Fueling Futures: CEP Program Boosts GIPS Student Meals by Almost 80,000
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GRAND ISLAND (Neb.) — More students enjoyed school meals at Grand Island Public Schools (GIPS) than in recent memory — and at no charge.
After becoming one of the largest Nebraska school districts to be designated for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 24-25 school year, GIPS saw more students eating school breakfasts and lunches across the district. The highlights were shared by Oscar Garcia, GIPS Nutrition Services Director, at this evening’s regular Board of Education Meeting.
“We are thrilled to report a tangible and significant improvement in student engagement with our school meal program.” Garcia shared, “The numbers speak for themselves: on average, we're serving an additional 270 lunches and 222 breakfasts daily, totaling an impressive 492 more nourishing meals reaching our students each school day. This increased participation is a clear indicator that our efforts to provide accessible, high-quality meals are resonating, contributing directly to the well-being and academic success of our students.”
Just before the start of the previous school year, in collaboration with No Kid Hungry and the Nebraska Department of Education, GIPS discovered the district would qualify for CEP meals at no cost. Opting to be a CEP district, rather than at designated schools, helped dismantle the stigma associated with food access for students, and, ultimately, contributed to better student wellness and learning throughout the district.
The 2024-25 school year saw a clear positive impact of CEP being available district wide:
-43,497 more total lunches served averaging 6,878 a day; a four percent increase.
-36,275 more total breakfasts served averaging 2,976 a day; an eight percent increase.
-A grand total of 1,604,741 meals served to students at no cost — an increase of nearly 80,000 from the year prior.
What is CEP?
CEP, per the NDE website, provides an alternative approach for offering school meals to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in low income areas, instead of collecting individual applications for free and reduced price meals.
The CEP allows schools that predominantly serve low-income children to offer free, nutritious school meals to all students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The CEP uses information from other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance Program for Needy Families (TANF) instead of traditional paper applications to generate a qualifying formula on which schools or whole districts meet the requirements to offer CEP.
GIPS meets the qualifying formula.
Why does this matter?
It’s simple. Students will be better fit to be enthusiastic, confident learners if they don’t have to worry about their basic needs being met. Especially meals.
“The benefits of GIPS participating in districtwide CEP outweigh any downsides almost 3:1.” Dr. Summer Stephens, GIPS Associate Superintendent, said. “When all children have access to these meals, participation increases, ensuring that more and more kids are positioned to thrive in school every day.”
What’s next for school meals?
GIPS plans to be fully CEP in all district schools again for the 2025-26 school year.
After reviewing the notable impact of CEP support and continuing to qualify for the district wide provision, the district believes greater awareness of the program has been established with families. And, it certainly has never been easier for students and families to enjoy the benefits of school provided meals.
In serving approximately 10,000 students across 18 schools, GIPS looks forward to serving even more meals at no cost in the upcoming year as the focus on food security continues.
“Equally important as expanding access, we’re continuing to focus on ensuring the long-term sustainability of our school meal program.” Garcia said, “While operating in the arena of CEP, our goal is to maximize every resource while still providing the quality and variety of nutritious meals our students enjoy. We’ll continue ensuring our operations are as streamlined and cost-effective as possible, allowing us to continue providing excellent service for years to come.”