Universal Free School Meals Nutritional Development Services (NDS) makes the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program available at no cost to Catholic, Charter, and other private schools throughout the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania. Meals are available at no cost when schools enroll in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP). Congress created this program in the school year 2014-15 to provide equity among children during mealtime. CEP increases access to healthy meals by eliminating the need for an annual household application based on family income. Parents no longer need to worry about packing a lunch because they know balanced meals are offered at no cost every day. Instead of collecting order envelopes several weeks in advance, students have the flexibility to decide each morning whether they will eat school lunch. Without money collection and accounting, breakfast, and lunch managers are free to focus on preparing nutritious meals. CEP increases participation in breakfast and lunch across schools at every socio-economic level by providing equal access to healthy meals to all students. About School Breakfast School Breakfast provides a student with ¼ of their daily calories and key growth nutrients. A typical breakfast consists of a whole grain entrée such as an apple-cinnamon muffin, mini maple pancakes, cereal, or an egg & cheese bagel, a half-pint of low-fat or fat-free milk, and two servings of fruit, such as fresh fruit, applesauce, raisins, or 100% fruit juice. Students will see brand-name products that they would also see at the grocery store. The School Breakfast program is very flexible and can be designed to meet the needs of individual schools based on factors related to morning schedules and routines, the physical layout of the school, enrollment size, and the ages … Continue reading School Meals Program