National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

Who is Eligible for NSLP?

• NSLP is a federally assisted meal program operating in public, public charter, and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
• Residents:
  • Students enrolled in participating schools and residential child care institutions (RCCIs).
• Organizations:
  • DCPS, public charter schools, private schools, and RCCIs.

How to Apply

• Residents:
  • Students attending a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school do not have to apply. Meals served at CEP schools are provided at no-cost to students.
  • Students attending a school that offers free, reduced-price, and paid meals will need to complete a Free And Reduced-price Meal (FARM) application. This form is confidential. Families can see if their student will receive free or reduced-priced meals using the USDA annual Income Eligibility Guidelines.
• Organizations should check out the Federal Nutrition Programs Toolkit to learn about the application process.

Get in Touch with Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)

• Email: OSSE.NutritionProgram@dc.gov (please specify School Nutrition Programs in the subject line)
• Website: osse.dc.gov/service/nutrition-services
• Phone: (202) 727-6436 Families: please contact the schools directly first before using general phone line

Other Resources

• D.C. Hunger Solutions, DC Department of Health, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, DC Public Schools, DC Department Human Services and DC Department of Aging and Community Living have come together to create a District of Columbia Federal Nutrition Programs Toolkit with a roadmap on how to navigate Federal Nutrition Programs in the District.
• Want to know how the District ranks in school lunch participation? Check the new D.C. School Meals Report to find out how many low-income students in the nation’s capital participated in school lunch in the 2018-2019 school year, and how many Local Education Agencies (LEAs, or school districts), met our goal of reaching 60 percent of low-income children with school lunch.
• National School Lunch Week, founded in 1962 by President Kennedy, is an official celebration of the National School Lunch Program. The week offers school staff, faculty, students, and families the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of healthy school lunch, the D.C. Healthy Schools Act, and the benefits that they offer to students in D.C.’s traditional and charter public schools.