Ottumwa Community School District is excited to announce the district food and nutrition program will provide free meals to every enrolled student at every school building during the 2022-23 school year. Ottumwa Schools can offer free meals by expanding its participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP will help provide free breakfast and lunch to over 5000 students at all grade levels.
CEP allows schools and districts that predominantly serve low-income children to offer free, nutritious school meals to students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Participation is automatic; families are not required to fill out any meal applications. Ottumwa Schools began offering CEP free meals to students at five elementary schools several years ago when the program started. During the 2022-23 school year, students in all Ottumwa Schools and programs will have access to a free, nutritious breakfast and lunch every school day.
"This is a dream that has become a reality," said Food and Nutrition Director Yvonne Johnson, "We have added all our district schools to the CEP program this year. This is the first time we will be able to provide breakfast and lunch to every Ottumwa student in all buildings across the district at no cost to their families, with no hoops to jump through. We knew the federal assistance from pandemic relief would end at some point, so we were happy to position ourselves to continue feeding students at no cost moving forward. This is a fantastic win for all Ottumwa families."
The change could not come at a better time as congressional COVID assistance for school meals through the American Rescue Plan runs out, and inflation has raised the cost of food for everyone. While the district is paying more for food, utilizing the CEP program has reduced administrative costs associated with processing applications for free and reduced-price meals. It also increases efficiency in the lunchroom, continuing our goal to allow students more time to eat.
"This is not a time to raise school meal prices," Johnson said. "We must ensure every student has access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch every school day. It is vital to their ability to learn and succeed in school and in the community. This is about providing the essentials for every child and supporting every Ottumwa family. We know the importance of healthy meals every day from PK through 12th grade."
Ottumwa schools began offering free breakfast and lunch to every student at every building starting on the first day of school, August 23, 2022.
Learn more about the CEP program here.