Food and Nutrition Programs

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Technical Assistance Sessions for School Districts Newly Eligible for CEP

To:	National School Lunch Program Directors
From:	Robert M. Leshin, Director Office for Food and Nutrition Programs
Date:	February 23, 2017

Join the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs, as we provide technical assistance opportunities for districts interested in applying to participate or renewing their participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). School Nutrition Directors that have attended previous CEP trainings and would like additional assistance can participate in both or either of these opportunities in March.

In person hands on Technical Assistance Sessions with ESE staff focused on helping districts build the master roster needed to apply for CEP as well as providing tips for vetting partial match results from direct certification.
Online webinar: Completing the April Report to Apply, Renew, or Waive CEP will provide step by step instructions on completing the CEP April report, and outline the process to apply, renew, or waive CEP in the ESE security portal.

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), amended section 11(a) (1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42.U.S.C.1759a (a) (1)) requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide an alternative to household eligibility applications for free and reduced price meal eligibility in high poverty Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). This initiative is referred to as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and is available to all LEAs that have eligible sites. CEP can be implemented in individual schools, a group of schools, or as a school district, depending on sites' eligibility status. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is an option that can help schools achieve their educational goals by ensuring that children in low-income communities have access to healthy meals at school so they are ready to learn. In this program, schools agree to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students. Designed to ease the burden of administering a high volume of applications for free and reduced price meals, CEP is a powerful tool to both increase universal access to child nutrition programs and reduce paperwork at the district, school, and household levels. Technical Assistance Sessions are scheduled on the following dates and location.
Please choose a date and a time slot.

Date/ Time	Location
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 Session One: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon Session Two: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA
Monday, March 20, 2017 Session One: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon Session Two: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 Session One: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon Session Two: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA

Important Registration Information The Technical Assistance Session will be held in the ESE computer lab. Participants need to bring electronic copies of their:

Current school district eligibility roster (on a flash drive)
Current school district enrollment roster (on a flash drive)
Current CEP Master Roster for the schools applying for CEP (on a flash drive)
Virtual Gateway login and password

Space is limited please register as soon as possible. Directions for the location can be found on the registration link. Registration needs to be completed by using the following link: Conference Registration: Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Technical Assistance Sessions.

Completing the April Report to Apply, Renew, or Waive CEP Webinar is scheduled on the following date.

Date/ Time	Location
Monday, March 27, 2017 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Online

Important Registration Information The webinar will be held online. Log on instructions for the webinar will be sent to registrants the week before the webinar. Space is limited please register as soon as possible. Registration needs to be completed by using the following link: Conference Registration: Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) 2017 Application School Groupings Webinar. Please contact Kerry Callahan, at 781-338-6462 or via email at kerryc@doe.mass.edu if you have any questions related to the training(s). For question regarding registration please contact Marisol Montes at 781-338-6494 or via email at mmontes@doe.mass.edu.

Snow Policy

If school is cancelled in the city/town where the meeting is being held, then the meeting is cancelled and will be rescheduled.

Additional Information

Temperature conditions are beyond our control. Please come prepared with a light sweater or jacket if necessary. We look forward to seeing you at this important training session, as the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs strives to enhance the efficiency and quality of Child Nutrition Programs across the Commonwealth.

Last Updated: February 23, 2017