Announcing FREE Breakfast & Lunch for All Learners + HDC Form

We are thrilled to announce that we will be serving breakfast this year AND through the Summer Seamless Program, we will serve both breakfast and lunch for FREE to every Empower Generations learner throughout the 2021-22 school year!

We also want to remind you to fill out the HDC Form. Please read below to understand why we ask each family to do so.

Reminders: HDC Form

The start of school means getting to know new friends, staff, and routines, and, of course, filling out lots of paperwork!

One form that is especially important for schools to get from families is called the Household Data Collection (HDC) Form. This form needs to be filled out for every learner and submitted each year by October 31. It can be submitted through our Reg Online/Pathways student information system. Please complete online via Reg Online/Pathways by October 1.

Some people have heard that it is only necessary to fill out this form if you want your child to qualify for free or reduced-price school breakfast and/or lunch. The truth is that it is important for EVERY family to fill out this form, because doing so helps bring much-needed additional money and services directly to our school!

Our school receives funding from the state and federal governments to support the needs of low-income learners. For each learner who qualifies under the HDC form, our school receives thousands of additional dollars in funding. Studies show that many eligible students, in particular middle school and high school students, do not complete this form each year, leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for our school on the table. Even a small increase in eligible forms collected results in significantly more money to support our learners and school.

What is the Household Data Collection Form?

This form collects basic information about your learner so our school can determine their eligibility and qualify to receive extra money and programs to support learners. You may have heard this form referred to in the past as the School Meal Application Form or School Lunch Form. The name has changed because it is really about more than school breakfast/lunch.

How does filling out the HDC Form help our school?

Schools get more money in their budgets to support learners. Our school qualifies to receive more money per learner from the state and federal government, which they can pass on to our school.

Help! The form is confusing!

Income information: Some parents have asked whether they need to provide this information if they know that they are not eligible. The form does require that families enter income. This information is not shared and is required for those seeking free or reduced-price meal eligibility. However, a family that does not wish to be considered for eligibility may fill out a form, complete both the household income and household size as 0.

Completing in this manner will exclude you from being considered but will show your form as turned in.

Is the Information I submit confidential?

The information you submit on the HDC Form cannot be shared by our school.

Personal information submitted on the form is not shared with the state or federal government; only the number of learners who qualify is shared.

Facilitators are not told which learners qualify for these benefits. Our school does not share information with other organizations that provide benefits.

What if I still have questions?

If you run into any problems, you can always contact the staff at our school for individual assistance. You can reach them by calling 661-429-3262 or emailing shantoria.goodman@ileadinnovationstudios.org.

We thank you for your continued support of Empower Generations!

Malaka Donovan
School Director

Letter to Households for Community Eligibility Provision Schools/Districts

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 conducted or funded by USDA.  

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: How to File a Complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: 

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; 
2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or 
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.