FRAC Chat

The Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) recent report, Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Schools, highlights Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) adoption in the 2024– 2025 school year and showcases the significant growth in CEP utilization by schools and school districts around the country since becoming available nationwide over a decade ago. CEP allows high-poverty schools to offer all students breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of household income, thus reducing stigma in the cafeteria and increasing participation in school meal programs. CEP supports students and their families, by stretching household food budgets, combatting childhood food insecurity, and supporting student health and learning. Furthermore, CEP streamlines the administration of school meal programs, reducing administrative burdens on school nutrition departments, and freeing staff time so school nutrition professionals can focus on their mission: serving students delicious and nutritious school meals.

Millions of households with low income must make difficult decisions every day when juggling the cost of many essential expenses — housing, food, utilities, child care, transportation to work, health care, and more. While costs continue to rise, income remains limited. Nearly half of households renting are cost-burdened (spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent). Households with low incomes spend about 18 percent of their income on energy, over three times the national average.

Senate Republicans have introduced a reconciliation bill that echoes the House’s approach to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), proposing sweeping and deeply concerning cuts. While not identical, the Senate proposal poses a similarly serious threat to food assistance for millions of Americans.