Meal Assistance Programs
For 2021-22
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All students in FCPS schools can receive a breakfast/lunch at no charge (and without an application) this school year, thanks to a federal government waiver.
However, if you still need free/reduced eligibility status for other programs*, please read below for instructions to complete the online 2021-22 applications.
Find your household size in the chart below. If your income is less than that listed for your household size, your children might qualify for meal benefits and you should complete an application.
Attention: The following applies only to families who receive SNAP (food stamps) and K-TAP benefits. Students in these households might have already qualified for a free meal eligibility status through the State Direct Certification (DC) List. If so, you will receive a letter from the FCPS Child Nutrition office letting you know that the state has automatically approved your child for benefits. (Please read the letter carefully to ensure all the children in your household have been identified.) If your household receives federal benefits but you have not received a 2021-22 letter from FCPS Child Nutrition by the start of school, please go ahead and fill out one of the applications below.
Note: Some foster children and children receiving some types of Medicaid might also be considered DC. Students who are homeless, Head Start, migrant, and runaways will also be considered DC, starting on the date that the district identifies them in one of the listed categories.
If your child is not DC and you want to proceed in applying for free/reduced eligibility status, please look for their school below for details on the two different assistance applications.
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CEP schools
Community Eligibility Provision (2021-22)
Students enrolled at the following sites are eligible for meals at no charge.
- Elementary: Arlington, Ashland, Booker T. Washington, Breckinridge, Cardinal Valley, Coventry Oak, Deep Springs, Dixie, Garden Springs, Glendover, Harrison, James Lane Allen, Julius Marks, Lansdowne, Liberty, Mary Todd, Meadowthorpe, Millcreek, Northern, Picadome, Russell Cave, Southern, Squires, Tates Creek, William Wells Brown, and Yates
- Middle: Bryan Station, Crawford, Leestown, Lexington Traditional Magnet, Morton, Southern, Tates Creek, and Winburn
- High: Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, and Tates Creek
- Other programs: Audrey Grevious Center, Carter G. Woodson Academy, Family Care Center, Fayette County Preschool Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, Opportunity Middle College, Rise STEM Academy for Girls, Success Academy, The Learning Center, and The Stables
For more information on CEP and how schools are selected, please see our FAQ.
To help ensure your child’s school receives the full amount of federal and state funding available and your child is receiving all the services they are eligible for, the school must have a way to identify households that are at or below the federal poverty level. Certain funding is based on this information. That is why it is so important for you to return this information to your school. Please complete the Educational Benefits Form (EBF) as soon as possible.
* If your children attend CEP and Non-CEP schools, DO NOT fill out this EBF form. Instead, submit the application under Non-CEP Schools for free/reduced meal status.
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Non-CEP schools
Students who attend non-CEP schools may apply for free/reduced benefits.
- Elementary: Athens-Chilesburg, Brenda Cowan, Cassidy, Clays Mill, Garrett Morgan, Maxwell, Rosa Parks, Sandersville, Stonewall, Veterans Park, and Wellington
- Middle: Beaumont, Edythe J. Hayes, and Jessie Clark
- High: Henry Clay, Lafayette, and Paul Laurence Dunbar
- Other programs: Carter G. Woodson Prep, SCAPA at Bluegrass, and STEAM Academy
- For this school year with the COVID-19 waiver, if you have a child attending the Virtual Learning Academy, you can fill out the Meal Assistance Application.
Families must reapply each school year. The district will notify you when the application has been processed.
Online applications are also available in Spanish, Arabic, French, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin). Look for the language link on the top right of the application screen.
The online application takes only a few minutes and is the fastest, easiest, and most confidential way to get approved. For assistance, email Jessica Morgison.
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Contact us
Jessica Morgison,
Child Nutrition program assistant
and FRAM coordinator
(859) 381-3838Paper forms: Families who cannot apply online may request a paper application by mail; call (859) 381-3838.
Costs waiver: A federal government waiver means all meals are free for all students through 2021-22.
Did you know? The Child Nutrition Department has eliminated costs to families for reduced-price meals since August 2017.
Archive records:
Free-and-reduced monthly reports
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Other benefits:
* Our Meal Assistance Programs’ data is used for eligibility for school fee waivers, magnet school transportation assistance, Family Resource & Youth Services Centers, Title 1 and other school funding programs, Special Education, sports/summer camp scholarships, other meal assisting programs, discounted internet services (EBB program), college pre-exam testing discounts, KEES scholarships and other college financial assistance, and more