Preguntas Frecuentes de Provisión de Elegibilidad Comunitaria (CEP)
What is the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)? Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is part of the USDA's National School Breakfast and Lunch Program, which allows qualifying schools to provide free meals to all students.
Will students enrolled at a CEP school receive free meals even if they do not qualify for free meals? Yes, all students enrolled at CEP schools will receive free breakfast and lunch regardless of household income.
Why are there only 60 schools that offer CEP? Based on qualifying factors and having the highest need of students that qualify for free meals.
Do I have to submit an application for my child to receive free meals? If your child attends a CEP school, you do not need to submit a meal benefit application. CEP eliminates the meal benefit application since all students receive free meals based on the school qualifying. If you have a child that attends a non-CEP school, a meal benefit application needs to be submitted to determine meal benefit eligibility.
Will all of my children receive free breakfast and lunch if they attend different schools? Only the 60 CEP schools will provide free breakfast and lunches to all students. If you have a child attending a school that is not part of the CEP program, that child will receive free meals only if you are eligible per the requirements of the free and reduced meal program. A household application for meal benefits (for non- CEP schools) has to be completed each school year to determine meal benefit eligibility.
Why does one of my children get free meals when another one does not? Students who are not eligible for free or reduced price meals (based on the household income application) only receive free meals if they attend a CEP school.
My child attends a participating school, but I can afford to pay for my child's meals. Can I still pay?
If your child attends one of the participating schools, then you will not be paying for their meals. If you'd like to help out, you can contribute all or a portion of what you would have spent for school meals to help provide meals for a child at a non-participating school through our Together Every Kid Eats program, or you can use those funds as part of your Arizona Tax Credit contribution to help the extracurricular programs at your school or any TUSD school.
If I have questions about CEP who should I contact? Please call TUSD Food Services Department at (520)225-4700.