# Understanding the CARE for Kids Act of 2021

This bill makes it easier for children in vulnerable situations to automatically qualify for free or reduced-price school meals without their families having to fill out complicated applications. Right now, many kids who need help getting meals fall through the cracks because their families don't know they qualify or the paperwork process is too confusing. This bill aims to fix that by expanding who automatically gets meal assistance.

The main change is that the bill adds several new groups of children who should be automatically certified for free meals. This includes children in foster care or kinship care (living with grandparents or other relatives), children whose families receive adoption assistance payments, and children living in low-income housing with grandparents or other older relatives caring for them full-time. It also covers Native American children whose families receive housing assistance. The bill specifically mentions that schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education can participate in this automatic certification process, ensuring rural and tribal communities aren't left out.

Another important part of the bill helps kids who move between school districts. If a child qualifies for free or reduced meals at one school and then transfers to a different school in a different district, their eligibility automatically transfers with them. In some cases, the bill extends their eligibility for an extra year if they recently moved in with a grandparent or relative who's now caring for them. This prevents kids from losing meal benefits during transitions, which is especially important for children in unstable housing situations or those being raised by relatives.

The bill also expands automatic eligibility through Medicaid. Children who receive Medicaid benefits—particularly those in foster care or receiving adoption assistance—will now be automatically eligible for school meals without needing separate applications. This streamlines the process by using information states already have, making it simpler for schools to identify eligible children and ensuring fewer kids go hungry.

CARE for Kids Act of 2021

Hayes, Jahana

Caregivers, Access, and Responsible Expansion for Kids Act of 2021 or the CARE for Kids Act of 2021 This bill extends eligibility for the National School Lunch Program and school breakfast program of the Department of Agriculture. A local educational agency (including any school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education) may certify as eligible for free lunches or breakfasts the following: <ul> <li> children whose placement with a caregiver was carried out with the involvement of an agency that administers a state plan or a tribal child welfare agency, without regard to whether the agency is responsible for the care and placement of the child;</li> <li>children being raised by a relative who receives adoption or guardianship assistance; and</li> <li>children of a family that lives in housing dedicated to low-income families with a caregiver who is a grandparent or another older person that cares for the child full-time or that receives housing or housing assistance under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996.</li> </ul> The bill also extends eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunches for children who were determined to be eligible in the school year prior to placement with a grandparent or relative for the school year immediately following placement. The bill provides children who receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program with direct certification for free lunches and breakfasts under the school lunch and breakfast programs.