The Application for Educational Benefits is an form that the district has asked all families to complete. This is essential because it not only determines the students' lunch aid, but also determines State dollars allocated to support students who need additional resources.  These funding sources generate approximately $80 Million for the district each year, but would be more if more eligible families fill out the form. 

At Lake Harriet, these funds have been used to pay for Associate Educators who support students in the lunchroom, at recess and in the classrooms.

Eligibility is based on family income combined with household size. For example, a household size of 5 with an income of $53,000 would be eligible.  The information is kept in confidence. 

Online: Please visit the site, www.schoolcafe.com, and select the eligibility tab and click on "Apply" to fill out the form.  Complete the registration online by November 30th.  (Because this State Funding threshold is the same as the State Lunch Program threshold, MPS is using the lunch-pay service's  online form to simplify the online process.  You can use it even if your student does not eat lunch at school.  Remember, the eligibility has benefits beyond the lunch program and the school will gain funding for every eligible student.)

Paper Form: If you would like a paper form, please request one from the school. Complete the form by November 30th to help ensure your school gets the funding it needs. 

·  The paper form should be returned to the school in an envelop marked "Educational Benefits"

·  Note, the paper form includes an option to check a "we are not eligible" box.  In this case, please fill out the student information and check the box.  

·  Also, the newsletter editors attempted to get a downloadable file to print from home, but were told that the district scanner doesn't work with home-printed forms, therefore we should use the forms from the school.

Please contact Hashep Seka with questions