COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY—A NEW WEAPON AGAINST HUNGER

Community eligibility can help schools in high-poverty areas meet the food needs of school-aged children by serving free meals to all students.  Now operating in 11 states, community eligibility will be available nationwide for the 2014-2015 school year. Roughly 4,000 schools in those 11 states have opted to participate in the program. They report that (1) more children are eating breakfast and lunch at school as a result and (2) they are achieving administrative savings from streamlining their meals programs.  Those savings, combined with the drop in per-meal costs when more children eat, help to cover the costs of providing meals to more students.

States must publish, by May 1, a list of schools and school districts that are eligible for Community Eligibility. 

Source: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 4/28/14, Community Eligibility; Connecticut Eligibility List