Bloomfield Elementary School, Boston School, Foster Heights Elementary School, The Academy, Nelson County Early Learning Center (Pre-K enrolled students), and Old Kentucky Home Middle School 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! 

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