Free and Reduced-Priced School Meals: Income Eligibility Guidelines for 2018-2019

Free and reduced-priced meals are made available to children of qualifying families through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

What are the income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced meals?

Federal Eligibility Income Chart for the 2018-2019 School Year

Click to View Frequently Asked Questions

Who qualifies for free or reduced meals?

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)[/li] [li]Foster children under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Children participating in their school’s Head Start program[/li] [li]Homeless, migrant or runaway children [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Households that meet the income eligibility guidelines listed above[/li] [li]Children in households participating in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may be eligible, too. [/li][/ul]

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Contact Child Nutrition Services for information on applying.

The District charges the following for meals:

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Breakfast: Offered at no cost to all students[/li] [li]Lunch: $1.75 for elementary levels and $2.00 for secondary levels [/li][/ul]

Here are a few other things to keep in mind

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]If your child’s application for free or reduced meals was approved last year, you still must reapply for the new school year. Your child’s 2017-2018 application is only good through October 1, 2018. [/li] [li]You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to qualify for free or reduced price meals. [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]For military families, basic pay, cash bonuses and any cash value allowances (off-base housing, food, clothing) must be reported as income. However, both combat pay from deployment and housing allowances for the Military Housing Privatization Initiative are exempt from being reported as income.[/li][/ul]

Apply Online/Solicite en línea

How to Apply

To apply for free and reduced-price meals, households must fill out the application and return it to the school. Starting August 20, 2018, AISD will begin distributing applications to the households of the children in the District about eligibility benefits and any actions households need to take to apply for these benefits. Applications are also available at the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Center at 1802 Aldine Bender Rd., Houston, and TX. 77032.

Families can also apply online (click here/haga clic para solicitar en línea). This process makes it easy and convenient to apply for meal benefits for your child/children. Simply enter the requested information as accurately as possible, and all data will be instantly and securely sent to CNS for processing.

Applications may be submitted anytime during the school year.

The information households provide on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and verification of data. Eligibility is based on federally established income and household guidelines. School officials may verify applications at any time during the year.

Families can download the app for iPhone (click here/haga clic para descargar app) and for Android phones (click here/haga clic para descargar app). 

How long does the application process take?

Until applications are processed, parents will need to give their children money to purchase lunch. Parents should allow 10 working days for eligibility determination after receipt of a completed paper application by Child Nutrition Services.

If you have any questions, please call (281) 985-6441 or visit www.SchoolCafe.com (click here/haga clic si tiene preguntas).

Aldine ISD’s Award-Winning Child Nutrition Services Department

School meals meet the Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Americans and all national standards of the United States Department of Agriculture in addition to any adopted nutritional requirements of the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Awards & Recognition

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Each year for 25 years, AISD’s Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Department (click here/haga clic) has received the Texas Association for School Nutrition Standards of Excellence Accreditation for maintaining and continuing high standards.[/li] [li]The District’s CNS Department was nominated for the Silver Plate Award from the National Restaurant Association for implementation of unique and successful menu marketing and nutrition education in schools. The department also earned recognition for development and use of the Child Nutrition Center for staff, students and the community. [/li][/ul]