Direct Certification (DC)

Direct certification is a provision of the National School Lunch Act that allows school districts to automatically qualify children receiving benefits under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF, or California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKs), Food Stamp Program (FSP), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation (FDPIR) for free and reduced price meals without requiring individual applications.

Official Notices and Management Bulletins

Sample Letters and Mailing Labels

Statistics and Research

Outreach Materials

Getting Started With Direct Certification A detailed guide to setting up direct certification
Direct Certification Fact Sheet Background information on Direct Certification, how it works, the benefits, and more
Best Practices Key components of a successful direct certification process
Peer Advisors List of individuals using direct certification who are available to answer your questions
How County Welfare Offices Can help How county welfare offices can set up direct certification in their counties
Benefits of Direct Certification Summary of the benefits of direct certification has to offer
Frequently Asked Questions Commonly asked questions and their answers
Parent Notices County welfare offices can help make sure qualified children receive free meals at school by notifying parents of their eligibility when they enroll for or receive benefits.
Small School Districts: California's smaller school districts are taking advantage of direct certification. Read how the benefits of direct certification can apply to small school districts as well.
Overcoming Common Barriers

Official Notices and Management Bulletins

CA Department of Education (CDE) Management Bulletin on Direct Certification
Direct Certification Checklist and Policy Statement Addendum
Dept. of Social Services Official Notice on Direct Certification An All-County Information Notice from DSS

Sample Letters and Mailing Labels

Letter to Food Stamp Program Managers
Sample Letter to School Districts
Department of Social Services Food Stamp Program Managers A list of individuals who can help school districts obtain data for direct certification
California School Districts Not On Direct Certification A list of school districts with contact information
Mailing labels for Non DC School Districts

Statistics and Research

USDA study of Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaulation
California Statistics on Direct Certification for 2000-2001 The status of direct certification in California
Free/Reduced Price Meal and CalWORKs Participation by School and District

Now is the Perfect Time Implement Direct Certification!

Of school districts not using direct certification, the following districts have the highest CalWORKs enrollments in the state. You can help make sure that all eligible children in these school districts receive free meals at school by contacting the food service director and encouraging them to use direct certification. Pass along the materials on this website, and encourage them to contact CFPA for assistance.

County	School District
Riverside	Hemet Unified
Los Angeles	Antelope Valley Union High
Tulare	Porterville Unified
Sacramento	Folsom-Cordova Unified
Los Angeles	Hawthorne Elementary
Sacramento	Rio Linda Union Elementary
San Joaquin	Lincoln Unified
Merced	Merced City Elementary
Riverside	Moreno Valley Unified
Orange	Garden Grove Unified
San Joaquin	Lodi Unified

The number of school districts using direct certification is growing! An additional 40 school districts started using the provision for the first time this year. California Food Policy Advocates would like to thank these school districts as well as their corresponding County Offices of Social Services and County Offices of Education for their commitment to ensuring that nutritious school meals are served free of charge to all eligible children.

Interested in directly certifying students in your school district? California Food Policy Advocates has a list of the individuals in each county who work with school districts on direct certification.

For additional information, please contact Aparna Waegner, School Nutrition Advocate, at (661) 799-1875 or aparna@cfpa.net.