Providing Income Information Ensures Student
Access to School Meals
Access to School Meals
OLYMPIA — September 7, 2023 — Families are encouraged to provide income information to their school districts to ensure that their students have access to much-needed school meals.
This information helps determine students’ eligibility for meals, and it is also used to identify other student benefits such as reduced fees and additional funding for schools. Information provided may also be used to qualify eligible children for Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) programs.
Families will be asked to fill out one of two documents: a free and reduced-price meals application, or a family income survey. Both forms are simple to fill out and confidential. There are no citizenship requirements for participation in the federal child nutrition programs that Washington’s schools operate, and immigration status is not requested or disclosed.
All households with students in grades K–12 receive application or income survey packets from their child’s school at the beginning of the school year. These packets provide instructions and directions on where to send the materials. In addition, many schools make meal applications or family income surveys available electronically.
After families submit their Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications, determinations are made within 10 operating days of receipt. Households denied eligibility can appeal the decision by contacting their school.
Family Income Surveys are offered to families whose schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2. CEP and Provision 2 schools provide meals at no cost for all students in a school, but income surveys provide crucial eligibility information for other student benefits.
Meal applications and income surveys can be submitted at any time during the school year. Households that experience a change in income due to job loss or other circumstances are encouraged to apply.
Family income information supports the continued operation of meal programs in Washington state. In Washington, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) administers federal U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special Milk Program.