Summer P-EBT 2025 eligibility confusion - do only K-12 kids qualify?
I'm totally confused about the Summer P-EBT for 2025. I have two kids - one in 3rd grade and my younger one is 4 years old in preschool. Last month when I checked my EBT balance, I noticed my older kid got the Summer P-EBT benefits but my preschooler didn't. Does P-EBT only apply to K-12 students? I thought all kids who qualify for free/reduced lunch are eligible? My preschooler's program definitely participates in the free meal program. I called the P-EBT hotline THREE times but gave up after being on hold for over an hour each time. Help please!!
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Sunny Wang
kids in pre-k can get it too if their preschool is part of the national school lunch program or school breakfast program. u should double check with your preschool admin if they actually participate in those specific programs cuz some preschools have their own free meal thing thats different from the federal programs
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Everett Tutum
•Thanks for the response! Now I'm confused because I'm pretty sure they told me when we enrolled that they do participate in the federal meal program. Do you think they might have just forgotten to include my younger one? Or maybe there's some other form I needed to fill out?
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Hugh Intensity
The eligibility for Summer P-EBT 2025 does include children in federally-recognized pre-K programs, but there are specific requirements. Your preschool must participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) specifically - not just offer free meals through another funding source. Many preschools offer free meals through Head Start or other programs that don't qualify for P-EBT. Also, your child needs to be certified for free or reduced-price meals through an application or direct certification. I'd recommend: 1. Ask your preschool administrator specifically about NSLP/SBP participation 2. Confirm they submitted your child's eligibility information to the state 3. Check if there was an additional P-EBT application requirement for pre-K that you might have missed
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Everett Tutum
•This is super helpful, thank you! I think that might be the issue - they might be under Head Start funding. I'll definitely check with the administrator tomorrow. Do you know if there's still time to get the Summer P-EBT retroactively if we find out they do qualify?
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Effie Alexander
If your preschooler is eligible but was missed in the distribution, you can still get the benefit retroactively. The P-EBT timeline allows for corrections up to 120 days after the initial issuance. First, confirm with your preschool exactly which meal program they participate in - get the specific name. Head Start meals don't qualify for P-EBT as the previous poster mentioned. If they do participate in NSLP/SBP, you'll need to contact your county CalFresh office with documentation from the school confirming participation and your child's free/reduced meal status. The county can then submit a correction request to the state. If you're having trouble reaching someone, I'd recommend using Claimyr.com to get through to a live person at the county office. They have a system that waits on hold for you and calls you back when a representative answers. You can see how it works in their video: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 - it saved me hours of hold time when I had a similar issue with missing P-EBT benefits last year.
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Melissa Lin
•wait isnt this a scam?? why would u pay someone just to call calfresh for u???
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Lydia Santiago
MY KID HAD THE SAME ISSUE!!! 5yr old in TK and we didn't get summer P-EBT even though her older brother did. Called and talked to someone FINALLY after like 2 hours on hold. They said the school didn't submit her info correctly and we needed proof from the school that she gets free lunch. Got a letter from the office and had to upload it on the BenefitsCal website under 'Submit Verification' and it took like 6 weeks but we finally got the money loaded. So annoying but worth fighting for!!!!
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Everett Tutum
•Thank you for sharing! That's exactly what I needed to hear. I'll get that documentation from the school asap. 6 weeks is a long wait though... my kids need to eat now 😩
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Romeo Quest
Kids in preK can definitely get P-EBT! My daughter is 4 in Head Start and she got it on her card. But I had to fill out a separate form that her teacher gave me, it wasn't automatic like for my older kids. Might be different in your district tho. Sometimes the cards come separately too, did you check if they maybe sent a separate card for your younger one?
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Hugh Intensity
•Just to clarify - Head Start meals do not qualify for P-EBT unless the specific Head Start program also participates in the National School Lunch Program. Most Head Start centers have their own federal funding for meals that's separate from NSLP. If your child received P-EBT, it's likely your Head Start center is one of the few that also enrolls in NSLP. This distinction is important because it explains why some preschoolers get P-EBT and others don't.
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Val Rossi
not to go off topic but does anyone know when the next round of P-EBT is supposed to come out? my kids qualified last time but i haven't heard anything about this year
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Sunny Wang
•my case worker said they're doing the summer p-ebt drops in 3 phases this year. phase 1 was may, phase 2 is july, phase 3 is september. depends on which county ur in and what letter ur last name starts with
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Everett Tutum
Update: So I talked to my preschool director this morning. Turns out they do participate in the National School Lunch Program but my daughter wasn't properly coded in their system as eligible for free meals (even though she is). The director is sending me a correction letter that I can submit to CalFresh. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll try using that Claimyr service to get through to someone once I have the letter.
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Hugh Intensity
•Great news! Make sure the letter specifically states: 1. The preschool participates in NSLP 2. Your child's name and date of birth 3. Confirmation of free/reduced-price meal eligibility 4. The effective date of eligibility (should be prior to summer) 5. School administrator's signature and contact information The more detailed the documentation, the faster your case will be resolved.
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