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Iowa: Apply for free and reduced lunch in the jmc Family portal
Iowa: Apply for free and reduced lunch in the jmc Family portal

Use the jmc Family portal to apply for free and reduced lunch online.

Bill McElmury avatar
Written by Bill McElmury
Updated over a week ago

Applications for free/reduced lunch can be submitted online! jmc Family portal helps families quickly and efficiently apply for free/reduced meals. This is a great time saver!

The necessary household and income information is entered online, jmc receives it, and then processes the application without requiring paper copies. Additionally, the application can be included in the yearly registration process for registering for the next school year.

To apply for free and reduced lunch online, log in to the jmc Family portal and navigate to "Register for 20XX-20XX" > Meals Application to follow the steps to submit an application.

Step One: Click the "Next" button on the welcome screen to advance to the next step.

Step Two: Click the "Next" button once you have read the eligibility criteria regarding the free/reduced lunch application, or click the "Back" button to return to the previous screen.

Step Three: Click the "Next" button once you have entered the first, middle, last name, and suffix of the adult household member who is completing the application, or the "Back" button to return to the previous page.

Fun Fact: The "Today's Date" field is automatically populated to timestamp the application.

Step Four: Click the "Next" button after reviewing the list of students in your household on record in jmc Office or click the "Back" button to return to the previous page.

Step Five: Place a checkmark in the checkbox if anyone in your household (including you) currently participates in any of the listed state or federal benefit programs. If you did not place a checkmark in any of the checkboxes click the "Next" button to continue the application.

Fun Fact: If you placed a checkmark in a checkbox you will be prompted to enter a case number to verify your eligibility and jump ahead to step thirteen after clicking the "Next" button.

Step Six: Place a checkmark in the "At least one student applicant lives with you under a court-ordered foster care arrangement, receives assistance under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, participates in the Migrant Education Program, or participates in a program under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act checkbox if your household qualifies for any program listed. Click the "Next" button if none of the situations apply or to continue the application.

  • Foster Care: the student lives with you under a formal (court-ordered) foster care arrangement.

  • McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act: provides Federal money for homeless shelter programs and facilitates public school access for homeless children and youth.

  • Migrant Education Program (MEP): provides services to children who have moved across school district lines, within the last three years, in order to accompany or join a parent or guardian who seeks or obtains temporary or seasonal work in agriculture or fishing.

  • Runaway and Homeless Youth Act: authorizes community-based runaway and homeless youth projects to provide temporary shelter and care to youth who are in need of temporary shelter, counseling, and aftercare services.

Helpful Tip: If you placed a checkmark in the "At least one student applicant lives with you..." checkbox in step six, place a checkmark next to the qualifying program(s) checkbox(s) to indicate the specific program(s) that apply to your student(s). Click the "Next" button to continue and jump ahead to step thirteen.

Step Seven: Click the "+ Add New Child" button to add any other kiddo in your family not listed.

  • Enter their first and last name in the appropriate fields

  • Click the "Save" link to add the child to the family or click the "Cancel" link to discard your entry

Click the "Next" button to continue the application.

Step Eight: Place a checkmark in the "At least one child or student has income from any of these, or any other source" checkbox if income is received from a job, supplemental security, social security, money received from extended family or friends not living in the household, or money from a pension, annuity or trust if the student received income from any of the listed sources. Click the "Next" button to continue the application.

Helpful Tip: If you placed a checkmark in the "At least one child or student has income..." checkbox in step eight, place a checkmark in the checkbox "Total income earned from a full or part-time job(s)", "Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security survivor benefits", "Money regularly received from extended family or friends outside the household", "Pension, annuity, or trust" and "Any other source of income" to indicate the student's source of income. Enter the income amount in the "$" field to specify the dollar amount and the frequency it is received. Click the "Next" button to continue.

Step Nine: Click the "+ Add New Adult" button to add any other adults in your household not listed.

  • Enter their first and last name in the appropriate fields

  • Click the "Save" link to add the adult to the household or click the "Cancel" link to discard your entry

Click the "Next" button to continue the application.

Step Ten: Place a checkmark next to the checkbox under "Military", "Job", "SSI/Cash Assistance", and "Alimony/Child Support" sections to indicate any type of income received by the referenced adult.

Step Eleven: Enter the income amount in the "$" field to specify the dollar amount and the frequency it is received. Click the "Next" button to continue with the application.

Step Twelve: Enter the last 4 digits of your social security number in the "Last 4 Digits of SSN*" field to document your social security information or place a checkmark in the "No SSN" checkbox if you do not have a social security number. Click the "Next" button to continue with the application.

Step Thirteen: Enter your contact information in the appropriate fields and your state in the "Please Select a State" drop-down list in case further details are needed.

Step Fourteen: Place a checkmark in the "I would like to provide ethnic/racial information for the students attending school" checkbox to answer race/ethnicity questions for each child.

  • Select the "Hispanic or Latino" or "Non Hispanic or Latino" radio button to indicate your child's ethnicity.

  • Place a checkmark in the appropriate race checkboxes to indicate your child's race.

Click the "Next" button to continue with the application.

Step Fifteen: Place a checkmark in the "I wish to opt-out of having my information released to Hawki or Medicaid" checkbox if you do not want to share your eligibility income with Hawki or Medicaid, the State's medical insurance program for children. Click the "Next" button to continue.

Step Sixteen: Place a checkmark in the "I certify the information on this page is correct to the best of my knowledge" checkbox after reviewing the submitted application to confirm the information is correct.

Step Seventeen: Enter your name in the "Signature of Parent/guardian" field to sign the Waiver Statement to be considered for a full or partial waiver of school fees.

Step Eighteen: Click the "Submit" button to send your application for review or the "back" button to modify any details.

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