Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools use data of student numbers that qualify for free meals by direct certification or categorical eligibility instead of income applications.
CEP 2024 Notification of Qualified School Food Authorities (SFAs) - The SFAs listed on this table qualify or nearly qualify for Community Eligibility Provision based on the school-reported data.
CEP 2024 Qualified Schools - The schools listed on this table qualify or nearly qualify for community Eligibility Provision based on school-reported data.
CEP Schools in Iowa 2023-2024 - Schools in Iowa participating in the Community Eligibility Provision
Community Eligibility Provision Resource Center - Extensive resources for parents, teachers, and school officials at the local, state, and Federal level to better understand CEP and its positive benefits, along with useful tools to help facilitate successful implementation of the provision in your school.
Community Eligibility Guidance - Describes the necessary levels to qualify and how to handle the data gaps created without Meal Eligibility applications.
CEP Monthly Federal Reimbursement Estimator - Located on the USDA's Community Eligibility Provision Resource Center webpage. Scroll down to the heading "Is CEP Financially Viable for your School/SFA?" and click on the CEP Monthly Federal Reimbursement Estimator link to open an Excel file. The estimator tool helps a school/SFA determine if CEP is financially viable for the school based on the monthly reimbursement.
Household Survey Templates - The following are examples of documents that can be provided to families to gather the economic data needed for non-food service programs in the district.
Household Survey Evaluation Key - This chart is not for distribution but allows the LEA staff person processing the returned surveys into a full waiver and partial waiver categories for non-food service program and reporting use.
Parent Letter - Example of letter sent to parents at registration time describing the change in application/survey.