Dexter ES: School Meals Program

Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS homeless, MIGRANT, OR RUNAWAY? Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get free meals, please call or e-mail [school, homeless liaison or migrant coordinator].

Do I need to fill out an application for each child? No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: [name, address, phone number].

SHOULD I FILL OUT AN APPLICATION IF I RECEIVED A LETTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR SAYING MY CHILDREN ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR FREE MEALS? No, but please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact [name, address, phone number, e-mail] immediately.

CAN I APPLY ONLINE? Yes! You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit [website] to begin or to learn more about the online application process. Contact [name, address, phone number, e-mail] if you have any questions about the online application.

MY CHILD’S APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR. DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE? Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, through [date]. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals , your child will be charged the full price for meals.

I GET WIC. CAN MY CHILDREN GET FREE MEALS? Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please send in an application.

Will the information I give be checked? Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report.

If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application? You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: [name, address, phone number, e-mail].

May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals.

What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

WHAT IF SOME HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HAVE NO INCOME TO REPORT? Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

We are in the military. do we REPORT OUR INCOME DIFFERENTLY? Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income.

WHAT IF THERE ISN'T ENOUGH SPACE ON THE APPLICATION FOR MY FAMILY? List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper, and attach it to your application. Contact [name, address, phone number, e-mail] to receive a second application.

My family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for? To find out how to apply for [State SNAP] or other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office or call [State hotline number].

If you have other questions or need help, call the number to the right.

#1 - Most Convenient:  Secure web based payment with a credit card through the "K12PaymentCenter" at  https://www.k12paymentcenter.com/.

Food Service Accounts and Payment

The Child Nutrition Program is operated on a prepay computerized accounting system. There should not be any student borrowing. Parents/guardians are responsible for keeping accounts current.

If the balance reaches $5.00 an attempt to contact the sponsor will be made by telephone. If the sponsor cannot be contacted after three attempts, a letter will be mailed requesting that the outstanding charges be paid. If the balance is not paid within five (5) working days, the assistance of the community superintendent and the sponsor's military commander may be sought.

You may call for an account balance at any time.

Money may be sent with the student in an envelope with the student's name and teacher, or parents may come to the cafeteria to make payments. Please do NOT come to make a payment during serving hours.

• Parents/guardians making payments for more than one student in the family should indicate the names of the students and teachers.
• Make checks payable to "Dependents School Lunch Fund."
• Personal checks submitted for payment that have insufficient funds will be sent to MWR for collection. (Checks can be redeemed at Building 2783. Telephone numbers are 706-545-6264 or 706-545-2448.)

Lunch Prepay Program - Web Prepayment system for school meals

LunchPrepay.com is a secure, easy and convenient way to apply funds directly to your student's account online. You can even check the account balance and keep an eye on what your student is buying! As an added convenience, parents can receive a Low Balance notification email alerting the parent that the student's account will need another payment applied soon. www.LunchPrepay.com has been designed to make it easy for you to know exactly what information you need to provide and to guide you through the process.   LunchPrepay.com

Lunch Prepay Facts.

• Allows parents to track what their children are purchasing in the school cafeteria.  Website provides access to a 45-day history of what students are buying for breakfast and lunch.
• Parents receive premium membership on a secure site to prepay for school meals, track history of food purchases, and have the assurance of knowing lunch money they send from home actually makes it to school.
• If a child's account becomes low on funds parents receive low balance alerts by e-mail.
• Using LunchPrepay.com removes the stress that comes with making sure children have money for lunch and ensures they are making good nutritional choices.
• Parents need the students ID number to enroll a student in LunchPrepay.com (not the 3-4 digit lunch room pin number) Contact the Child Nutrition Department at your location to obtain your students ID number.
• There is a 5% charge, when a parent adds money to their student's account. (Example, if a parent adds $20. on their students account, after that 5% fee is added the total cost would be $21 for that transaction).