Florida Department of Health Child Care Food Program available at local child care centers
Press release from Episcopal Children’s Services
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Episcopal Children’s Services, Inc. announces its intent to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child Care Food Program, which is a federally funded program that reimburses childcare providers for serving nutritious meals and snacks to enrolled, eligible children. Meals will be available at no separate charge to all participants enrolled at the centers listed below, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
| Episcopal Children’s Services, Inc. Eden Park Head Start | 1340 NE 39th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32609 |
| Episcopal Children’s Services, Inc. Highlands Head Start | 1132 NE 16th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32601 |
| Episcopal Children’s Services. Inc. Eastside Head Start | 1930 NE Waldo Road Gainesville, FL 32609 |
| __________________________________________________ | _________________________________________________ |
Parents/guardians of children eligible for free and reduced-price meals must complete an application. Eligibility information includes the names of all household members; income of each household member or household member’s Food Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) case number or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) case number; signature of an adult household member; and, if the application includes income information, the last four digits of the social security number (SSN) of the adult household member signing the application or an indication that this adult does not have a SSN.
Children who are members of households receiving Food Assistance Program or TANF benefits, children enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start, and foster children are automatically eligible to receive free meal benefits with appropriate documentation.
Children from families whose income is at or below the levels shown on the chart below are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The policy statement for free and reduced-price meals is on file at the childcare centers and may be reviewed by any interested party.
Income Eligibility Guidelines (Effective July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023)
| Household Size | Free Meals | Reduced-Price Meals | ||||
| Annual | Monthly | Weekly | Annual | Monthly | Weekly | |
| 1 | 16,744 | 1,396 | 322 | 23,828 | 1,986 | 459 |
| 2 | 22,646 | 1,888 | 436 | 32,227 | 2,686 | 620 |
| 3 | 28,548 | 2,379 | 549 | 40,626 | 3,386 | 782 |
| 4 | 34,450 | 2,871 | 663 | 49,025 | 4,086 | 943 |
| 5 | 40,352 | 3,363 | 776 | 57,424 | 4,786 | 1,105 |
| 6 | 46,254 | 3,855 | 890 | 65,823 | 5,486 | 1,266 |
| 7 | 52,156 | 4,347 | 1,003 | 74,222 | 6,186 | 1,428 |
| 8 | 58,058 | 4,839 | 1,117 | 82,621 | 6,886 | 1,589 |
| For each add’l member, add: | +5,902 | +492 | +114 | +8,399 | +700 | +162 |
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20PComplaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
- fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email: