Beginning in the 2014-15 School Year, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) will be offered an alternative to collecting Household Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications. This alternative is known as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and was enacted with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 §104(a).  Qualifying LEAs may participate in CEP with one, several, or all schools in the LEA. CEP is a beneficial and streamlined option for eligible LEAs and schools that wish to offer free meals to all children in high poverty schools and eliminate the paperwork and frustration that can go along with collecting individual household applications.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Food and Nutrition (DFN), will be presenting three CEP informational webinars, which we highly encourage you to participate. The webinars will provide guidance on determining which LEAs and schools qualify for the CEP, timelines for submitting information and applications, and benefits, barriers, and lessons learned from other states who are already participating in the CEP. To participate, simply use the call-in numbers and codes below to sign-in to any session (registration is not required):

• Thursday, 2/20/14 – 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. – Conference dial-in:  Toll Free:  1-855-750-1027,

Toll:  1-717-612-4733, Conference PIN:  476784, Web Conference URL: https://openscapewebconf2.pa.gov/client/fastclient_i_r606283EA.exe

• Tuesday, 2/25/14 – 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. – Conference dial-in:  Toll Free:  1-855-750-1027,

Toll:  1-717-612-4733, Conference PIN:  117672, Web Conference URL:  https://openscapewebconf2.pa.gov/client/fastclient_i_r717901EA.exe

• Wednesday, 2/26/14 – 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. – Conference dial-in:  Toll Free:  1-855-750-1027,

Toll:  1-717-612-4733, Conference PIN:  758471, Web Conference URL:  https://openscapewebconf2.pa.gov/client/fastclient_i_r829718F4.exe