Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications
During this time of COVID, it is not necessary for you to complete a Free and Reduced meal application. However, NVUSD funding depends on income information from our district families. Please click here to fill out an alternative income form. If your household qualifies, you may receive benefits like discounts on cable and computer equipment or a SAT fee waiver to name a few. Information is always kept confidential.
The National School Lunch Program is a federally funded program that assists schools and other agencies in providing nutritious lunches to children at reasonable prices. Any child at an NVUSD school may purchase a meal. Children from families with lower income may qualify for free or reduced price meals.
A new meal application must be completed every school year by every family and will be accepted beginning July 1.
Online applications are available at Titan. You will need to obtain your child's student ID# to file an online application. You can get this from you school office or call the Food Service office at 253-3541.
Students that qualified as free or reduced last school year will continue to be eligible for free or reduced meals until September 26. If by this date there is not a completed meal application on file, your student will have to pay full price for meals.
NVUSD also benefits from California’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program which is a federally funded meal program that provides free breakfast and lunch for all students in pre-certified schools. For the 2020-2021 school year, seven schools have met state thresholds which means all students in the following schools will receive free meals: Harvest, McPherson, Phillips, Shearer, Silverado, Snow and Valley Oak. Families in these schools do not have to submit the Free & Reduced Meal application.
Kindergartners will pay full price for meals until an application has been received and approved.
All Migrant Ed, Foster and Homeless students are free upon submitting an application. Applications for homeless students can be signed by the principal or a county liaison and submitted.
If your household currently receives CalFresh, CalWORKS, Medi-Cal or FDPIR (TANF), and you have not been notified by mail that you will be receiving free/reduced meal benefits, you may need to submit an application.
Please contact the Food Service Office at 253-3541 for more information.
All students at Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools automatically qualify for free breakfast and lunch daily. Families at these schools do not have to submit the Free & Reduced Meal application.
The following are CEP schools:
Harvest, McPherson, Phillips, Shearer, Silverado, Snow and Valley Oak
California’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program is a federally funded meal program implemented by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to provide free breakfast and lunch for students in pre-certified schools.
Parents/guardians are asked to fill out the Household Income Form that also establishes income eligibility for discounts on the following:
- Internet and WiFi services
- Instrument rentals
- AP and SAT testing fees
- College application fees
- Other additional benefits
The Household Income Form is a confidential document used by NVUSD and is not shared with any external governmental or private organization, which would be a violation of state law. The form can be downloaded here, or please contact your school office for a paper copy.
Other Important Information
The CEP program is linked to a school (per the above list), and not the student or family. Therefore, if a parent or guardian has a student(s) at another school in NVUSD that is not part of the CEP program, but are interested in a free/reduced meal program for their child, they can apply for the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program (FRPM) -- which is a different program than the CEP. If interested in finding out if a family is eligible, parents must fill out a different application to determine eligibility.
The FRPM application becomes available at the beginning of the school year, and many parents are unaware of its importance, whether or not they qualify for free or reduced price meals. FRPM actually affects a variety of areas in addition to school meals, including school funding, instrument rentals, internet access, college application fees and SAT exam fees.
Even if your child doesn't plan to eat school lunches, it is important for all families to fill out the FRPM application to ensure our schools and families receive the available resources.
Free & Reduced Price Meals are available to all qualifying families through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). You can apply online at https://family.titank12.com, or you can get a paper application at your school office.
About the FRPM Benefits
School Funding
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was enacted to “improve the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged.” Title I funds supplement state and local funding for disadvantaged children.
If 40 percent of the student enrollment at a school is determined to be eligible for FRPM, then the school will receive Title I funds to use for schoolwide programs, which benefits ALL students at the school. Many families think they are not eligible for FRPM, when they actually are. More qualifying families means more funds for the schools.
SAT and College Application Fees
Any 11th and 12th-grade student that is eligible to participate in FRPM is eligible for SAT fee waivers. Every income-eligible student who takes the SAT using a test fee waiver can choose four colleges from over 2,000 participating colleges and apply for free.
Musical Instrument Rentals
All NVUSD students that are eligible for FRPM also qualify for reduced or free rent on any band or orchestra instrument from NVUSD’s Music Connection.
Internet Service
Through a partnership with Comcast, the Internet Essentials Program provides internet for less than $10 a month for qualifying families. The program also provides the opportunity to purchase a laptop or desktop computer for $149 and free classes to assist in learning internet basics. For more information, visit www.internetessentials.com.
Do I need to fill out an application for each child?
No, you can fill out one form for multiple children in the same household.
What about CEP (Community Eligibility Program) schools?
CEP schools provide breakfast and lunch at no cost for all students at the school. An application is not needed for these students; however, an application is still needed for siblings who attend a non-CEP school.
Who will know that our family submitted an application?
Our system is confidential. Even if your child qualifies and chooses to eat lunch in the cafeteria, the breakfast and lunch process is the same as a student who is paying full price.
Do I still need to fill out a form if I qualify for other benefits?
No. If you are currently receiving food stamps, CalWORKS, KinGAP or FDPIR benefits and your information has not changed, your child automatically qualifies.
Do I have to list a social security number?
No. If you do not have a social security number or would prefer not to share it on the form, you are not required to list it.
What happens if I don’t reapply each year?
Your benefits will expire, and your child will be served a full meal, but you will be charged the full price.
Students who qualified for FRPM last school year will continue to be eligible for free or reduced meals until late September. If there is not a completed meal application on file by then, your student will have to pay full price for meals.
