NAUGATUCK — The number of borough schools enrolled in the federal Community Eligibility Provision program will more than double next school year as the percentage of students eligible for free meals continues to increase.
The Community Eligibility Provision program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a “non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas,” according to the USDA website. The program allows schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students without applications.
Andrew Avenue Elementary School and Salem Elementary School were enrolled in the program last school year. The Board of Education this month approved enrolling Hillside Intermediate School and Hop Brook and Western elementary schools in the program for the coming school year.
According to the USDA, schools must have at least 40 percent of its students directly certified as eligible for free meals in order to take part in the program. Students can be directly certified in a number of ways, including coming from families that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or Medicaid, according to the USDA.
Andrew Avenue has the highest percentage of directly-certified students with 146 students, or 53 percent.
Hop Brook and Hillside aren’t too far behind. Hop Brook has 143 students, or 46.5 percent, that are directly certified for free meals, and Hillside has 137 students, or 44 percent.
Kate Murphy, food services director for Sodexo, said the number of students who are directly certified has been on the rise.
Last year, 34 percent of students at Hillside and Hop Brook were directly certified.
Maple Hill Elementary School, the only elementary school in the district not included in the program, has seen an increase as well.
According to Murphy, the percentage of directly-certified students at Maple Hill jumped from 18 percent to 29 percent last year.
While the numbers are rapidly increasing in the borough, Murphy said the trend is not unique to Naugatuck.
“It is actually a statewide and nationwide trend. The need is increasing,” Murphy said.
The number of lunches served at Salem and Andrew Avenue increased slightly after the two schools were enrolled in the program, but the number of breakfasts served more than doubled at both schools. The number of breakfasts served at Andrew Avenue increased from 8,060 in the 2016-17 school year to 17,822 last year, and Salem saw an increase from 10,440 to 21,177 over the same period.
Murphy said she expects to see similar increases at the newly-enrolled schools.
Enrolling the schools in the program will not affect the borough’s contract with Sodexo, which provides food services to schools throughout the district. Sodexo will be reimbursed at an average of 73 percent for the meals by the federal government, Murphy said.
Due to the expected increase in meals served, the district is hiring two new part-time cafeteria workers. The workers, which will be placed in Hop Brook and Hillside, will cost $8,000 each. The costs will be incurred by Sodexo and not the school board.
