The CARE for Kids Act of 2024 expands access to free or reduced-price school meals for vulnerable children by broadening the direct certification process under the National School Lunch Program. The bill extends meal eligibility to children in foster care or kinship guardianship arrangements, children receiving adoption assistance payments, children living in low-income family housing with grandparent caregivers, and children receiving certain Native American housing assistance. Additionally, the legislation allows meal eligibility determinations to transfer and be honored when children move between school districts, with an extra year of eligibility for children who recently began living with grandparent or relative caregivers. The bill also expands automatic eligibility by including children who receive Medicaid benefits through foster care programs or supplemental security income. The measure affects school districts nationwide and children in non-traditional living arrangements, with no specific funding amount or implementation timeline specified in the legislation.
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