Free and Reduced Meals (NSLP)

Accessed from the navigation tree under the Student Data then the Programs node.   Click the mouse on Free and Reduced Meals. Entering the Free and Reduced Meals data below will create a Program record for the CALPADS SPRG file with an Education Program Code of 181 - Free or 182 - Reduced. A Special Programs (PGM) record should not be entered.



Aeries Field Name
Aeries Table.Field

CALPADS

FldNum

CALPADS Name

Comment

Lunch Type Code
FRE.CD
03.13
Education Program Code
We recommend using codes F and R. Aeries will convert the correct Ed Program. Your local codes can be translated to the CALPADS codes during extract. CALPADS Code Set: NSLP Code.
NSLP Eligibility Start Date
FRE.ESD
03.15
Education Program Membership Start Date
The Eligibility Date fields are required. Only FRE records with current year dates will be extracted and FRE records without any Eligibility dates will not be extracted.
NSLP Eligibility End Date
FRE.EED
03.16
Education Program Membership End Date
Source TypeFRE.SRC

The Free and Reduced Source field can be used to exclude selected FRE records to be extracted in the SPRG extract. More information: CALPADS Extracts - Other Options Tab


The FRE (NSLP/Free and Reduced Meals) table is a multi-record table and needs to be managed carefully. If there are multiple records for a student, you must have proper Start and End dates.


The Eligibility Date fields are required to extract in the SPRG Student Program file. Only FRE records with current year dates will be extracted. FRE records without any Eligibility Dates will not be extracted.


Aeries will auto-convert a code of F to 181 and a code of R to a 182 when reporting to CALPADS or in the Pre-ID’s.

 

Below are some helpful guidelines to consider with NSLP reporting.


  • No eligibility from Previous School Year is to be reported to CALPADS during the 30 day carry-over period to establish meal eligibility. Eligibility end dates should be populated for previous year’s records.
  • Do not submit an SPRG file until you have eligibility data populated for the current Academic Year.
  • As students transition between statuses in the current school year (Free, Reduced, Paid), close out old FRE records and add new ones to express the new status. Do not overwrite existing records. The FRE table is designed to be a history of the NSLP status of the student and maintaining a history for at least the current school year is critically important to being able to report this information to CALPADS accurately.