ESCANABA — A new meal program at Escanaba Area Public Schools will allow all students in kindergarten through eighth grade to have a free breakfast and lunch during the school year.

The program — called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) — is for kindergartners through eighth-graders, as well as students at the Learning Center and Student Success Center. It will provide a free nutritional breakfast and lunch during the school year for all students — regardless of the family’s income. Breakfast times will be based on each school’s beginning class schedule. Elementary children will be able to eat their breakfast at their desks before class starts.

CEP is a new option that is part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service Division.

Escanaba became eligible due to the percentage of students receiving state and federal benefits in the district.

A Household Information Survey will be given to each family at each school campus’ open house event and also at the beginning of the school year. Every family is asked to return the form after filling in the requested information and signing it. Completing and returning the form keeps the CEP program and other programs going.

“I would like to see as close to 100 percent of the forms as possible returned, but I realize it may be more like 50 to 60 percent,” said Escanaba school Superintendent Coby Fletcher.

The concept behind the program is if there is a high percentage of students getting free and reduced lunches in a school district, why not have all children receive breakfast and lunch in that district. School campuses that have a low percentage of children receiving the free and reduced lunch would not be eligible. There is no average income to qualify.

The Escanaba School District tried different combinations of school campuses to get the appropriate percentage required by the government to receive the free breakfast and lunch.

“We couldn’t use the high school numbers in any way,” said Fletcher, “Even though the junior high school and senior high school are in the same building, the state looks at the two as different campuses.”

At the senior high school, students in grades ninth through 12th may fill out paperwork for the free and reduced lunch program. The program is operating the same as last year there.

“If a child is on a qualified campus, they are eligible to receive the free meals,” said Fletcher.

The breakfast menu is being determined.

“We take a look at what the kids like and don’t like, and follow the nutritional guidelines. Breakfast is important for a child’s learning. We may view breakfast items differently. They’ll have to be easily handled at a desk,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher is very proud of the work done to get the program off the ground.

“The food services department did a lot of work to make it available and simple for the children. Kids need nutrition to have a good school day. This has been a perfect culmination of work to get meals to the children easy,” he said.