Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

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CEP Application

LEAs are eligible to participate in the CEP if the Identified Student Percentage (ISP) for the entire district, groups of schools, or an individual school meets or exceeds 25 percent. Per federal regulations, SFAs are required to determine their ISP with data for each school that operates the NSLP or SBP from April 1, 2024. A summary of the CEP application process is below. For detailed guidance, review CSDE Operational Memorandum No. 10-24: Annual Application Process for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)


Eligibility  |   Deadline  |   Required Documentation

 

Eligibility

Eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) that meet at least one of the following criteria must formally apply to participate in the CEP for school year 2024-25:

  • LEAs/schools electing CEP participation for the first time;
  • LEAs/schools in the mid-cycle of CEP participation that are requesting changes to their currently approved ISP;
  • LEAs/schools currently in year four of their CEP cycle with an ISP greater than or equal to 40 percent, and would like to start a new four-year cycle;
  • LEAs/schools currently in the fourth year of CEP participation with a new calculated ISP greater than or equal to 15 percent, but less than 25 percent (eligible for one “grace” year based on the ISP as of April 1, 2024, in year 4 of the current four-year cycle). Note: LEAs and schools that reach the required 25 percent threshold as of April 1 of the grace year are eligible to begin a new four-year cycle in the following school year. LEAs and schools that do not meet the threshold as of April 1 of the grace year must return to standard counting and claiming or elect another special provision option, and must collect school meal applications, in the following school year.

LEAs that meet at least one of these criteria should contact their school nutrition team member to discuss the CEP application process for school year 2024-25.


Deadline

The school year 2024-25 application deadline for formal application for CEP participation (new or recalculating LEAs and schools) is June 30, 2024. Eligible LEAs interested in CEP participation must follow the CSDE’s guidelines (Operational Memorandum No. 10-24) to formally apply for the CEP and must submit all documentation to support ISP calculations from April 1, 2024. The CSDE will validate this data before finalizing and accepting any ISPs for claiming purposes for school year 2024-25.


Required Documentation

The CEP application requires uploading the three required documents to the Connecticut Online Application and Claiming System for Child Nutrition Programs (CNP System). Note: Do not upload any application documents to the CNP System before contacting your school nutrition team member for guidance.

The three data elements include:

  1. CEP Participation Worksheet for 2024-25 (CSDE)
  2. Master student enrollment file: This is the total enrollment from the LEA’s master enrollment file, which is the Excel document provided by the LEA’s central office Local Information System. Do not enter data from the food service point-of-sale data system. The file must include the following:
    • date;
    • school name;
    • school facility code (assigned by the state Public School Information System (PSIS));
    • student last name;
    • student first name;
    • student date of birth;
    • student grade; and
    • state assigned student identifier (SASID) number for students in public schools.

    The CSDE cannot accept any other primary source data for enrollment when the LEA submits the CEP application documents to the CSDE. For detailed guidance on the master student enrollment file, see “Required Procedure for Developing the LEA’s Master Enrollment File” in CSDE Operational Memorandum No. 10-24, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Annual Notification Requirement for all Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) Participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or the School Breakfast Program (SBP).

  3. CEP Student Identification List: Access the CSDE's Student Identification List Worksheet through the CSDE's Instructions for Completing the CEP Student Identification List Worksheet

Upon approval of these documents, the CSDE will generate and distribute the LEA's CEP ED-099 Addendum.


CEP Overview and Guidance