1005 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: 510.644.6200 | Fax: 510.644.8784
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Bonnie Christensen, Director of Nutrition Services
Rich Hannan, Executive Chef
Food Access Resources
P-EBT Cards 小福利导航
On July 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the California School Year (SY) 2022鈥23 Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) state plan for school age children. P-EBT is a federal program that provides households of eligible students food benefits to replace in-person school meals that children missed due to the pandemic. In California, P-EBT is administered through a partnership between the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Education (CDE). The CDSS is the lead state agency for P-EBT with the CDE providing the data necessary to determine eligibility and benefit levels.
The purpose of this communication is to address the eligibility requirements and benefit issuance for school age students that attend public schools that participate in the National School Lunch (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP). P-EBT benefit levels are based on the amount of time a student missed school meals because they attended school through independent study (IS) or attended school in-person but were absent presumed due to COVID-19.
Note: Because of changes in federal law surrounding P-EBT eligibility, the CDSS and CDE anticipate that the number of students that qualify for P-EBT in SY 2022鈥23 and the corresponding benefit amounts may be significantly lower than in prior P-EBT issuances.
SY 2022鈥23 P-EBT Eligibility and Benefits Timeline
No application is required for students that attended a public school that participates in the NSLP or SBP. The CDSS will automatically issue SY 2022鈥23 P-EBT benefits to students that meet all of the following requirements:
- Student free and reduced-price eligibility requirements:
- Determined eligible in SY 2022鈥23 for free or reduced-price meals through meal application, alternative income form, direct certification, or designation as homeless, migrant, or foster; or
- Attended a school that participates in Provision 2 or the 小福利导航 Eligibility Provision (CEP), regardless of individual student eligibility
- IS or absence criteria
- Missed in-person instruction through excused absences for five school days or more in a month, or
- Eligible for P-EBT in SY 2021鈥22 due to enrollment in IS and continued to attend school through IS for 5 or more days in a month in SY 2022-23.
The CDE will use eligibility data maintained in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) to identify eligible children. The CDE collected attendance and IS data from Local Education Agencies (LEA) in June and July using a separate collection tool to determine the benefit level. P-EBT cards will be mailed to the student mailing address listed in the CALPADS.
The CDE provided instructions to CALPADS administrators about populating addresses for students without an address (due to homelessness or other reasons). For students without an address, cards will be mailed to a designated school or district office for distribution. If no address was provided, cards will be mailed to the district office address.
For SY 2022鈥23, P-EBT benefits have been expanded to other groups of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals and attending the following school types: private and nonpublic participating schools, private virtual, virtual schools that do not participate in NSLP or SBP, and homeschooled children. The CDE will send a separate communication to those groups.
Benefit Amount
The amount of benefit each student will receive is based on the daily rate of $8.18 multiplied by the number of days of excused absences or IS attendance of five or more days in a month as reported by LEAs. SY 2022鈥2023 P-EBT benefits will cover the period between August 1, 2022 and May 11, 2023 (the end of the federal COVID emergency). Only students that had five or more absences or IS days in a month will receive benefits.
Summer 2023 P-EBT
In April 2023, the USDA approved the California Summer 2023 P-EBT plan. Summer P-EBT benefits are currently being processed and mailed by the CDSS.
Families that received Summer P-EBT cards will have their SY 2022-23 P-EBT benefits reloaded to those existing cards in August and September 2023.
Any students that were not issued a Summer 2023 P-EBT card (i.e., graduated earlier than May 2023) will get a new P-EBT card issued with only the SY 2022鈥23 benefits during August and September. 小福利导航 about Summer 2023 P-EBT is available on our web page at .
Communications and Resources for Eligible Households
The CDSS will send postcards in the mail about the upcoming availability of SY 2022鈥23 P-EBT benefits to eligible households prior to card distribution. In addition, the CDSS will update resources soon for eligible households and partners (available in multiple languages) on the P-EBT web page at .
The CDSS established the P-EBT Helpline to assist eligible households with questions about P-EBT. The P-EBT Helpline can assist with:
- P-EBT card PIN set-up,
- Mailing address changes,
- Requests for replacement cards, and
- General questions about individual eligibility and benefit amounts.
The contact information for the P-EBT Helpline is below.听Only the Helpline has access to card data and can assist families with these issues. The CDE does not have individual data and therefore cannot assist with card issuance.
Contact 小福利导航
Households that require assistance with P-EBT cards can call the P-EBT Helpline at 877-328-9677 (Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
For more information about P-EBT, please visit the CDSS P-EBT web page at .
For LEAs with questions about P-EBT program implementation, please email the CDE at PEBT@cde.ca.gov.
Resources for SFAs and Households
The CDSS has resources available in multiple languages on a new P-EBT web page at . SFAs can use these resources to communicate with households about P-EBT.
In addition, the CDSS has also made improvements to the P-EBT Helpline to assist eligible households with issues related to P-EBT, such as setting up a PIN, changing addresses, requesting replacement cards, or general questions about eligibility and benefits. Also, a new live chat feature is now available on the P-EBT website to provide general support. The contact information for the P-EBT Helpline is below.听
Free & Reduced Lunch 小福利导航
For the 2022-23 school year, all students K-12 are automatically eligible for free breakfast and free lunch every day they are in school, however, it is very important to fill out the free/reduced price school meal application form at as soon as possible. (Online applications are processed in 3-5 days, while paper applications may take up to 10 days). These meal applications help determine the school district鈥檚 LCAP funding bringing much needed funding to the schools. Additionally, if your child qualifies as 鈥渇ree鈥 or 鈥渞educed鈥, you can use the Eligibility Letter we provide to show eligibility when applying for other benefits.
- Free Meal Program 小福利导航 2023-2024: |
- FAQ 小福利导航 Free and Reduced Price Meals: |
Lunch Menus
Allergen 小福利导航
Allergen 小福利导航 for School Breakfasts
Useful 小福利导航
- Gardening and Cooking Program
- 2011 SIO BreakfastFirst
- School Lunch 小福利导航
- Meal Guideline Toolkits for Parents
- Wellness Committee
- Civil Rights Complaint Procedure for BUSD Nutrition Services Department: |
- Affordable Connectivity Program: |
Message to Families
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome back to another school year. We have continued to make positive changes to the school meals and want to encourage you and your children to participate in the school breakfast and lunch programs this year.
Since 2007, all of our schools serve Universal Breakfast and have a Fresh Buffet Style Service approach to lunch. Universal Breakfast means all of our schools are serving free breakfast for all students.
The BUSD Nutrition Services team
A year-long calendar has been posted to our website so听you know what we are serving every day. The calendar lists the elementary and middle and high school鈥檚 breakfast and lunch menus for the entire year. Additionally, each month of the calendar includes recipes that are being taught in the cooking classes and served in the cafeterias as well. We hope you will try cooking these at home with your family. The links above link to the calendars.
The changes we are making are part of a district-wide effort called the School Lunch Initiative (SLI). SLI has two primary goals: to serve more nutritious and delicious, freshly-prepared meals using locally-grown food to all of our students and to educate children in kitchen, garden and academic classrooms about their food choices and the impact those choices have on their health, the community and the environment.
We are extremely proud of the accomplishments we are making, including the following:
- Salad bars in all of our schools
- Hormone and antibiotic-free milk
- Fresh fruit and vegetables served daily
- Almost all of our food made from scratch
- All bread and dinner rolls are organic
- All other rolls are whole-grain
- Swipe card systems in almost all of our schools
- Vegetarian options daily
- One day per week district-wide vegetarian lunch
A majority of our food is now purchased locally:
- Breakfast muffins
- Whole-grain pizza crust
- Sliced bread and dinner rolls
- Salad dressings
- 25% of our produce
- Organic salad bars at 小福利导航High School, middle and elementary schools
- All hamburgers and hot dogs are natural and grass-fed
We hope you will join us in helping your children make healthy food choices in school and at home. Together we can help raise a new generation of healthier and better educated young people. Thank you for your continued support and please don鈥檛 hesitate to call or email if there鈥檚 anything I can do to help.
Board Principles
The Board of Education recognizes the important connection between a healthy diet and a student鈥檚 ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school. The Board also recognizes the school鈥檚 role, as part of the larger community, to promote family health, sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration. The Board of Education recognizes that the sharing of food is a fundamental experience for all peoples; a primary way to nurture and celebrate our cultural diversity; and an excellent bridge for building friendships and intergenerational bonds.
Mission
Part of the educational mission of BUSD is to improve the health of the entire community by teaching students to establish and maintain life long healthy eating and physical activity habits. The mission shall be accomplished through nutrition education, physical education, garden experiences, the food served in schools, environmental restoration and core academic content in the curriculum.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
SNAP and FDPIR State or local agencies, and their subrecipients, must post the following Nondiscrimination Statement:
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA鈥檚 TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: , from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant鈥檚 name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or - fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Declaraci贸n de No-Discriminaci贸n
Las agencias estatales o locales de SNAP y FDPIR, y sus beneficiarios secundarios, deben publicar el siguiente Aviso de No Discriminaci贸n:
De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y pol铆ticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de EE. UU. (USDA), esta instituci贸n tiene prohibido discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluida la identidad de g茅nero y la orientaci贸n sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o represalia por actividad anterior de derechos civiles.
La informaci贸n del programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas adem谩s del ingl茅s. Las personas con discapacidades que requieran medios alternativos de comunicaci贸n para obtener informaci贸n del programa (p. ej., Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de se帽as estadounidense), deben comunicarse con la agencia estatal o local responsable que administra el programa o el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720- 2600 (voz y TTY) o comun铆quese con USDA a trav茅s del Servicio Federal de Retransmisi贸n al (800) 877-8339.
Para presentar una queja por discriminaci贸n en el programa, el Demandante debe completar un Formulario AD-3027, Formulario de queja por discriminaci贸n en el programa del USDA, que se puede obtener en l铆nea en: desde cualquier oficina del USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida al USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre, la direcci贸n, el n煤mero de tel茅fono y una descripci贸n escrita de la supuesta acci贸n discriminatoria del denunciante con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y la fecha de la supuesta violaci贸n de los derechos civiles. El formulario o carta AD-3027 completo debe enviarse al USDA antes de:
La carta debe contener el nombre, la direcci贸n, el n煤mero de tel茅fono y una descripci贸n escrita de la supuesta acci贸n discriminatoria del denunciante con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y la fecha de la supuesta violaci贸n de los derechos civiles. El formulario o carta AD-3027 completo debe enviarse al USDA antes de:
- Correo: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; o - Fax: (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
- Correo electr贸nico: program.intake@usda.gov
Esta instituci贸n es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.