CEP Financial Considerations for School Business Officials

Want to talk money and CEP with your school business official? Use this as a guide.

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a meal service option that enables high need schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost to them. CEP reduces administrative costs by eliminating school meals applications, instead relying on the percentage of students directly certified for free school meals and a multiplier to establish the federal reimbursement rate. Because of this reimbursement structure, CEP can generate revenue for school meals programs. Below are a set of financial considerations that can help guide your decision-making in adopting or expanding CEP.