Big Schools Make Big Changes in School Meal Delivery

Los Angeles — For more than 250,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), gone are the days of scrounging for lunch money, bumming a snack from a friend, or going into seventh period with a growling stomach. As of March 1,339 sites in the district now offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to students via the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The second largest school district in the nation, LAUSD serves a high-poverty population: More than one in five residents live below the poverty line, and the area has the largest food insecure population in the country. By expanding CEP in their district, LAUSD is guaranteeing students access to the nutrition they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

You may have heard us talk about CEP before. Most recently, we explored how schools around the country are remaining flexible – dealing with any barriers they may face – to implement CEP and benefit from what administrators are calling a “financial win/win.” We’re excited to report that several large districts across the country – and the hundreds of thousands of students enrolled at those schools – are now experiencing those poverty-fighting, nutrition-promoting benefits. LAUSD joins Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Shelby County (Tenn.) and Houston school districts, who have all implemented CEP, offering two nutritious meals a day at no cost to more than 100,000 students each.

Shelby County School Districts, which include Memphis and the surrounding areas, implemented CEP district-wide at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. Across 220 schools, Shelby County now offers healthy meals at no cost to 117,000 students daily! The district reported that within the first month of implementing CEP, participation increased by 20 percent, and significantly more in some schools because, as they put it, eating at school is now ‘the thing to do.’

Another large school district to have adopted CEP is Fresno Unified School District in California, which adopted CEP in 98 of 105 of its schools, reaching 74,000 students. The district refers to CEP as “the most advanced, streamlined, funding option for school meal programs to date…both in terms of the cost savings in school meal application administration and the potential for higher student participation.” Fresno’s school breakfast participation increased by as much as 52 percent in certain schools, meaning tens of thousands of students are now starting their day off right with a nutritionally balanced meal.

As we continue to commemorate National Nutrition Month throughout March, it’s important to remember that ending child food insecurity is about more than just providing food. It’s about ensuring access to healthy, balanced meals that help our children grow and learn. Through CEP, schools are doing just that, and that is worth celebrating!

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • Fellowes Launches New 3D Modular, Product Configurators

    Contract interiors and architectural solutions provider Fellowes recently announced the launch of new 3D modular and product configurators for several of its product lines, according to a news release. The new products offer SIF file integration and pricing for the Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in connection with 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualization and 3D digital asset management.

  • Spaces4Learning Announces Winners of 2025 Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning has just announced the winners of the 2025 Product Awards! The award program recognizes innovation and excellence in products that enhance learning environments in K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

  • Average Annual Number of Tornadoes per State

    New Tornado Wind Load Design Criteria in IBC Offer Improvements to Life Safety

    For the first time in U.S. building code history, the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) includes tornado wind load design criteria, marking a significant advancement in life-safety provisions.

Digital Edition