Healthy School Meals for All Program

The Healthy School Meals for All program allows public School Food Authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs to provide free meals to all students beginning School Year 2023-24. Additional components of the program, including funding to increase wages or provide stipends for front line kitchen staff and incentives to purchase local food, are subject to appropriations and may be available in future years. 

How To Apply

Application Instructions

SFAs will indicate whether they opt-in to the program via the School Nutrition Programs application in the Colorado Nutrition Portal. The application should reflect CDE’s operating recommendations in order to maximize federal reimbursements. Applications are due annually in September.

How to Claim

Sponsors operating the Healthy School Meals for All program will follow CDE School Nutrition's standard claiming guidance

Program Requirements

Any Colorado public school district, charter school food authority, day treatment facility, or Residential Child Care Institution that participates in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program may opt into the Healthy School Meals for All program. HSMA is optional; SFAs are not required to participate. To participate, a SFA must:

• Provide annual notice of participation to the department of education
• Maximize the amount of federal reimbursement by implementing CDE’s operating recommendations, which may include CEP, Provision 2, and/or non-Provisional program sites.
• Provide free meals to all students enrolled in participating schools 
• Complete activities identified in the HSMA Application Collection Policy (for sites not recommended for CEP)

Private schools are not eligible to opt into HSMA.

In School Year 2024-25, the local food purchasing program pilot was extended. The implementation of the wages and stipends program is delayed until the 2025-26 school year, subject to available funding. 

Policy & Guidance

• House Bill 24-1390 
• House Bill 22-1414
• Healthy School Meals for All State Board Rules

Program Resources:

Program Outreach

Use outreach materials to communicate about your participation in the program and communicate to families about the importance of providing household income information.

Use these videos to share information in your community about Healthy School Meals for All.

Technical Advisory Workgroup

Overview

HB24-1390 Requires CDE to establish and regularly convene the technical advisory work group to make the following recommendations to the legislature: 

• Identify ways to maximize federal reimbursements
• Reduce costs of the program
• Review cost-savings options, including minimizing food waste
• Strengthen the long-term resiliency of the healthy school meals for all cash fund
• Create model revenue scenarios
• Provide options and recommendations to balance program revenues and expenditures

CDE will work with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Office of State Planning and Budget and a team of expert facilitators and researchers to lead an open and transparent process that includes robust stakeholder engagement. 

A second public comment period is available Oct. 21 through Nov. 1 to share public feedback around policy solutions. 

Public Comment Policy Options: English, Spanish

Task Force Meeting Attendees

Upcoming Meetings

• October 22, 2024

Meeting dates are subject to change.

Past Meeting Summaries

View past meeting notes and focus group summaries in this google folder. 

Contact Us

Brehan Riley, Executive Director, at riley_b@cde.state.co.us.