- Applicant Process
- Before You begin
- Step 1: Competitive Bidding
- Step 2: Selecting Service Providers
- Step 3: Applying for Discounts
- FCC Form 471 Filing
- Funding Requests
- Calculating Discounts
- Alternative Discount Mechanisms
- Urban or Rural Status
- NCES and FSCS Codes
- Category Two Budget
- Step 4: Application Review
- Step 5: Starting Services
- Step 6: Invoicing
- Before You’re Done
Alternative Discount Mechanisms
Students from households whose income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty guideline are eligible for the NSLP.
Income Eligibility Guidelines for NSLP eligibility are available on the web page of the United States Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Programs by following the links for “National School Lunch Program” and “Income Eligibility.”
The FCC also allows for the use of other mechanisms to determine a school’s level of need, as long as those mechanisms are based on – or do not exceed – the same measure of poverty used by NSLP.
Collecting Data for Discounts: Surveys
A school may design a survey that provides the necessary information that measures a family’s level of need. Surveys must be based on the following guidelines:
- The survey must be sent to all families whose children attend the school.
- The survey must, at a minimum, contain the following information:
- Name of family and students;
- Size of the family; and
- Income level of the family.
Income data (or eligibility data based on income) from a survey used to support a discount level for a funding request cannot be older than two years before the start of the funding year (FY).
For example, the data gathered from an income survey done in September 2016 can be used for funding requests for FY2017 and FY2018, but not for FY2019. Therefore, surveys must be done at least every other year.
Beginning in FY2015, applicants may use NSLP applications as their survey instrument.
The results of a survey may not be extrapolated and must be based on the actual number of students whose survey responses demonstrate that they meet the NSLP criteria.
Here is a sample survey for your reference.
Survey Retention Documentation
Applicants should maintain a record of the survey documentation collected to assist in responding to PIA inquiries. Such records must be maintained for a period of at least 10 years after the last day of delivery of the discounted services.
Collecting Income Data
Income data used to support the discount level for a funding request should be collected based on income received by the household during the month before the month in which the survey is conducted. However, the monthly income of a household containing one or more seasonal workers, self-employed workers, or other workers whose income varies from month to month may not accurately represent the actual circumstances of the household. Such a household can project its annual rate of income for the current year based on the income data that is available.
Applications are distributed at the beginning of the school year. The income data gathered is used to determine eligibility for the twelve-month school year (July 1 to the following June 30) in which the survey is conducted.
Information on the definition of income under NSLP, other income guidelines of the program, and the “Eligibility Guidance for School Meals Manual” can be obtained from the National School Lunch Program website .