School cafeterias in Carter County fed a lot more little bellies during the 2014-15 school year than they did the year before, putting more than 200,000 additional meals inside those tummies than the previous year.
Members of the Carter County Board of Education got an update on the Community Eligibility Program, including the year-end totals, during a workshop session Thursday afternoon.
“We had more kids eat and that is really good,” said Lindsey Feathers, who will be taking over as director of the food service program later this year when current director Marissa Potter retires.
During the 2014-15 school year, cafeteria staffs served 156,080 more breakfasts and 47,510 more lunches than they did the year before.
“That is over 200,000 additional meals we served because of this program,” Feathers said.
CEP works off the number of students in a community who are eligible for free or reduced meals based on income. If more than 40 percent of the students in the community are eligible, the federal government will reimburse the school system for the cost of all the students meals in the program’s schools taking part in the CEP.
Last school year, the county school system opted into the federal CEP program to provide free meals to school children. As the first year pilot, the Board of Education approved providing free meals to all students in the elementary schools. Students in grades 9-12 were not included in the CEP pilot due to the eligibility percentages for those grades being lower.
The county’s four high schools are still on the free/reduced federal meal plan and pay for their lunches.
“This was our first year on the CEP program and we are looking forward to going into our second year,” Feathers said.
When the county implemented the program, high hopes were voiced that providing meals to more children would not only help them nutritionally but could also help them achieve better in school by allowing them to focus on the material instead of the rumbling in their stomach.
Test results from last school year are in and Carter County did see student achievement growth across the board, a fact which Potter said did not come as a surprise to her.
“It’s no coincidence that the test scores went up when we fed children, it’s a direct correlation,” she said. “You can’t teach a hungry child.”
Parents or guardians of students in grades K-8 do not have to fill out an application for their child to participate in the free meal program, Feathers said, adding they will need to fill out the household survey in the child’s registration packet and return it to the school to help ensure the school system is reimbursed through the federal program so the free meals can be continued.
To help remind parents about the free meal program, decals have been placed on the side of three of the county’s school buses reminding families to take advantage of the free meals. Those buses will run routes in the upper Stoney Creek, Roan Mountain and Poga communities.
The ads are part of a program previously approved by the school system to allow ads on school buses. Three of the system’s buses were reserved to be used to advertise school programs such as the CEP.