non-federal funds. CEP runs on a four-year cycle and has reached more than 16 million children. Beyond nutrition, it reduces stigma, lowers administrative burden, improves attendance and behavior, and decreases friction points that once fed into disciplinary and justice-system contact.
Learn more about CEP HHFKA Community Eligibility Provision by visiting:
https://kidlaw.org/2026/03/09/cep-hhfka-community-eligibility-provision/
Kidlaw Official Website - https://Kidlaw.org
