National School Lunch Program

The New York State Education Department (SED) has been approved for State-level waiver authority from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow School Food Authorities the ability to utilize meal operational flexibilities and non-congregate meal service in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), or the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), when an unanticipated school closure occurs due to natural disasters, unscheduled major building repairs, court orders relating to school safety or other issues, labor-management disputes, or similar unanticipat

The New York State Education Department (SED) is committed to supporting Child Nutrition Program operators through ongoing training and technical assistance.

As required by Section 389 of Chapter 57 of the Laws of 1993 and Chapters 614 and 615 of the New York State (NYS) Laws of 1993, certain public schools must implement a School Breakfast Program (SBP) or seek an exemption annually.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is requesting prospective waivers for non-congregate meal service in school year (SY) 2025-26 for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP),  and the NSLP Seamless Summer Option (SSO).

School Food Authorities (SFAs) can now access 2025-26 DCMP data. The system processes direct certification data monthly; therefore, SFAs should access the data more frequently to designate children eligible for free meals and to maximize federal reimbursement.

All public elementary or secondary schools with at least seventy percent or more of its students eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the federal National School Lunch Program are required to offer all students a school breakfast after the instructional day has begun, “Breakfast After the Bell”. The schools meeting 70 percent free and reduced price is determined annually by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) based upon data submitted through the basic educational data system (BEDS) for the prior school year.

This is a reminder about updates to the 

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has received approval to waive the statutory and regulatory requirements at Section 11(a)(1)(F)(x)(I) of the NSLA (42 U.S.C. 1759a) and at 7 CFR 245.9(f)(4)(i) for SY 2025-2026, that require LEAs electing CEP for the subsequent school year to notify their State agency by June 30. This waiver allows NYSED to extend the deadline for School Food Authorities (SFAs) to apply for CEP for the 2025-2026 school year to August 31, 2025.

This extension will ensure SFAs have ample time to assess their CEP status and apply for CEP participation.

This memorandum announces the Provision 2 base year income eligibility guidelines for the 2025-2026 school year and provides each School Food Authority (SFA) with the forms and guidance needed to process applications for free and reduced-price meals.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is implementing an important update to the application process for new Recipient Agency (RA) applications. Effective immediately, new RA applications will only be accepted once per year, aligning with the submission window for new School Food Authority (SFA) applications.