Starting November 1st, all students within the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District were eligible to receive a free breakfast and lunch during the school day.
This is being able to be done thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) designation that the District received from the New York State Education Department’s Child Nutrition Program. The CEP is a funding option that allows eligible schools to provide free meals to all students, regardless of their income or household size. The CEP aims to reduce administrative burden, increase participation, and improve nutrition for students.
What this means for students is that all students regardless of their income or household size are allowed to take one “complete” breakfast and lunch each day. A “complete” breakfast consists of four components: whole grains, protein, fruit, and milk. Similarly, a “complete” lunch consists of five components: whole grains, protein, vegetable, fruit, and milk. Students must choose at least three components, with one of them being a vegetable or fruit.
Students must choose at least three components, with one of them being a fruit. If these conditions are not met, the meal will be considered incomplete and will be charged at à la carte prices. Additionally, a lá carte items such as milk, cookies, second breakfast or second lunch have not changed and will still need to be paid for.
The free breakfasts and free lunches are not retroactive meaning students who have a negative debt prior to November 1, 2023, will remain on the student’s account until payment is received.
“We invite students to show their support for their school food service program through participation. Our goal is to ensure that we serve well-balanced, healthy meals and that our students enjoy what they eat,” said Lynn Prestia, new director of food services.
This major change allows more students to get access to free and nutritious meals while at school. For any additional information on the changes, check the Free Meals FAQ or contact the Food Services Office at (845) 460-6200, ext. 6249 or email [email protected].
