Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know? › uploadedFiles...CEP Background:...

Copyright © 2012 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. www.schoolnutrition.org

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know?

Sunday, March 2, 9:45 am – 10:45

Speakers:

Robert Leshin Assistant Director, Office for Nutrition, Health and Safety

Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education

Josephine Mack Director of School Nutrition

Richmond County School System, GA

Lisa McCarty Assistant Superintendent of Support Services

Owensboro Public Schools, KY


CEP Background: • Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a

four-year reimbursement option for eligible high poverty LEAs and schools

• Advantages: All students receive free meals, eliminates over identification issues, simplifies meal claiming and reduces paperwork.

• Formerly known as Community Eligibility Option (CEO)

• Currently participating: DC, IL, KY, MI, NY, OH, WV, FL, GA, MD, MA

• Available nationwide on July 1, 2014


Eligibility Requirements:

• LEAs must have at least 1 school with 40% or more “Identified Students” (certified without application)

• Eligible LEAs/schools must offer breakfast AND lunch at no charge to all students

• Do not collect free and reduced price applications from households in participating schools during the period of participation in CEP.

• CEP can be implemented in 1 school, group of schools or district-wide.


Identified Students: Students certified for free meals w/o the use of a household application

– e.g. directly certified with SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, categorically eligible – migrant youth, homeless, head start etc.


CEP Reimbursements • % Identified Students x 1.6 = % meals reimbursed at

“free” rate. All other meals reimbursed at “paid” rate – eg: At a school with 50% Identified Students, 80% of

brkfst/lunches served would be reimbursed at free rate, 20% reimbursed at paid rate (50 x 1.6 = 80)

• CEP schools/LEAs are guaranteed the same reimbursement rate for 4 years (or a higher rate if the Identified Student rate increases)

• Total monthly meal counts needed for claim


USDA CEP Calculator:


Massachusetts Implementation SY 2013-2014

• Published guidance on website • Boston Public Schools only LEA participating in

SY 2013-2014 • Increase in federal reimbursement • Additional CEP information sessions for LEAs

with eligible schools • Presentation at state school business officials

association


Massachusetts Challenges

• Implications of not collecting household income applications: Other Federal and State funding programs (Title 1, IDEA, E-Rate etc.)

• Working with other offices to properly interpret USED issued guidance

• Goal is to utilize existing sources of information to provide comparable low income statistics to eliminate collection of household income data


Massachusetts Challenges

• Updating NSLP application and claim reimbursement system to support CEP claiming

• New staff member dedicated to CEP • Data: Validating ISP


Josephine Mack Director of School Nutrition

Richmond County School System, GA


Richmond County Implementation SY 2013-2014

Student Meals at No Cost

Richmond County is pleased to provide breakfast and lunch meals at NO COST to ALL students in

our schools. No application is required.

Students, please join us for breakfast and lunch at NO COST.

A la carte items may still be separately

purchased.


Richmond County School System Challenges

• Board members were reluctant to approve CEP because the concerned of school system losing funds and /or not qualify for other Federal and State programs (Title 1, E-Rate, etc.)

• Completing all the calculations to determine how Title 1 would be impacted

• Collaborating with other agencies to certify identified students (homeless, foster children)


Richmond County School System Challenges

• Determining how many more students will participate in Breakfast and Lunch Programs in order to have enough food purchased

• Determining how to calculate our Free and Paid percentages for reimbursement


Benefits of Community Eligibility Provision

• No Paper Applications • Eliminate Student Charges • Eliminate Serving Alternative Meals • Eliminate Returned Checks • Increase Breakfast and Lunch Participation • It is what’s best for children…. in order for

them to go to class and be ready to learn


Lisa McCarty Assistant Superintendent

of Support Services Owensboro Public Schools, KY


OWENSBORO PUBLIC SCHOOLS OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY

2011-2012 School FREE REDUCED PAID TOTAL % FREE % REDUCED %F/R % DIRECT

CERT CLAIM FREE

CRAVENS 267 21 22 310 86 7 93 66.91% Group 100% Free

ESTES 391 26 34 451 87 6 92 68.61% Group 100% Free

FOUST 331 19 36 386 86 5 91 68.37% Group 100% Free

HAGER 351 16 35 402 87 4 91 60% Group 100% Free

NEWTON PARRISH

227 65 151 443 51 15 66 33.65% Group 100% Free

SUTTON 137 40 210 387 35 10 46 24.18% Group 100% Free

OMS SOUTH

450 55 182 687 66 8 74 43.31% Group 100% Free

OMS NORTH

411 47 171 629 65 7 73 42.81% Group 100% Free

OHS HIGH SCHOOL

655 98 361 1114 59 9 68 31.67% Pay for Meals

7-HILLS ALTERNATIVE

53 6 7 66 80 9 89 54.41% Group 100% Free


IMPLEMENTING CEP

INVOLVE KEY PLAYERS IN DISCUSSION

*SUPERINTENDENT *PRINCIPALS

*SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS


Questions to Consider???

• What will the community think about students not having to pay for their meals?

• Will it be positive or negative publicity for the district?

• Will there be an increase in student enrollment?

• Will the SFS lose money? • Will our cost increase?


“STRATEGY” • Avoid using the statement “Free

Lunch or Free Meals” • It is not free, SFS pays for the food,

labor, and other expenses • Promote it as “ A no cost meal to

students”


RESULTS

• Parents love it! • Second year for Preschool-Elementary • First year for Middle School • Increase in participation • Increase in revenue-$200,000 (2012-2013) • Increase in food cost-$40,000


CEP RESOURCES • SNA’s CEP Webinar Series:

www.schoolnutrition.org/webinar – Making the Most of Community Eligibility Provision (under archives) – Eliminating School Meal Applications (March 26) – Determining which Schools will be Eligible to Participate in CEP (April 2)

• SNA’s ANC Boston: www.schoolnutrition.org/ANC – CEP pre-con and ed sessions

• Links to key USDA and State Materials: www.frac.org/community-eligibility

http://www.schoolnutrition.org/webinar

http://www.schoolnutrition.org/ANC

http://www.frac.org/community-eligibility


Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know?

Sunday, March 2, 11:00 am – 12 noon

Speakers:

Linda Campbell, RD, LD Food Service Director

Perry County School District, KY

Debbie Derico, SNS Director of Child Nutrition

Marshall County Schools, WV

Cheryl Jones, MBA, SNS Education and Development Specialist

Georgia Dept. of Education, School Nutrition Program


CEP Background: • Formerly known as Community

Eligibility Option (CEO) • Currently participating:

DC, IL, KY, MI, NY, OH, WV, FL, GA, MD, MA

• Available nationwide on July 1, 2014


Eligibility Requirements:

• High-poverty schools offer free bkfst/lunch to all students w/o collecting applications

• LEAs must have at least 1 school with 40% or more “Identified Students” (certified w/o application)

• CEP can be implemented in 1 school, group of schools or districtwide.


Identified Students: Students certified for free meals w/o the use of a household application

– e.g. directly certified with SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, categorically eligible – migrant youth, homeless, etc.


CEP Reimbursements • % Identified Students x 1.6 = % meals reimbursed at

“free” rate. All other meals reimbursed at “paid” rate – eg: At a school with 50% Identified Students, 80% of

brkfst/lunches served would be reimbursed at free rate, 20% reimbursed at paid rate (50 x 1.6 = 80)

• CEP schools/LEAs are guaranteed the same reimbursement rate for 4 years (or a higher rate if the Identified Student rate increases)


USDA CEP Calculator:


Georgia – Preparing for CEP Pilot

• Stakeholders • Training • Resources


Georgia – Evaluation Interview Follow-Up Questions

• Claim submission for LEAs • Direct Certification (DC) matching and

increasing percentages • Reporting of SNAP and TANF on the new FNS

report • Title 1 allocation concerns


Georgia – Potential Barriers

• Concerns – Title 1 free/reduced data – Grants for eligible students – Reporting – Claims – New students


Georgia – Advantages of CEP • No paper or web applications • Cost savings • No charged meals, charge letters or

alternative meals • Simplifies meal counting and claiming • No overt identification • Increased breakfast and lunch participation • Improves nutrition to at risk students


Georgia – CEP Districts

*City and charter school systems participating in CEP in the district is identified with a green box to the right of their name.


Linda Campbell, RD, LD Food Service Director

Perry County School District, KY


Concerns from Superintendent:

1. Is this a temporary option? 2. Is it financially feasible / is the

worksheet reliable? 3. Will we lose Title I funding? 4. How will we get at risk percentages

for other programs?


Benefits 1. No charges to try to collect 2. Financial relief for Parents 3. Increased participation,

students eating better 4. No verification 5. Very popular with the

community


History • After completion of worksheet and

discussion with Superintendent and Finance Officer, declined to participate the first year it was available.

• Started the next year, 2012-2013.


Participation Profile • School Year 2011-2012:

– 4,178 enrolled – 2,590 free, 206 reduced – Total 2,796 FRP, with 1,887 on direct cert list.

• School Year 2012-2013: – 4,116 enrolled, 2,335 on direct cert list

• School Year 2013-2014: – 4,220 enrolled, 2,741 on direct cert. list


Results

• Lunch Participation – 2011-2012 participation for lunch was 79% – 2012-2013 jumped to 84% – 2013-2014 currently at 89% this year

• Breakfast Participation – 2011-2012 participation for breakfast was 44% – 2012-2013 at 75% the first year – 2013-2014 continues at 75%


Reimbursement

• October before CEP was $183,418 • First year of implementation: $289,282 • Current year: $310,497


A la Carte Funds

• 2011-2012: $14,118 • 2012-2013: $26,788 • 2013-2014: $27,212


CEP Reimbursement Rate

• First year was 90.75% free, with 9.25% paid. • This year is 100%!


Debbie Derico, SNS

Director of Child Nutrition Marshall County Schools, WV


SY 2013 CEP Participation

WV had 54 Counties with at least 1 CEP eligible School

35 Counties applied for CEP

283 Schools participated

90,000 students impacted


SY 2013 CEP Counties

County Wide

Select Schools

Barbour

Berkeley

Boone

Braxton

Brooke

Cabell Clay

Fayette

Gilmer

Grant

Greenbrier

Hampshire

Hancock

Hardy

Harrison

Jackson

Kanawha

Lewis

Lincoln

Logan

McDowell

Marion

Mason

Mercer

Mineral

Mingo

Monongalia

Monroe

Morgan

Nicholas

Ohio

Pendleton

Pocahontas

Preston

Putnam

Raleigh

Randolph

Ritchie

Roane

Taylor

Tucker

Tyler

Upshur

Wayne

Webster

Wetzel

Wirt

Wood

Wyoming

Marshall

Cal- houn

Dodd- ridge

Jeff- erson

Pleas- ants

Sum- mers

No eligible CEP schools


SY 2014 CEP Participation

WV had 52 Counties with at least 1 CEP eligible School

39 Counties applied for CEP

335 Schools are participating

> 110,000 students will be impacted


SY 2014 CEP Counties

County Wide

Select Schools

Barbour

Berkeley

Boone

Braxton

Brooke

Cabell Clay

Fayette

Gilmer

Grant

Greenbrier

Hampshire

Hancock

Hardy

Harrison

Jackson

Kanawha

Lewis

Lincoln

Logan

McDowell

Marion

Mason

Mercer

Mineral

Mingo

Monongalia

Monroe

Morgan

Nicholas

Ohio

Pendleton

Pocahontas

Preston

Putnam

Raleigh

Randolph

Ritchie

Roane

Taylor

Tucker

Tyler

Upshur

Wayne

Webster

Wetzel

Wirt

Wood

Wyoming

Marshall

Cal- houn

Dodd- ridge

Jeff- erson

Pleas- ants

Sum- mers

No eligible CEP schools


SY 2014

Added 4 Counties in SY 14

( Barbour, Raleigh, Taylor, Upshur)

Added 50 more schools

13 Counties that participated in CEP for SY 13

added schools


SY 2014/13 CEP Comparisson

School Year 2013

11 Counties- County-wide CEP School Year 2014

14 Counties- County-wide CEP


Marshall County, WV CEP

About Our District • School Enrollment: 4,682 • ADP Lunch: 73% • ADP Breakfast 57% • Percent Needy 2012: 51% • Percent Needy 2014: 56% • Paid Prices (Before CEP) Lunch: $1.30 Breakfast: $.95


Concerns and Recommendations

Financial

Know your data Current meal prices charged, collection rate, demographics of students eating

are all critical

Can opt out It’s about the kids!


Concerns and Recommendations Claim Percent: Free: 66% Paid: 34% Marshall County Excess Levy pays $300,0000 for Breakfast!



Effects on other Programs

Title I & E-Rate Guidance is available

Plan ahead



Entitlement

Using tax payers funds to pay for meals for families who can afford them.

Political Impact

Money does stay in the community!


CEP RESOURCES • SNA’s CEP Webinar Series:

www.schoolnutrition.org/webinar – Making the Most of Community Eligibility Provision (under archives) – Eliminating School Meal Applications (March 26) – Determining which Schools will be Eligible to Participate in CEP (April 2)

• SNA’s ANC Boston: www.schoolnutrition.org/ANC – CEP pre-con and ed sessions

• Links to key USDA and State Materials: www.frac.org/community-eligibility

http://www.schoolnutrition.org/webinar

http://www.schoolnutrition.org/ANC

http://www.frac.org/community-eligibility

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know? › uploadedFiles...CEP Background:...

Documents

Transcript of Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): What do I need to know? › uploadedFiles...CEP Background:...