National School Lunch Program

Program Information

• What is the National School Lunch Program?
• What are the benefits of participating in the program?
• What type of lunch must be offered?
• What is involved in operating a National School Lunch Program?
• How do we get paid?
• How do we apply to participate?

What is the National School Lunch Program?

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. In addition to financial assistance, the program provides donated commodity foods to help reduce lunch program costs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for overseeing the program nationally. In California, the program is administered by the California Department of Education (CDE), Nutrition Services Division.

What are the benefits of participating in the program?

For children, the National School Lunch Program provides a nutritious meal that contains one-third of the recommended dietary allowance of necessary nutrients. For parents, the program offers a convenient method of providing a nutritionally balanced lunch at the lowest possible price. For schools, the program enhances children's learning abilities by contributing to their physical and mental well being. Studies have shown that children whose nutritional needs are met have fewer attendance and discipline problems and are more attentive in class.

What type of lunch must be offered?

Please see our School Menu Planning Options page for meal pattern information and our Meal Patterns and Menu Planning page for complete information.

What is involved in operating a National School Lunch Program?

The lunch program must be open to all enrolled children. Free or reduced price meals must be provided to those children who qualify for such benefits according to specified family size and income standards. Agency staff must verify income on a percentage of those children receiving free or reduced price lunches to confirm their eligibility. Records must be kept to document that the lunch program follows all federal and state rules and regulations. Some of the records that must be kept are:

• Meal production records and inventory records that document the amounts and types of food used.
• The number of lunches served each day, by site and by category (free, reduced price, and full price).
• Applications submitted by families for free and reduced price meals, by site, and a description of the follow-up actions taken to verify eligibility.
• Records of income, expenditures, and contributions received.

The CDE periodically conducts a comprehensive review of each agency's lunch program. Those agencies that annually receive $500,000 or more in federal funds (from all sources) must also be audited each year.

How do we get paid?

The National School Lunch Program is operated on a reimbursement basis, with agencies paid on the number of meals served. Agencies submit a monthly reimbursement claim through the Child Nutrition Information Payment System (CNIPS). After the Department reviews and approves the claim, it is processed by the State Controller's Office and a check is issued. Agencies typically receive reimbursement within four to six weeks after submitting the reimbursement claim. Visit the fiscal Nutrition Services Web page for claim for reimbursement instructions and calculation worksheets.

Agencies that participate in the program are reimbursed from two sources: the USDA and the State of California. State reimbursement is paid for all free and reduced price meals. Federal reimbursement is paid for all free, reduced price, and paid meals. Visit Rates, Eligibility Scales, and Funding for current rates.