CRESWELL — For some students, breakfast and lunch at school are the only meals they have during the week. This year, Creswell School District (CSD) will be providing these meals to students at no cost to increase accessibility to nutritious food.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program was established in 2010 as a Federal reimbursement program. This reimbursement allows schools with an Identified Student Percentage (ISP) of 25% or higher to provide lunch and breakfast at no cost to students, and without any paperwork for families.
“Identified students” include SNAP recipients, TANF recipients, Head Start or Early Head Start participants, and more. Local educational agencies are able to apply for the program by submitting an application, enrollment, and student ID numbers, according to Chanel Green, CSD business manager.
This information is used to calculate the ISP, which determines how much the schools will be reimbursed federally for providing free breakfasts and lunches.
In some cases, the Federal reimbursement is not enough to make it a financially viable option, so in 2019 Oregon established a CEP Incentive (CEPI). The CEPI pays the difference so schools only have to cover 10% of the cost.
The Springfield Public Schools District (SPSD) began using the CEP program during the 2021-2022 school year, followed by the South Lane School District during the 2022-2023 school year. SPSD reported a 5% increase of participation in the lunch program and a 9% increase of participation in the breakfast program since April of 2023, meaning that more kids are getting the nutrition they need at school due to the CEP program.
CSD applied for the 2022-2023 school year, but only the elementary school was eligible for both the Federal and state program at that time, Green said.
The kids who had access to free food used it. Green said that a higher percentage of K-5 students participate in school meals than 6-12 students.
Last spring, the District reapplied and this time CSD as a whole had an ISP of 43%, making all three schools eligible, according to Green. The Pleasant Hill School District will also be taking part in the program this year, meaning that between the two districts, roughly 2,090 kids will be fed two meals a day at no cost to their families.
The goal in utilizing these programs is helping students focus on academics and easing the stress of “where am I getting my next meal?” Green said. “Food insecurity is big, especially for our families in poverty, and not having that as a worry for all the days that we’re in session for school, that’s one less burden we can take from families and one less insecurity that kids have to face.”
