Windsor School Food Service

Transcription

1 Windsor School Food Service Date: 08/01/14 To: Parents/Guardians: From: Dana Plant, Director of Food Service RE: School Breakfast/Lunch Program Updates Dear Parents/Guardians of Children attending the CREC Museum Academy: Windsor School Food Service will be providing the Breakfast/Lunch Programs for the upcoming school year. The price of breakfast will be $1.75 for full paid and.30 for reduced. Lunch will be $2.75 for full paid and.40 for reduced. We will offer milk as a la carte for.50.. Fill out only 1 free or reduced lunch application per family within the CREC Museum Academy or Windsor Public Schools.. If your child was receiving free or reduced lunches last school year and you feel you may qualify again for this school year, please make sure you have your application completed and turned into Windsor School Food Service by August 20, You may drop it off in person or mail to at Windsor School Food Service, 601 Matianuck Ave. Windsor, CT 06095, room 4. If the application is not received and processed prior to the start of the school year, you will be responsible for paying for the meals that your child consumes prior to being processed.. All people who live under the same roof must be documented on the free or reduced form with their income before taxes, including child support/pension/alimony. Your child will receive a pin number (their student id number), to access their mealtime account. Payments for your children s lunches can be made using a credit card at there is a 4.9% processing fee for this however viewing is always free. Follow the instructions on the attached memo. Note: we do not offer refunds to your childs accounts, so if you are leaving the school please monitor your balance.. There will be a $25.00 fee for all bounced checks, this is in addition to whatever fees you incur from your bank.. If you bounce 2 checks during the school year you will no longer be allowed to pay by check. If you do not take care of the bounced check within two weeks you will no longer be allowed to pay by check.

2 Dear Parent/Guardian: Windsor School Food Service PARENT/GUARDIAN LETTER TO HOUSEHOLDS FOR SCHOOL MEALS Rev. 5/14 The CREC Museum Academy offers a choice of healthy meals each school day. Children may buy lunch for $2.75 and breakfast for $1.75. Children who qualify under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines may get meals free or at a reduced price of $.40 for lunch and $.30 for breakfast. All meals served must meet nutrition standards established by the USDA. If a child has a disability, as determined by a doctor, and the disability prevents the child from eating the regular school meal, the school will make substitutions prescribed by the doctor. If a substitution is needed, there will be no extra charge for the meal. Please call the food service department for further information. The phone number is x253. Note: Children receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) benefits may be directly certified and automatically eligible for free meals. Questions regarding SNAP/TFA and direct certification should be sent to the determining official Dana Plant, x222. If you have received a NOTICE OF DIRECT CERTIFICATION for free meals, do not complete the application. However, do let the school know if any children in your household are not listed on the Notice of Direct Certification letter you received. An application for free meal benefits cannot be approved unless it contains all required information. 1. My child s application was approved last year. Do I need to fill out another one? Yes. Your child s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this new school year. Note however, that unless you have been notified that your children are directly certified or you submit an application that is approved, the children must pay full price for school meals and the school will not send you a reminder notice of expired eligibility when the carry-over period ends. 2. Do I need to fill out an application for each child that attends the same school district? No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household that attend that district. (Note: If you have children that attend different school DISTRICTS, then one application will need to be completed for each district.) We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Dana Plant, 601 Matianuck Avenue, Windsor, CT Who can get free meals? All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP or TFA can get free meals regardless of your income. (Note: Free eligibility based on SNAP or TFA is extended to all children in the household when the application lists a SNAP or TFA case number for any household member.) In addition, your children can get free meals if your household s gross income is within the free limits on the Federal Guidelines. Households with children who are foster children, runaway or homeless, or are enrolled in the Head Start/Even Start Program should check off the appropriate box on the application and contact the school for assistance in receiving benefits. Note: Subsidized adoptions and subsidized guardianships are not automatically eligible for free meals. These require the calculation of all household income plus the adoption/guardianship subsidy. 4. Can FOSTER children get free meals? Yes, foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court, are eligible for free meals. There are a few ways that a school can determine a foster child as being eligible for free meals: a. The determining official (the person who approves the free and reduced meal application) receives a copy from the foster parent, of the legal document or legal court order showing that the child is a foster child; b. The determining official receives a copy from the Board of Education or school s main office, of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) 603 form indicating that the child is a foster child; or c. The foster parent completes a free and reduced meal application and checks off that the child is a foster child and lists the child s personal use income if applicable. Note that a foster child is categorically eligible for free meals and may be included as a member of the foster family if the foster family chooses to also apply for benefits. If the foster family is not eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits, it does not prevent a foster child from receiving free meal benefits; however, a foster child s free eligibility does not automatically extend to all students in the household. 5. Can homeless and runaway children get free meals? Yes, children who meet the definition of homeless or runaway qualify for free meals. If you have not been told your children will get free meals, please call or Carole Kerkin, Homeless Liaison to see if they qualify. Their phone number is If a member of my household receives SNAP or TFA benefits may I submit an application? Yes. Households with any member who is currently certified to receive SNAP or TFA benefits may submit an application for these children with the abbreviated information as indicated on the application and instructions. 7. Can my child s free meal status be extended to all children in the household? It depends. Categorical eligibility for free meals is extended to all children in a household when the application lists a SNAP or TFA case number for any household member. If you think free benefits should be extended to all children in the household, contact the determining official. 8. Who can get reduced price meals? Your children can get low cost meals if your household income is within the reduced price limits on the Federal Eligibility Chart on the second page of this letter. 9. Should I fill out an application if I received a letter this school year saying my children are approved for free meals? Please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. Call food service at x253 if you have questions. Page 1 of 2

3 Windsor School Food Service PARENT/GUARDIAN LETTER TO HOUSEHOLDS FOR SCHOOL MEALS 10. I get WIC. Can my child(ren) get free meals? Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please fill out an application. 11. Will the information I give be checked? Yes and we may also ask you to send written proof. 12. Must I put my full social security number on the application? No. Only the last four digits of the social security number of the adult household member signing the application is needed. 13. If I don t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free or reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit. 14. What if I disagree with the school s decision about my application? You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Danielle Batchelder, Director of Business Services, 601 Matianuck Avenue, Windsor, CT her phone number is x May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You or your child(ren) do not have to be U.S. citizens to qualify for free or reduced price meals. 16. Who should I include as members of my household? You must include all people living in your household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends) who share income and expenses. You must include yourself and all children living with you. If you live with other people who are economically independent (for example, people who you do not support, who do not share income with you or your children, and who pay a pro-rated share of expenses), do not include them. 17. What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income. 18. We are in the military. Do we include our housing allowance as income? If you get an off-base housing allowance, it must be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. 19. My spouse is deployed to a combat zone. Is her combat pay counted as income? No, if the combat pay is received in addition to her basic pay because of her deployment and it wasn t received before she was deployed, combat pay is not counted as income. Contact your school for more information. 20. My family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for? Your child and family may be eligible for SNAP benefits if your child is determined to be eligible for free meals. For information regarding the SNAP and to contact the Department of Social Services office in your town, contact United Way s free referral number (free call, statewide). 21. Will information on my application be kept confidential? We will use the information on your application to decide if your child should get free or reduced price meals. We may inform officials connected with Title I and the National Assessment of Educational Progress whether your child is eligible for free or reduced price school meals. They will use this information for funding and/or evaluation purposes. Information may also be disclosed if you want the application to be used to get other benefits. Reduced Price Chart for School Year We will let you know if you are approved or denied. Sincerely, Craig A. Cooke, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Non Discrimination Statement: The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual s income is derived from any public assistance program, Number in Family or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at or at any USDA office, or call (866) to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C , by fax (202) or at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) ; or (800) (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Annual Monthly Twice Per Month Every Two Weeks Weekly 1 $21,590 $1,800 $900 $831 $ ,101 2,426 1,213 1, ,612 3,051 1,526 1, ,123 3,677 1,839 1, ,634 4,303 2,152 1, ,145 4,929 2,465 2,275 1, ,656 5,555 2,778 2,564 1, ,167 6,181 3,091 2,853 1,427 Each Add'l Family Member Rev. 5/14 + 7, Page 2 of 2

4 Windsor Public Schools Dear Parents: Capitol Region Education Council in conjunction with Windsor School Food Service is excited to provide parents a convenient, easy and secure online prepayment service to deposit money into your child s school meal account at any time. This service also provides parents the ability to view your child s account balance through a web site called Also, parents will have the ability to print out a copy of their child s eating history report. This history report will show you all dates and times that your child has made a purchase at breakfast and/or lunch within the past thirty days. Low balance alerts can also be set up. To access these services: 1. Use the internet to access 2. From this site you will create your account and add money to your child s school meal account. All you need is your child s name, student ID number and school name. The instructions listed on the back of this page will guide you through the easy online account set up process. Always select Windsor Public Schools as the District. Things to know: If you have more than one child in Metropolitan Learning Center or CREC Museum Academy or Windsor Public Schools you can handle all online prepayments from the same online account. In order to use the online prepayment service, a small convenience fee of 4.9% for each deposit transaction will be assessed to cover the bank fees. Capitol Region Education Council or Windsor School Food Service will not profit from the use of this site. We are very excited to offer these services and are confident this system will benefit you, your child and our District. However, if you choose not to take advantage of the online prepayment service you may continue to make advance payments via check, which should be made payable to the Windsor School Food Service. Please write your child s full name on the check as well as their student id number. Cash is also accepted, but should be in a sealed envelope with your child s name and student id number. If you have any questions about these new services, please feel free to contact my office at (860) x222 Best Regards, Dana Plant Food Services Director Windsor Public Schools 601 Matianuck Avenue Windsor, CT 06095

5 Windsor Public Schools Paying for School Meals Just Got Easier! Welcome! Your school district has chosen MealTime Online to provide the opportunity for you to make credit card deposits into your student s cafeteria account or view your student s purchase history or account balance via the internet. To Use MealTime Online: Go directly to: Step 1: First time users, Click Create New Profile. You will create a profile which includes creating a username and password that you will use to login to MealTime online. The Username and Password must be a least 6 characters. After entering information click Create Profile. This will bring you to the Registration page. Step 2: Fill in necessary information then enter. It will then give you Registration Confirmation. Click on Sign In. Step 3: Sign in using the username and password you just created. Step 4: Click on Meal Account Deposits. Step 5: Click on Add New Student Step 6: You will be prompted to select a state, CT. Next click Windsor Public Schools. Next click Museum Academy. Next enter students first name and ID #. If you do not know your students cafeteria ID number please call the Museum Academy for assistance. Click Back to Home. Step 7: Click Make Deposit. Enter dollar amount. Please note: There is a $25.00 minimum for deposits. There is also a 4.9% transaction fee. Click Add Deposits. Click Continue to Billing. Step 8: Enter credit card information then click Continue. Click I Agree then click Deposit Funds Now. This will bring you to your last page which will be a receipt.