Get ready for a new grant opportunity for schools! New funding can likely be used to increase access to food to improve school attendance, reduce suspensions and support student academic achievement.

A Request for Applications is tentatively scheduled to be available this month on the CDE's website . Once released, a quick turnaround for applications is expected.

To prepare, we urge you to consider how to partner with your district to support academic achievement by increasing access to nutritious foods for students and their families. Actions could include:

• Implementing  Breakfast After the Bell

• Ensuring students have  adequate time to eat

• Providing meals free of charge to all students

• Connecting children and their families to nutrition assistance programs, such as CalFresh and WIC

For ideas of research supported actions that your school district can take to address student attendance and suspensions and improve academic achievement, see 

CFPA's  Research Summary: School Nutrition and Academic Achievement. PDF

For more information about the new grant program, see the School-Based Health Alliance's webinar recording and   presentation slides or visit the CDE website.

The Alliance to Transform CalFresh will host an informational webinar:  CalFresh Verification - New Laws and Promising Practices on Thursday, March 23rd at 2:00 PM PST. 

Register today to learn more about SB 1232 and how this law impacts verifications, deductions, and client information. 

Attendees will learn: 

• The ways SB 1232 protects clients rights and what your county must do 

• New technology that may reduce the verification burden for CalFresh applicants and avoiding over-verification 

• Limits of the new technologies and the ways you can support your clients to address data error
• Opportunities to maximize deductions and increase benefit amounts 

• Tools to avoid over-verifications

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.