School Breakfast Program

Food Stamps * Women Infants Children * School Meals * Summer Food Service

School Breakfast Program – USDA FNS

Agency: Department of Agriculture
Office: Food and Nutrition Service

The School Breakfast Program helps school children by providing nutritious breakfast service through cash grants. In addition, the School Breakfast Expansion provides grants, on a competitive basis, to State educational agencies enabling them to distribute the cash grants to local educational agencies for qualifying schools to establish, maintain, or expand the school breakfast program.

Grants are used to reimburse participating public and nonprofit private schools, residential child care institutions for breakfasts served to eligible children. The served breakfasts must meet the nutritional requirements prescribed by the USDA Secretary.

Who are the Beneficiaries?

All children regardless of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability enrolled in public or nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions where the School Breakfast is operational may participate in the program.

Breakfast is served free to children who are determined by local educational agencies to have household income levels at or below 130 percent, and at a reduced price to children from households with incomes higher than 130 % but at or below 185 % of the federal poverty line, respectively. Meals served to non-needy children also get cash assistance.

Children from households certified to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and some children in Head Start Programs are automatically eligible for free meals.

Homeless children, children in certain runaway and homeless youth grant programs, migrant children, and foster children are automatically eligible for free meals.

How to Apply?

You can apply for School Breakfast Program at your child’s school, camp, or child care institution if they participate in the program.

Find more information from the agency administering Child Nutrition Programs in your State.