The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost, or free lunches to children each school day. The NSLP was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
In Vermont, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in line with federal guidelines to provide nutritious, low-cost or free lunches to children in public and nonprofit private schools, as well as residential childcare institutions. The program is funded by federal dollars and administered at the state level by the Vermont Agency of Education. Eligibility for free or reduced-price meals is determined by family income levels, which must fall below certain thresholds set by the federal government. The NSLP in Vermont not only aims to provide healthy meals to students but also to promote sound eating habits and nutritional education. Schools participating in the program must adhere to nutrition standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the NSLP at the federal level.