USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is committed to helping America’s children get the nutritious food they need to learn and grow. Direct certification for school meals is one important strategy to make that possible for the low-income children. This process links student enrollment records to states’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program data, so children receiving SNAP or TANF can be directly certified for free school meals without having to submit additional paperwork through applications.
By using data already verified through SNAP and TANF, direct certification improves efficiency and accuracy for schools. Just as importantly, families are spared the burden of a separate meals application. Congress made direct certification a requirement for all schools through the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act.
