Meals for Washington Students
IMPORTANT!
Changes to the Meal Application, Family Income Survey (FIS), and supporting materials are coming for school year 2024-25.
Resources are being updated to reflect the changes and will be made available soon!
Stay tuned to CNS Updates and School Meal Monthly Webinars for more information.
Contact Information
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)/School Breakfast Program (SBP)
360-725-6200TTY: 360-664-3631
Staff Contacts
House Bill 1238 (HB 1238) requires Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to provide meals at no cost to students enrolled at elementary schools where 30% or more of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. This requirement is based on the preceding year’s October Building Data.
Refer to the Comparison of Meal Service Options chart and the State Funding Flow Chart to determine how HB 1238 differs from other meal service options implemented under NSLP.
Schools Operating HB 1238 in School Year 2023–24
Eligible Schools
- Getting Started with HB 1238
- Free & Reduced-Price Meal Application Information
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HB 1238 requires Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to collect free and reduced-price meal applications and claim meals by eligibility category (free, reduced-price, and paid). Under the bill, the state will provide supplemental funding for the difference between the paid and free meal reimbursement so all meals are reimbursed at the federal free rate.
- Eligibility Manual for School Meals (USDA)
- Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application Instructions (Coming Soon)
- Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application Timeline (Coming Soon)
- Free and Reduced-Price Applications - Processing and Approving
- Free and Reduced-Price Applications - Parts
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Reference Sheet
- Accessing Free and Reduced Price Meals for Students Experiencing Homelessness and Foster Students
- Application Materials
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These materials are templates for school district use. PARENTS- please visit the Washington School Meals Application Finder or your school district's website for application materials.
2024-25 Materials
- 2024-25 Income Guidelines - Effective July 1, 2024
- Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefits Application Template | Additional Translations Coming Soon!
- Letter to Households Template (required to be distributed annually)
- Non-Pricing/Provision Letter to Households Template | Additional Translations Coming Soon!
2023-24 Materials
- 2023-24 Income Guidelines - Effective July 1, 2023
- Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals Template for Public Schools | PDF Version | Spanish
- Letter to Households Template (required to be distributed annually)
- Non-Pricing Letter to Households Template | Translations Coming Soon
- Notice of Eligibility Template for Public Schools - English | Spanish
- Notice of Eligibility - Direct Certification Template | Spanish
- Notice of Eligibility - Direct Certification Medicaid Template - English | Spanish
- Notice of Approval/Denial of Benefits for Public Schools Template | Spanish (Coming Soon)
- Consent to Share Eligibility Template - English | Spanish
- Translated School Meal Applications
- USDA Application Materials
- It's More Than a Meal Application Toolkit
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This toolkit is designed to help districts promote the importance of families filling out the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application each year. The information collected on these forms can help schools receive funding for important programs.
Flyers & Templates
- Email and Robocall Option - English | Arabic | Chinese (simplified) | Khmer | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
- It's More Than a Meal Application Flyer (color and black & white) - English | Arabic | Chinese (simplified) | Khmer | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
Social Media
- Social Media Post Ideas - English | Arabic | Chinese (simplified) | Khmer | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
- It's More Than a Meal Application Social Media Graphics
- Graphic 1: It's More Than a Meal Application - English | Arabic | Chinese (simplified) | Khmer | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
- Graphic 2: Reduced Fees - English | Arabic | Chinese (simplified) | Khmer | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
- This toolkit is modified from the LA Unified School District's More Than a Meal Toolkit.
- Annual Verification Requirements
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Verifying free and reduced-price meal applications remains an annual requirement for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) operating under HB 1238. The materials below have been updated to reflect the legislation. Additional information on verification requirements can be found on the Meal Application & Verification webpage.
