STRATFORD PUBLIC SCHOOL
FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH FOR 2020-2021
We are excited to announce the Stratford School Board approved participation in the Community Eligibility Provision for Schools (CEP).
What is the CEP? The CEP is a reimbursement option for the School Breakfast Program and the Nation Lunch Program. The purpose is to encourage more students to eat a school breakfast and lunch. At Stratford the goal is specifically for 100% of the students to eat both breakfast and lunch. The more students who eat the school breakfast and lunch means the district receives more money from the National Food Program. Last year on average, 49% of students ate a school breakfast and on average, 73% ate a school lunch. As you can see we have lots of room to grow!
Why did the board approve the Community Eligibility Provision for Schools (CEP)? ALL students Pre-K through 8 grades qualify for a FREE breakfast and a FREE lunch every day, for the entire school year. At this time, we will participate in CEP program for the 2020-2021 school year. The board will evaluate in May 2021 whether to continue with the program or go back to the previous program.
How did the Stratford district qualify? Districts that qualify have buildings that must have at least 40% of students who are qualified for free meals through a method OTHER than income application. Stratford Public School has 60% of students who qualified for free meals through a method OTHER than income application. Sixteen (16) New Hampshire districts currently qualify for the CEP program. Forty-four (44) school districts are nearing eligibility for the CEP program. These numbers are out of 445 schools in New Hampshire. The only district who qualified in the near vicinity was Brown Elementary in Berlin and they do not participate in the program.
Will the menu options be the same as last year? YES. Please remember that last year, the Department of Education and Child Nutrition Programs for New Hampshire, conducted a site visit to determine if Stratford School was following the current guidelines set forth by the USDA. The previous visit occurred many years prior to this visit and many changes have happened since then. The school and our food service provider were meeting the USDA guidelines.
We currently post the menu throughout the school, in the cafeteria and on our website. Our goal is to continue this communication with the students and parents the best ways possible.
Do students receive an extra milk and entrée for FREE? Unfortunately, No. Students must pay for the extra milk and entrée. An extra serving of fruits or vegetables is always FREE. The cost of extra milk is $.50 cents and the cost of an extra entrée is the cost of the selection for the day.
When I eat breakfast or lunch with my child do I also receive a FREE meal? Unfortunately, No. You will need to pay the adult price. The adult price for breakfast is $2.00. The adult price for lunch is $3.50.
I have money in my child’s lunch account from last year. How do I get that money back? If your children have less than $10.00 it is suggested to leave the money in the lunch account to pay for an extra milk or entrée.
Does this mean no income verification application will need to be completed? Unfortunately, No. The school depends on several federal funding grants that are dependent on income verification and free/reduced status. Even though being on the CEP program requires us not to collect National School Lunch Applications, we will be collecting a separate income questionnaire for funding purposes. The last thing the school district wants is to lose federal funding in grants, like Title I funding that supports the After School Program and the Summer School Program.
The Household Income Information Questionnaire will be provided at the beginning of the year to all parents/households. Please complete the form and return it to the school. However, the form is much easier to complete compared to the NSLP applications in the past. The only information needed is the number of people in the household, household income and the list of the names of the students in the household. We highly recommend that ALL families complete the form. All information is confidential. We thank you in advance for your understanding and help in keeping our programs here at Stratford Public School.
For additional questions please call the School Principal 922-3387 or Patricia Brown (Business Administrator) at 636-1437.
