CARE for Kids Act of 2024

This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand automatic eligibility and direct certification for free or reduced-price school meals for certain children, particularly those in kinship care, foster care, adoption assistance, or living with grandparent or older relative caregivers.

Sec. 2, Enhancing direct certification: The bill adds new categories of children who can be directly certified for free meals without a separate application, including children placed with a caregiver through a state or tribal child welfare agency, children receiving adoption assistance or kinship guardianship payments, and children living in low-income housing with a grandparent or older caregiver or receiving Native American housing assistance.

Sec. 3, Extended eligibility: When a child who is already certified for free or reduced-price meals transfers to a school in a different school district, the new district must honor that eligibility. If the child began living with a grandparent or other relative caregiver within the 12 months before enrolling, the new district must extend the eligibility for an additional year beyond the original period.

Sec. 4, Expanding automatic eligibility: The bill adds the same new categories of children (those placed by child welfare agencies, receiving adoption or kinship guardianship payments, or living with grandparent or older caregivers in low-income or Native American housing) to the list of children who are automatically eligible for free meals without further application.

Sec. 5, Medicaid direct certification: The bill clarifies that children receiving Medicaid because they are in foster care or receiving adoption assistance, or because they receive Supplemental Security Income, are included in the definition of "eligible child" for direct certification under the school lunch program.