The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has announced that updated federal income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price school meals and free milk for the 2020-21 school year have been released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The new guidelines took effect July 1, 2020.

Schools, and other institutions and facilities, use these guidelines to determine eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program for Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program.

“Food insecurity affects families across the commonwealth, and it is an issue that the department, in collaboration with other state agencies and outside partners, has worked hard to address,” said Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. “Programs like free and reduced-price meals are vital to providing at-risk students with critical nourishment, which helps them improve their overall health and well-being, and stay focused and perform better in school.”

Rivera noted that the breadth of food insecurity was evident and a major concern during the state-mandated school closure due to COVID-19 from March through June, but that communities around the state mobilized to continue to provide meals. As a result, more than 24 million meals were served during the school closure.

To apply, households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) need only include the SNAP or TANF case number on their application. Households enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals and should complete a Household Meal Benefit Application. Other households can find more information on the state’s COMPASS websiteOpens In A New Window.

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