ERIC Number: ED557894
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jan
Pages: 73
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Community Eligibility Provision Evaluation: Year 3 Addendum. Nutrition Assistance Program Report
Harkness, Joseph; Logan, Christopher W.; Shivji, Azim; Nisar, Hiren; Connor, Patty
US Department of Agriculture
Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 made the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) available to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and schools in high poverty areas. Under the CEP, families are not required to submit applications for free or reduced-price meals, and schools must provide free lunch and breakfast to all students. Schools are reimbursed for meals using a formula based on the percentage of students identified as eligible without an application (the identified student percentage, or ISP), using direct certification, and other lists of eligible students. LEAs must cover all costs of these meals in excess of Federal reimbursement with non-Federal funds. The potential benefits are to increase low-income students' access to nutritious meals, and to reduce the administrative burden of LEAs' experience with the school meals programs. The phase-in of the CEP has followed a schedule specified by the HHFKA. The CEP will be available nationwide to all eligible LEAs and schools in school year 2014-15. As mandated by the HHFKA, the CEP Evaluation examined the implementation and impacts of the new framework for providing free meals to all students in high-poverty schools. The overall purpose of the evaluation was to obtain a better understanding of: (1) The acceptability of the Community Eligibility Provision to LEAs; (2) The incentives and barriers for LEAs adopting the provision; (3) Operational issues that State agencies encounter in administrating this provision; and (4) Implications and impacts of opting for this provision. This addendum contains descriptive findings on CEP eligibility and participation for all 11 States where the program has been phased in to date, and updates several of the descriptive results published in the final report. The study design included an implementation study and an impact study in the first seven CEP States. For the implementation study, the evaluation team collected State administrative data on the characteristics of all LEAs and schools. Four factors were significantly associated with CEP participation by LEAs: ISP; enrollment; State; and charter status. The findings address two research objectives posed in the Congressional mandate for the Implementation Study: (1) Estimate the number of eligible LEAs and schools that have not chosen to participate in the CEP; and (2) Describe the LEAs and schools participating in the CEP. The following is appended: LEA and School Characteristics by State.
Descriptors: Nutrition, Food, Federal Programs, Eligibility, Barriers, Low Income, Lunch Programs, Breakfast Programs, School Districts, Federal Legislation, Federal Aid, Incentives, Program Administration, Public Schools, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education
US Department of Agriculture. 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250. Web site: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: US Department of Agriculture; Food and Nutrition Service (USDA); Abt Associates, Inc.
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Elementary and Secondary Education Act; National School Lunch Act 1946
Grant or Contract Numbers: AG-3198-D-11-0074