The CARE for Kids Act expands eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals by broadening who automatically qualifies through the federal school lunch program. The bill extends meal benefits to children in kinship care (living with grandparents or relatives), children receiving adoption or guardianship assistance payments, children in foster care or involved with state child welfare agencies, and children in families receiving Native American housing assistance. The legislation also allows eligibility determinations to transfer when students move between school districts and extends that eligibility for one additional year if a child recently began living with a relative caregiver. Additionally, the bill clarifies that children receiving Medicaid benefits through foster care or Supplemental Security Income programs automatically qualify for meal assistance. No specific funding amounts or implementation timelines are provided in the bill.
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