TRAVERSE CITY - Traverse City Area Public Schools is urging households to fill out the Free & Reduced Meal Application that will help fund vital programs for all TCAPS students prior to the October 1st deadline.
The information collected from the application will be used to determine the amount of funding TCAPS schools will receive from a variety of state and federal supplemental programs. These programs offer services for students, including instructional support, professional learning for staff, parent and community engagement activities, and technology.
“This benefits form is really important first and foremost to make sure every kid that qualifies under the federal program for a free and reduced breakfast and lunch receives those services.” TCAPS superintendent John VanWagoner said. “There are also lots of other grants we get from the federal government and from the state based on us having these forms turned in so we ask all families, turn this form in, it helps with benefits and grants for their schools directly affecting all kids.”
To apply, families can fill out the form linked here. The application can also be found in the TCAPS newsletter, or families can go right to their building and fill out the form.
VanWagoner reiterated the importance of filling out the form, saying, “with the lack of forms filled out in the past we have lost some grants so we need to boost the amount of people that fill this application out to help every school but it’s going to be absolutely essential that is filled out because the breakfast and lunch program at the state level may go away and we will be reliant on only the federal programs.”