What is the threshold at which a school gets community eligibility for FARMs?

[Anonymous]

Bumping this because I just did some research and I thought I would share the relevant links with the DCUM community.

In summary: a DCPS school is currently listed as 99% FARMS if it chooses to offer free breakfast and lunches using the Community Eligibility Option of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. To be eligible it needs to have a certain % of low-income students, and the threshold seems to be of having :

[at least 40% of] “identified students”- those certified without application for free school meals because they are in foster care or Head Start, are homeless, migrant or living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamps, TANF cash assistance or the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation benefits. "

http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/community-eligibility/

So a school listing 80% FARMS may have more FARMS eligible students than another listing 99% FARMS, but has chosen to not go with the Community Eligibility Option, which would have allowed it and families to be rid of all the corresponding paperwork. I would be interested in hearing what the advantages are of not using the Community Eligibility Option when a school qualifies, and it's my understanding that any school with over 40% low-income students qualifies, so any school with over 40% FARMS would too.

http://greatergreatereducation.org/post/22378/why-are-so-many-dcps-schools-listed-as-99-low-income-its-not-necessarily-because-they-are/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because I just did some research and I thought I would share the relevant links with the DCUM community.

In summary: a DCPS school is currently listed as 99% FARMS if it chooses to offer free breakfast and lunches using the Community Eligibility Option of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. To be eligible it needs to have a certain % of low-income students, and the threshold seems to be of having :

[at least 40% of] “identified students”- those certified without application for free school meals because they are in foster care or Head Start, are homeless, migrant or living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamps, TANF cash assistance or the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation benefits. "

http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/community-eligibility/

So a school listing 80% FARMS may have more FARMS eligible students than another listing 99% FARMS, but has chosen to not go with the Community Eligibility Option, which would have allowed it and families to be rid of all the corresponding paperwork. I would be interested in hearing what the advantages are of not using the Community Eligibility Option when a school qualifies, and it's my understanding that any school with over 40% low-income students qualifies, so any school with over 40% FARMS would too.

http://greatergreatereducation.org/post/22378/why-are-so-many-dcps-schools-listed-as-99-low-income-its-not-necessarily-because-they-are/

Go the DCPS Interactive Data Center www.dcpsdatacenter.com

On the "How Does Your School Compare" tab, you can get the actual Free and Reduced Meal Eligible percentage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because I just did some research and I thought I would share the relevant links with the DCUM community.

In summary: a DCPS school is currently listed as 99% FARMS if it chooses to offer free breakfast and lunches using the Community Eligibility Option of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. To be eligible it needs to have a certain % of low-income students, and the threshold seems to be of having :

[at least 40% of] “identified students”- those certified without application for free school meals because they are in foster care or Head Start, are homeless, migrant or living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamps, TANF cash assistance or the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation benefits. "

http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/community-eligibility/

So a school listing 80% FARMS may have more FARMS eligible students than another listing 99% FARMS, but has chosen to not go with the Community Eligibility Option, which would have allowed it and families to be rid of all the corresponding paperwork. I would be interested in hearing what the advantages are of not using the Community Eligibility Option when a school qualifies, and it's my understanding that any school with over 40% low-income students qualifies, so any school with over 40% FARMS would too.

http://greatergreatereducation.org/post/22378/why-are-so-many-dcps-schools-listed-as-99-low-income-its-not-necessarily-because-they-are/

Can't be right. Says my school is around 40% FARMS when the DCPS profile says 70% (and just looking around the school, no way is it only 40%. ).


Go the DCPS Interactive Data Center www.dcpsdatacenter.com

On the "How Does Your School Compare" tab, you can get the actual Free and Reduced Meal Eligible percentage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because I just did some research and I thought I would share the relevant links with the DCUM community.

In summary: a DCPS school is currently listed as 99% FARMS if it chooses to offer free breakfast and lunches using the Community Eligibility Option of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. To be eligible it needs to have a certain % of low-income students, and the threshold seems to be of having :

[at least 40% of] “identified students”- those certified without application for free school meals because they are in foster care or Head Start, are homeless, migrant or living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamps, TANF cash assistance or the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation benefits. "

http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/community-eligibility/

So a school listing 80% FARMS may have more FARMS eligible students than another listing 99% FARMS, but has chosen to not go with the Community Eligibility Option, which would have allowed it and families to be rid of all the corresponding paperwork. I would be interested in hearing what the advantages are of not using the Community Eligibility Option when a school qualifies, and it's my understanding that any school with over 40% low-income students qualifies, so any school with over 40% FARMS would too.

http://greatergreatereducation.org/post/22378/why-are-so-many-dcps-schools-listed-as-99-low-income-its-not-necessarily-because-they-are/

Go the DCPS Interactive Data Center www.dcpsdatacenter.com

On the "How Does Your School Compare" tab, you can get the actual Free and Reduced Meal Eligible percentage.

Can't be right. Says my school is around 40% FARMS when the DCPS profile says 70% (and just looking around the school, no way is it only 40%. ).

[Anonymous]

PS the data center says Oyster is 10.7% FARMS while DCPS profile says 25%. Anybody know why the discrepancy?

[Anonymous]

Maybe the DCPS profile gives actual data and the data center gives the predicted number used for making the budget for 2014-15?

[Anonymous]

Data from different years?

[Anonymous]

Pettiness: why call it "how does your school compare" when there is no comparison option to look at multiple schools at the same time?

[Anonymous]

Also, how do they calculate FARM eligibility at the community eligibility schools, where no one has to fill out income paperwork?

[Anonymous]

There are huge differences between the FARMs figures on http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/ and on the DCPS Interactive Data Center beyond only the "99%" shortcut/fako versus real figure. Example: Bancroft 70ish% on dcps and 38ish% on DCPS Interactive Data Center. Weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do all the kids get free lunches including little larla?

YES. Even rich little blue-eyed, blonde Hansel and Gretel could well end up getting free lunches because DCPS would sooner not collect applications and not actually verify incomes.

They do as do little brown eyed kids too, everyone eats for free in DC : )

[Anonymous]

The "99% FARMS" is definitely misleading and is probably a huge turnoff to many families. In some cases the actual FARMS percentage is less than 50%, which is a far cry from 99%. There are no doubt families that would hesitate to send their kids to a 99% FARMS school, but who would have no qualms at all about sending their kid to a 47% FARMS school. DCPS really does itself a huge disservice by listing those schools as 99% FARMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The "99% FARMS" is definitely misleading and is probably a huge turnoff to many families. In some cases the actual FARMS percentage is less than 50%, which is a far cry from 99%. There are no doubt families that would hesitate to send their kids to a 99% FARMS school, but who would have no qualms at all about sending their kid to a 47% FARMS school. DCPS really does itself a huge disservice by listing those schools as 99% FARMS.

I doubt there is any 99% FARMS school that is actually 50% FARMS. But I agree that publicizing the true number for the supposedly 99% FARMS schools would be helpful.

[Anonymous]

It's not like you hit 90% FARM and you are listed as 99% FARM--they have no idea because they don't collect the data. Instead, they use other sources. See below for info from the site.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision

"The CEP allows schools that predominantly serve low-income children to offer free, nutritious school meals to all students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The CEP uses information from other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance Program for Needy Families (TANF) instead of traditional paper applications."

[Anonymous]

Somebody who cares enough about this question to spend the time should ask DCPS (by email and/or phone) 1) why the FARMS figures in the profiles and the data center don't agree (for all schools, including those WOTP) and 2) if they can put the real FARMS figures in the profiles for those now listed as 99% FARMS.