Universal School Meals in the US: What Can We Learn from the Community Eligibility Provision?
Changes in school meal programs can affect well-being of millions of American children. Since 2014, high-poverty schools and districts nationwide had an option to provide universal free meals (UFM) through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The COVID-19 pandemic expanded UFM to all schools in 2020–2022. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011, we measured CEP effects on school meal participation, attendance, academic achievement, children’s body weight, and household food security.
Full citation: Andreyeva, T.; Sun, X. Universal School Meals in the US: What Can We Learn from the Community Eligibility Provision? Nutrients 2021, 13, 2634. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082634