Eight Flathead Valley School Districts to Serve Free Breakfast and Lunch
Students in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Fair-Mont-Egan, Helena Flats, Smith Valley, Marion and Swan River will receive free meals at school this year thanks to the federally funded Community Eligibility Program
By Denali Sagner
Students across the Flathead Valley will be able to access free breakfast and lunch this year, thanks to a federally funded meal service program for school districts with a high percentage of low-income families.
The Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Fair-Mont-Egan, Helena Flats, Smith Valley, Marion and Swan River school districts will provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to their entire student bodies. Families in these districts will not need to apply or fill out paperwork to participate.
Run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) allows school districts with high populations of low-income students to serve free meals without soliciting applications from families. USDA says the program streamlines meal service operations, reduces paperwork for school administrators and minimizes stigma for students in need of subsidized meals.
To be eligible for the program, 25% or more of a district’s student body must qualify as low-income.
“These precious federal tax dollars provide nutritious meals to our children during the school day,” Montana Office of Public Instruction Superintendent Elsie Arntzen said in a press release. “During the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 40% of Montana students qualified for the free and reduced-price price meal program. Thank you to all of our Montana school nutrition specialists for putting Montana student’s nutrition first.”
Educators praised the program, saying it would reduce administrative burdens while leveling the playing field for student outcomes.
“We’re excited because we just know how helpful it is for families and kids,” Jen Stein, principal of Kalispell’s Edgerton Elementary School, said.
Academic research has long shown the impacts of hunger on student performance. Students who eat regular meals far outpace their peers who don’t in academic achievement and psychosocial functioning.
It’s a phenomenon Stein says is palpable in the classroom, and she believes CEP will help to ameliorate those inequities.
“All kids should eat, and it helps them learn,” she said.
The elementary school principal also said the program will “alleviate that shame factor” for low-income students who previously needed to seek out subsidized meals.
Cory Dziowgo, superintendent of the Columbia Falls School District, said he hopes the program will remove some financial burdens for families amid high inflation and record housing costs in the area.
“It’s really going to help the families out. Everybody is stretched pretty thin here in the Flathead Valley,” he said.
More information about CEP can be found here.