8/29 Child Nutrition Services Special Update

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 08/29/2025 02:23 PM PDT

8/29 Child Nutrition Services Special Update

Special Update: Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit Application Bulletin

Special Update: Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit Application Bulletin

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is pleased to share the release of Bulletin 040-25: Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) Application and Materials for School Year 2025-26.

The Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) Application is the tool used to collect and determine income eligibility status of students in Washington State. All Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must distribute the CNEEB Application and may not produce their own materials or alter the state prototype materials (except to include their district nondiscrimination statement) without approval from OSPI. The CNEEB application may qualify households for:

Free and reduced-price meal benefits,
Summer EBT benefits (if enrolled in a NSLP/SBP school),
Reduced fees for other programs and activities,
Eligibility for College Bound Scholarship, and/or
Help secure funding for the school district.

For more information on the CNEEB Application and it’s requirements, please review the CNEEB Application FAQ.

Updated Materials

Notice of Approval/Denial of Benefits templates have been updated to include the requirement for households to respond to verification and their Summer-EBT Client Rights and Responsibilities. LEAs should begin using these templates immediately and update their processes accordingly.

The CNEEB Application and current letter templates are available on the Meal Application and Verification Information webpage for Pricing Programs and on the CEP & Provision 2 webpage for Non-Pricing and Provision programs.

Limited English Proficiency

LEAs must ensure students have access to school meals by meeting the language needs of their school district population. The CNEEB Application, Letter to Households, and Notices of Eligibility for Direct Certification have been translated into multiple languages. The Notice of Approval/Denial of Benefits will be available in additional languages soon.

Promotion of the CNEEB

OSPI recently updated multiple tools to assist sponsors with CNEEB promotion and collection efforts including:

CNEEB Promotional Video
Completing the CNEEB Application Instructions for Households
Additional promotional materials will be available in the coming weeks on the Meal Application and Verification webpage.

Join us for a webinar!

Processing Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) Applications

Date: September 16
Time: 2–3 pm
Register Here

Questions? Please contact your School Meal Programs Specialist.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

ADA NOTIFICATION FOR OSPI CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES EVENTS
To arrange accommodations for persons with disabilities for OSPI Child Nutrition Services events, please contact the Child Nutrition Services Team at 360-725-6200, TTY 360-664-3631, or by email, child.nutrition@k12.wa.us at least three business days before the event. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.

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OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director, P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200, 360-725-6162 (TTY: 360-664-3631), equity@k12.wa.us.

This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.