Funding & Provision 2

Isn’t Universal Free Breakfast too expensive?
Not when done properly and in the right districts. As a general rule of thumb, if your district has 60% or more of its students receiving free or reduced priced meals, Universal Breakfast can actually increase your program’s revenue.

How can Free Breakfast increase revenue for my meal program?
By serving breakfast free to all students, you will see a tremendous increase in your breakfast program participation rate. The increase in participation will in turn increase your federal funding reimbursement dollars. If you have 60% or more Free and Reduced Students, the increase in reimbursement will more than offset the decrease in revenue from the “paying” students. Also, by implementing a Breakfast in the Bag program, schools often see a reduction in costs associated with labor, food, and clean-up.

What is Provision 2?
Congress has incorporated Provision 2 into Section 11(a)(1) of the National School Lunch Act as an alternative to the normal requirements for annual determinations of eligibility for free and reduced price school meals and daily meal counts by eligibility category at the point of service, making it much easier for schools to implement universal meal programs.

Will implementing a Universal Free Breakfast Program create more paperwork for me?
No. In fact you will most likely have less paperwork. By implementing Provision 2 you and the parents of your students will see a dramatic decrease in paperwork. You will only need to collect income eligibility applications during your “base year”. During the following three years all you need to collect on a daily basis is your total meal count without having to obtain separate counts for free, reduced, and paid meals.

Where do I learn more about Provision 2 and if it is a good option for my district?
To implement Provision 2 in your district, you must have approval from your administering state agency. This is a good place to start for more information.

Sources: Got Breakfast.org, Minnesota Department of Education, Food and Nutrition Services.