Nutrition Services
The St. Vrain Valley School District’s Department of Nutrition Services provides quality, nutritious and well balanced meals to the District’s students. The Department strives to provide meals at a reasonable price and to make sure that all meals meet the National School Breakfast and Lunch nutritional guidelines providing a ¼ of the RDA (recommended dietary guidelines) at breakfast and 1/3 of the RDA’S at lunch for students. In addition to the Department’s goal of providing healthy meals for students, the Department works to be an efficient, self-supporting enterprise program within the District.
Nutrition Services Vision
Dynamic school meals that nourish our community.
Developed October, 2022 by Nutrition Services Leadership Team
Nutrition Services Mission
Creating a welcoming environment that supports the education & well-being of students through nutrition.
Developed October, 2022 by Nutrition Services Kitchen Managers
SVVSD Announces No-Cost Meals For All Students
For the 2024-2025 school year, St Vrain Valley Schools (SVVSD) will provide no-cost Breakfast (at participating sites) and Lunch for all students. (Name of School/Schools) will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision.
Students who are not hungry perform better in school. By providing Breakfast and Lunch to all students, we better support their learning.
It is important for households to still provide income information when requested. While meals will be provided at no cost to all students in participating schools, SVVSD must continue to gather this information to receive full access to state and federal funding. Additional funds go directly to schools to help cover the cost of meals, after-school activities and other nutritional programs for students. Plus, qualifying households may be eligible for Summer EBT benefits and to receive discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utilities support, and more.
The following contains more information on eligibility determination for free and reduced-price meals. Please note that, while the following may reference eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals, Breakfast and Lunch will be provided free to all students in the 2024-2025 school year regardless of household income.
SVVSD announced its policy for determining eligibility of students who meet federal free and reduced-price school meal guidelines served under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, Afterschool Care Snack Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program. Local school officials will use the following household size and income criteria for determining eligibility.
| Household Size | Free Guidelines – Annual Income | Reduced-Price Guidelines – Annual Income |
| 1 | $19,578 | $27,861 |
| 2 | $26,572 | $37,814 |
| 3 | $33,566 | $47,767 |
| 4 | $40,560 | $57,720 |
| 5 | $47,554 | $67,673 |
| 6 | $54,548 | $77,626 |
| 7 | $61,542 | $87,579 |
| 8 | $68,536 | $97,532 |
| For each additional person: | $6,994 | $9,953 |
Children from families whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
The school meals that SVVSD serves follow U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines for healthy school meals.
For information on where to find an application and how to apply, please read the attached letter.
Applications for free and reduced-price school meals, instructions and an informational letter to households are available at 2929 Clover Basin Dr, Longmont or online. Only one application is required for all students in the household. The information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for determining eligibility and verifying data.
Applications from households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) benefits or Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF/Colorado Works, Basic Cash Assistance or State Diversion) benefits need to provide the respective case number and the signature of an adult household member. Eligibility for free school meals is extended to all students in the household when the application provides a case number for any household member.
Households that qualify based upon income must provide the names of all household members related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives or friends), the amount of gross income each household member receives, the frequency and source of pay, the signature of an adult household member and the last four digits of that adult household member’s Social Security number—or check the box if the adult household member does not have a social security number. SVVSD or program officials may verify the information on the application at any time during the school year.
Households with students who are eligible under the Head Start, homeless, migrant, or runaway programs should contact Kari Jacobs for assistance in receiving meal benefits. To complete an application, the household must mark the relevant box to indicate their appropriate eligibility and the signature of an adult household member is required.
Foster students who are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free school meals. Any foster child in the household is eligible for free school meals regardless of income. If a household has only foster students in the home and wishes to apply for free school meals, the application should be completed using the instructions for households with foster children only. If a household has foster and non-foster children living with them and wishes to apply for free school meals, the application should be completed using the instructions for households with foster and non-foster children residing in the home. Including foster children as household members may help other children in the household qualify for meal benefits. If the foster family is not eligible to receive meal benefits, it does not prevent a foster child from receiving free school meals.
An application cannot be approved unless it contains complete eligibility information as indicated on the application and instructions.
When determined by [Insert school district name], that members of a household are receiving assistance from SNAP, TANF, Medicaid or FDPIR, households will be notified of their student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals. If the household receives such notice, no application is required for free or reduced-price school meal benefits. If any students in the household were not listed on the eligibility notice or not listed on the application, the household should contact SVVSD to have benefits extended to all students in the household.
When determined by SVVSD, that an individual child is categorized as homeless, migrant, or runaway or is enrolled in an eligible Head Start program, households will be notified of the child’s eligibility for free school meals. For any students not listed on the eligibility notice, the household should contact SVVSD about eligibility under one of these programs or should submit an application for other students.
SVVSD will notify households of their student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals. The eligibility is valid for the current school year and a carryover period of up to 30 operating days into the next school year. When the carryover period ends, unless the household is notified that their student(s) are directly certified or the household submits an application that is approved, SVVSD will not send a reminder or a notice of expired eligibility and the student must pay full price for school meals. Households notified of their student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals must contact SVVSD if they choose to decline meal benefits.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Please contact your school district.
Under the provision of the free and reduced-price school meal policy, SVVSD will review applications and determine eligibility. If a parent is dissatisfied with the decision, a request may be made to discuss it with the determining official. A formal appeal may be made either orally or in writing to Katie Cossette for a hearing to appeal the decision. SVVSD has a copy of the complete free and reduced-price school meal policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party. The policy contains an outline of the hearing procedure.
Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year. The household may complete an application if any household member(s) have a decrease in income, become unemployed, have an increase in family size, become eligible for SNAP, TANF or FDPIR benefits or become categorically eligible.
If you are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals you may be eligible for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid or FDPIR.
For more information about the above assistance programs please visit: https://coloradopeak.secure.force.com.
Nutrition Services Wins National Innovation Award
July 2023
St. Vrain Valley Schools’ Nutrition Services Department has been nationally recognized for advancing farm-to-school programming and sustainability practices. The district has received the NxtGen Network’s Inaugural Innovation Award in the K12 Operator category.
Featured in the Longmont Leader
Featured in NxtGen Network
Learn more about our Innovation in this featured podcast!
Better School Lunch: Farm-to-School Foodservice and Sustainability podcast