NCS Child Nutrition participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs sponsored by the USDA. Breakfast and lunch are available at no cost to qualifying students. 

DIRECT CERTIFICATION (DC)

Students may be directly certified (DC) when they receive certain federal benefits, including:

• SNAP (formerly Food Stamps)
• K-TAP (Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program) 

If your student has been identified as DC, you will receive a letter from NCS letting you know that the state has automatically approved your child for benefits.

If your child is not DC, please look below for details on the different assistance programs.

NON CEP SCHOOLS:

For students attending Bloomfield Middle School, Cox’s Creek Elementary School, Nelson County High School and Thomas Nelson High School, a free and reduced income application must be submitted to determine a student’s eligibility for free or reduced priced meals. 

• For your convenience, these applications are available online! Completing an application online is easier, more secure and produces faster results. 

  • CLICK HERE to submit a 2019-2020 Free and Reduced Lunch Application

  • CLICK HERE for FAQs about MySchool Apps.  

• A new application must be submitted every year

• If your student attended a CEP school and now attends a non-CEP school, they have a 30 day grace period before they are automatically transferred to paid status. Avoid this by completing a Free and Reduced Application before the grace period ends. 

COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION (CEP) SCHOOLS:

Bloomfield Elementary School, Boston School, Foster Heights Elementary School, Nelson County Early Learning Center (Pre-K enrolled students), New Haven School, Old Kentucky Home Middle School, and The Academy, will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2019-2020 school year. Students enrolled at any of these schools will receive free breakfast and lunch! 

CLICK HERE to submit a 2019-2020 Educational Benefits Form

2019-2020 CEP Media Release

2019-2020 Free and Reduced Price Meals Media Release

• What is CEP?

  • Community Eligibility Provision gives school officials the option to provide free breakfast and lunch for every student in schools where at least 40 percent are directly certified students (they qualify for federal assistance). CEP is directed toward schools with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. 

• How are CEP schools selected?

  • Schools are chosen based on the percentage of directly certified (DC) students.

• What is a DC student?

  • Students may be directly certified when they receive certain federal benefits, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP). Students whom NCS identifies as homeless, Head Start, migrant, or runaways are also considered DC. Some foster children and some students receiving Medicaid might also be DC.  

• Is the CEP program just for students? What about staff, visiting family, etc.? 

  • Yes, only enrolled students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. Staff and family members visiting their students during breakfast and lunch must continue to pay for meals. 

• Are a la carte items also free?

  • Only one reimbursable school breakfast and lunch per student is free. Extra items and a la carte snacks will be sold at the published price and student must have funds to pay. Charging for these items are not allowed. 

• What is an Educational Benefits Form (EBF)?

  • Households whose students attend only a CEP school and are not directly certified for free meal benefits will complete an EBF. This form is used to determine eligibility for other educational benefits generally available to free or reduced students. Funding and benefit examples include SEEK, Title 1, Fee waivers, Family Resource & Youth Service Centers, KEES Scholarships, Special Education, E-Rate, magnet school transportation assistance, and much more. 

• Nondiscrimination Policy