Method To Apply

Healthy School Meals for All

Jeffco Food and Nutrition Services believes that access to healthy meals is essential to student success. Thanks to the passage of the Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) in November 2022, beginning with school year 2023-24, all students will eat at no cost, regardless of income eligibility.

Despite all students eating at no cost, families are encouraged to fill out a Meal Benefits Application beginning July 1, in order to maximize other potential benefits being offered by the District (i.e. fee waivers). Jeffco utilizes SchoolCafé for online applications, but feel free to contact FNS or your school if you would prefer a paper form.

Prior to submitting a Meal Benefits Application, please review the Annual Family Letters below. Online Meal Benefits Applications will be submitted through SchoolCafé.com. Returning users can log in to submit their Meal Benefit application for the 2023-2024 school year on or after July 1st. First-time users of SchoolCafé will need to create an account. Instructions for creating an account and completing a Form are available below.

Families must submit a new Meal Benefits Application every year. Forms will be available starting July 1 every year.

Benefits to completing a Meal Benefits Application:

  • Schools receive important funding and resources based on the number of Meal Benefits Applications completed

  • School fee reductions

  • While fee waivers or reductions in fees will vary from school to school, the following fees can be waived or reduced, based on eligibility:

  1. Transportation

  2. Technology

  3. Outdoor Lab

  4. Field Trips

If you have other questions or need help, contact our School Nutrition Office at (303) 982-6916 or FreeAndReduced@jeffco.k12.co.us. 

If you elect to fill out a paper form, please return the completed and signed Meal Benefits Application to the front office at your school or the Food & Nutrition Office at 809 Quail Street, Building 1, Lakewood, CO 80215.

View 2023-2024 Family Letters:

English

Español (Spanish)

Русский (Russian)

tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

View 2023-2024 Meal Benefit Applications

English

Español (Spanish)

Русский (Russian)

tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

How to Create a SchoolCafé Account: 

• English

• Español (Spanish)

• Русский (Russian)

• tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

How to Apply Online with SchoolCafé :

• English

• Español (Spanish)

• Русский (Russian)

• tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

Despite meals being served at no cost, students may qualify for other fee waivers. When completing the Meal Benefits Application, families have the option of consenting to the disclosure of the form information to waive school district/program fees.

Please allow at least 10 business days to hear back from the Food & Nutrition Office after submitting a Meal Benefits Application to allow time for processing.

Formal complaints regarding civil rights violations in relation to meal benefits can be filed by filling out this form: 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at:https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.