The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal meal service option for schools and districts that meet specific income levels.  If a school or district meets the qualifications, then free breakfast and lunch are provided to all students in that specific school.

To be eligible for CEP, a district, group of schools or a specific school must ensure that at least 40% of enrolled students are directly certified by the state for free school meals.

For the 2022-2023 school year, Yelm Extension School, Fort Stevens, McKenna, Mill Pond and Prairie Elementary are qualifying schools and all students will receive free school meals.

Families with children in all other Yelm Community Schools will continue to apply for Free Meals through the federal application process or through direct certification from the state. Since this process was suspended due to COVID, it is important that all families review the qualifying income levels and complete the application forms on our website if they meet the criteria. 

Families who qualified in the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 school years will receive free meals until October 18. The application must be approved by that date for free meals to continue. 

The application is available on our website. Please turn all forms into your school including the Consent to Share form. If you need assistance, please contact your school or the Food Service Department at 360.400.1151.  

While schools that currently qualify are approved for four years, families will complete an annual income survey during conferences.

For schools which don’t yet qualify, it is important that families complete the federal free meal application at the beginning of each year and opt in to the other benefits to reduce barriers for students provided by HB 1660. The district will continue to monitor direct certification, McKinney-Vento, Foster Child and Migrant status and apply by April 1 of each year if 40% enrollment is verified. 

The district will notify all families each spring which schools qualify for CEP and will receive free meals for that school year.