Table Of ContentsSection 1: Program OverviewProgram ObjectiveWhy is this Important?Governance of the ProgramProgram Guidance - National & StateLocal OversightDetermining BenefitsCompleting the ApplicationDirect Certification

Section 2: Creating a Marketing CampaignMarketing the ProgramPromoting Your ProgramActivities Suggestions

Section 3: Tools & ResourcesCommunication BrochureParent LetterOpportunities and Time LinesBest Demonstrated Ideas

Program Objective

The Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program insures that all children at schools participating in the National School Lunch Program, the National School Breakfast Program or the School Milk Program receive healthy meals regardless of their ability to pay.

Federal funds are available to pay for student meals when families have incomes at or below the income eligibility guidelines that are issued each year. Students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Income eligibility guidelines can be found at:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/notices/iegs/IEGs.htm

Why is this Important?

There are many reasons why a free and reduced application should be completed. There may be additional reasons in your specific district for implementing a campaign. If so, it’s important to identify them and take them into consideration when planning your marketing campaign. However, here are 5 keys reasons why this is important:

Hunger and Nutrition: In some cases the breakfast, and/or lunch we provide, may be the only nutritionally balanced meal the child may eat all day. Students that participate in lunch, and/or breakfast programs consume more nutrients than students who do not participate.

Enhanced Learning: Research has clearly documented the importance of nutrition to learning. Children who participate in a nutritious breakfast, and/or lunch program, outperform those children who do not participate.

Educational: Food service is an integral part of the educational process. The food service program allows the child the opportunity to make educated healthy food choices. Making healthy choices over a long period of time will result in good nutritional habits.

Why is this Important?

Financial: Increasing the number of applications increases the chance of increased approved applications. This gives us the opportunity to feed more children. This will increase your federal and state reimbursements and potentially could push the district into the severe need category, which would increase the reimbursements to the district. In many cases, the district receives additional educational funds based on the # of approved free and reduced applications.

Public Relations: Sodexo Services and the school districts we serve are partners in nutrition education. We need to do everything possible to insure that the children in the community who are in need of nutritional meals receive them.

Why is this Important?

Governance of the Program

At the federal level, the free and reduced-price meal program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services (FNS). (Public Law 396, 79th Congress, June 4, 1946, 60 Stat. 231)

FNS issues policies and procedures to the agency in each state that oversees the program.

State agencies are required to issue free and reduced-price meal policies to local agencies who make program benefits available to those in need.

Governance of the Program

Schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the National School Breakfast Program (NSBP) or the Milk Program are required to offer free and reduced-price meals.

Districts are required to track these meals by category and file monthly reimbursement claims.

Reimbursement rates are determined each year for free, reduced-price and paid meals. Reimbursement rates can be found at:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/notices/naps/NAPs.htm

Program Guidance – National & State

Complete guidelines for administering the free and reduced-price meal program can be found in the Eligibility Manual for School Meals on the USDA Food and Nutrition Services web site:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/iegs/EligibilityManual.pdf

Contact your state agency to obtain the specific guidelines for your state. For a list of state agencies administering the child nutrition programs, go to:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

Local Oversight

It’s important to keep in mind that the success of your child nutrition program can be dependent on the district’s ability to identify students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.

This process is administered by the School District and must be kept confidential. Students who qualify must not be overtly identified.

Sodexo staff may be asked to manage all or part of the process with oversight from the district - where allowed by law. Be sure to check state regulations, as some states do prohibit 3rd party involvement.

Determining Benefits

Eligibility for free or reduced-price meals is determined by two methods:

■ Completed Applications

■ Direct Certification

Completed applications are required for students whose families do not participate in programs that can result in direct certification. One household application is required for each family. Applications in 26 languages can be found at:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/FRP/frp.process.htm

Completing the Application

A completed application must provide:

■The names of all household members

■The amount of current income by each member, and the source of that income

■The signature of an adult member of that household

■The complete social security number of the adult household member who signs the application or an indication that the household member doesn’t have one.

Students whose families meet the income eligibility guidelines are approved to receive free or reduced-price meals. The reduced price for lunch is usually $.40 and breakfast is usually $.30.

Direct Certification

Direct certification is an alternative claiming method, that automatically qualifies those students who live in households that participate in the following programs:

■Food Stamp Program

■Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

■Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program (TANF)

Applications are not required for children whose families participate in these programs.

Direct Certification Benefits The process is simplified. Paperwork for schools and parents is reduced. The application process for AFDC and Food Stamp households is eliminated. An increase in free meal eligible children. Households no longer have to submit an application. Costs associated with application processing are reduced. Accuracy of claiming improves. The potential for audit problems is reduced.

*** Implementing direct certification does require extensive planning and coordination. For assistance, contact your Child Welfare Department and/or your State Child Nutrition Department.

Title. Arial 24.

Create a Marketing CampaignSECTION

2

Marketing the Program

A focused free and reduced campaign can increase the number of applications received. The success of this program rests on the efforts of management and the employees to do the legwork & to gather the applications. In order to have a successful campaign, you must have sound planning and timely implementation. Additionally, your efforts should:

• Include a communication plan to reach your select target market in the most effective way

• Be able to track last year’s efforts and this year’s incremental increase

• Communicate your positive results and efforts to the School Board, Administration and the community

Promoting Your Program

Mailings - Mail the application home, directly from the Food Service Office. (Try not to let it get lost in the district’s annual mailer home to the parents).

Sales booth or table - a specific and professional area to inform and assist in completing applications. This activity can occur at registration, “Back to School” nights, or at a local shopping area. The booth should include brochures, applications & pens. Have multi language applications and brochures available if necessary. Also, try to have someone in the booth that is bilingual. Try to get the individual to fill out the application on the spot.

There are various vehicles for communicating the importance of filling out a free and reduced application.The minimum activities for a successful program are:

Promoting Your Program

A message or reminder - on your Newsletters and Menus each month. Tell parents how and where to apply.

Principal training - this is a great opportunity to implement your campaign district wide. Principals have great influence in encouraging children and parents to get their applications returned. The Principals can greatly assist in the success of the campaign. Key points to cover at the Principal meeting:

Background of the free and reduced program. How free and reduced meals correlate to education. How the number of applications approved could enhance the

District funding from the state. How easy it is to fill out an application. That they can be the authority to sign an application, based on

their information, to qualify a child or children. Each Principal’s office should have brochures and applications

available.

Activities & Suggestions

Open Houses - Participate in school open houses by setting up displays that include nutrition information and application packets.

Advertise in the local newspaper - Feature benefits of participation in the NSLP and NSBP. Give information on how to apply for free and reduced-price meals.

Local Radio /Television Involvement – See the best demonstrated example from Pawtucket, RI on page 30.

Billboards - Large districts may advertise on billboards in key locations.

Activities & Suggestions

Health Fairs - Participate in community health fairs. Display nutrition information and application packets.

Prize Drawings - Each student who returns an application is eligible to participate in a drawing for a great prize.

Community Application Drive - Setup tables at grocery stores and other merchant locations to answer questions about the program and distribute applications.

District / Sodexo Web site - Advertise the program on the district’s web site

Activities & Suggestions

Unemployment Offices - Provide information packets about the Free and Reduced-price Meal Program at unemployment offices.

Superintendent or Principal letter - emphasizing the importance of filling out an application.

NSF Checks - take the opportunity to send an application home with NSF collection letters.

Word of Mouth - in the Community■Business Councils

■Clergy

■Service Clubs (Lions, Rotary)

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Tools and Resources SECTION

3

Communications Brochure

A template is available under the Communications tab of the MRC to help you create a custom brochure for your district.Once completed, getting the brochure out in the community is critical. First, having the brochure at each school is a must. Next, getting the brochure out into the community is critical. A list of some recommended locations follows, but keep the following in mind when planning your distribution: It is important to talk with the owner or manager of the operation where you would like to leave the brochure. Explain the importance of the free and reduced program to the community. Emphasize that you are trying to get the message out to as many people as possible. Ask for their help. They may have some creative ways to get the message out.

Communications Brochure

School Offices Local Grocery StoresChurchesAbuse CentersFood BankSocial Security OfficeHomeless SheltersCommunity Centers

Employment CentersPost OfficeParent AgenciesAdult Education OfficesWelfare/Social ServicesLaundromatsService Organization Meetings

Brochure Placement Ideas:

Have them show you where you can leave brochures. This will insure that they will not be stuck in an out-of-the-way place. If the location is not ideal, suggest an area that might be better.

Communications Brochure

Customizable

Parent Letter

You’ll find a letter template on the Communications/ Free & Reduced Marketing tabs of the Marketing Resource Center. Edit this template to customize with your district’s information, and include it periodically with your correspondence to the student’s homes.

Customizable

Opportunities & Time Lines

The most active period for the campaign occurs during the Summer to early Fall.

There should also be “mini campaigns” at the beginning of the Winter quarter as well as the beginning of the Spring quarter.

The opportunities do not occur randomly, but present themselves in a logical and sequential manner.

Your marketing and communications plan should also be organized in a sequential manner.

You cannot be passive in this campaign. You must be aggressive.

Opportunities & Time Lines

June/Early July Develop your specific plan to include:Who is going to be targeted?At what location will sales table be used?Where will brochures be distributed?Who are the key contact people?How and when will contact be made?Budget?Established Goals and Objectives?Measured Results

SAMPLE TIMELINE

July 1

July 10 July 15

July 15-20

Receive Free and Reduced Guidelines - Finalize Text for Brochure; Send to Printers

Print letter for mailing with application

Contact District Administration to get time on Principal Meeting Agenda

Contact potential locations for sales tables and brochures

Opportunities & Time Lines

August 1

August 15

August 18

August 20-28

September 2

September 5

September 7

September 15

October 1

Distribute brochures and follow up on commitments for sales tables

Present your campaign at Principal’s Meeting

Follow up on sites where brochures were delivered

Sales table activity begins

School starts

Follow up on brochure sites

Thank you letters to locations and people who assisted

Contact Principals-Thanks for support-Schedule open house or “Back to School”

Send direct mail to families that did not return application

SAMPLE TIMELINE (Cont.)

Best Demonstrated IdeasPawtucket School District, RIIn the Fall of 2005, I was walking through the Tolman High School cafeteria in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, when I noticed that a significant number of students were not eating lunch. I asked the Principal if he had a sense of why, and he told me it was because of the stigma attached with filling out a lunch application. I decided to try and do something about it. I contacted Citadel Broadcasting to ask them if they might be able to donate or sell me some concert tickets that I could use as a raffle prize for any student that would bring in an application. As we talked it through, we decided that we needed more than a raffle.Citadel sought out sponsorship from local businesses, Rhode Island Credit Union bought air time, and the funds went toward paying for the HIP HOP radio station on-air personalities making personal appearances at the High School to convince the kids that it is cool to eat school lunch, as well as it being OK to fill out a free lunch application. The radio station visited the school at lunch time three days in a row. The first day we passed out blank applications. On the second and third days, if the students brought back a completed application they could spin a wheel with the chance to win concert tickets, CDs, movie tickets, t-shirts etc.After the pilot program, Hot 106 visited 15 Rhode Island high schools during their lunch period. At that time, students were encouraged to bring in their application for the free school lunch program and in doing so, were given a chance to spin for great prizes on the Hot 106 prize wheel. Hot 106 personalities were on-site to interact with students and provide a comfortable environment for free and reduced lunches.The application drive made a significant impact on the attitude of students as it related to their hesitation to fill out the applications. As one example, Tolman High had a 25% increase as a direct result of this promotion. Over the course of the year this translates into 27,000 more meals! The campaign’s success was highlighted in local newspaper coverage as well as wining a national award from Food Management Magazine and an Honorable Mention from the Governor of Rhode Island in his Wellness Award program.

Best Demonstrated IdeasFairfield-Suisun School District, CAEach year, the Food Service team utilizes the “School Messenger” system to call parents and remind them to fill out the free & reduced meal applications for benefits. The system has the ability to sort through the student POS system, determine which students are temporary free or reduced, and target those folks for another call if necessary. Fairfield-Suisun SD has utilized School Messenger to target and call parents for verification, and, as a result, has met or exceeded the USDA 20% non response rate. Thus, less students were taken off of benefits for non response. In addition to School Messenger, the district also posts “We Can Help” letters on their web site and on our monthly menu. The district holds Open Houses and Back to School Nights, where they assist parents in filling out applications on the spot. Additional measures include postings in school newsletters, and placing applications at local food banks, churches, social services and community centers.

Gresham-Barlow School District, ORAt the beginning of summer, we receive a list of households living in our district with their addresses.  The mailing list is split between English and Spanish speaking households.  We prepare a mailing, that goes out at the beginning of August, to each household in our district.  In each envelope is the current years application (either in Spanish or English) to complete as well as the parent letter (again in Spanish or English) explaining how to complete the application.  The parent letter also answers several commonly asked questions. This process of rolling the blank applications out in early August, in conjunction with more families being automatically approved through the direct certification process, has allowed more families to be approved prior to the start of school.  The direct result has been both parents and schools being more satisfied since I try to have as many as possible processed prior to school fees being due in case there are reductions in fees

available to those on an approved application. This last year we also included a small note which stated we were hiring for cafeteria help and if interested, they should contact us.  The response was overwhelming, so much so that we were well staffed all year.

Case Studies