Free and Reduced Lunch for Kinship Care Families in Washington

School Meals Are Based on Your Household, Not Custody

When a child lives with a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other relative in Washington, the child counts as a member of that caregiver's household for school meal purposes. Eligibility for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch is based on the caregiver's household size and income — not the biological parent's.

This matters because many kinship caregivers live on fixed incomes, and the children in their care are statistically more likely to qualify for free meals than the general school population. The application process is straightforward, but there are faster pathways that skip the income application entirely.

Categorical Eligibility: Free Meals Without an Income Application

Certain children automatically qualify for free school meals based on their circumstances — no income documentation needed. Under National School Lunch Program rules administered by OSPI, a child is categorically eligible if:

The caregiver receives SNAP (Basic Food). If your household participates in Washington's Basic Food program, every child in the household qualifies for free meals. The school may be able to verify this through direct certification (a data match between DSHS and the school district) without you filling out a paper application.

The caregiver receives TANF. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families participation also triggers categorical eligibility for free meals.

The child is identified as McKinney-Vento eligible. If the child qualified for McKinney-Vento protections because they're sharing your housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship, they're categorically eligible for free meals. The district's McKinney-Vento liaison can flag this in the system.

The child is formally in foster care. Informal kinship care or other DCYF involvement alone does not make a child a foster-care student. A child formally identified as being in foster care qualifies regardless of household income.

Applying Through the Standard Process

If categorical eligibility doesn't apply, you can complete a household meal application. The form asks for:

• Names of all household members, as defined by the application
• Income sources and amounts for every household member
• The last four digits of the Social Security number of the adult signing the application (or check the box indicating no SSN). The number is not required when applying for a foster child or with a SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR case number.

When filling out the form, list yourself as the adult completing the application and include the child and other household members as the form directs. The child's biological parents are not included unless they are part of your household under the application's instructions.

Income thresholds change each year. For the current school year, check the income guidelines posted on your school district's nutrition services page or ask the school office for a paper copy.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Schools

Many Washington schools — particularly in urban areas and lower-income communities — participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). At CEP schools, every enrolled student receives free breakfast and lunch regardless of individual household income. No application is needed.

Check whether the child's school participates in CEP before you fill out a meal application. If it's a CEP school, the child eats for free automatically once enrolled.

Why the Application Still Matters at Non-CEP Schools

Even if you think your income is too high for free meals, consider applying anyway. The application determines eligibility for reduced-price meals (a small copay instead of full price). Ask the district whether it offers any separate program that covers the copay.

Washington's Child Nutrition Eligibility and Education Benefit Application also collects information schools use for other education and funding programs. Do not assume that meal eligibility automatically provides a separate benefit; ask the district which applications or consent forms are needed for fee waivers or after-school programs.

What You Don't Need

You don't need court custody or legal guardianship to apply for school meals on behalf of a child in your care. The application is based on where the child lives and the household's income.

You don't need the biological parent's information unless they live in your household. If they don't live with you, they're not on the form.

You don't need an RCW 7.70.065 declaration for the meal application itself, although you'll need it for the medical consent situations that come up alongside school enrollment.

Applying Early

Submit the meal application as soon as the child enrolls. Districts must process applications within 10 operating days. Eligibility normally begins when the application is approved and entered into the district's system; some districts have OSPI-approved flexibility to use the submission date. Ask the district whether it can refund meals purchased before approval rather than assuming earlier purchases will be credited.

If the child is a mid-year enrollment, don't wait for the start of a new semester. Applications are accepted year-round.

The Washington Consent Guide for Kinship Caregivers walks through school enrollment and the related paperwork — including meal applications, immunization forms, and medication authorization — so you can handle everything in one organized process instead of piecemeal.

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