CARE for Kids Act of 2025

The "Caregivers, Access, and Responsible Expansion for Kids Act of 2025" aims to significantly enhance access to free and reduced-price school meals for vulnerable children by amending the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. This legislation expands the categories of children eligible for direct certification , streamlining the process for them to receive meal benefits without requiring individual applications. It also includes schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education in these provisions. The bill extends direct certification to children placed with caregivers by State or tribal child welfare agencies, and to those receiving adoption assistance or kinship guardianship assistance payments . Additionally, children from families living in dedicated low-income housing with a grandparent or older caregiver, or receiving housing assistance under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act, are now included. These changes ensure more children in kinship care and other vulnerable living arrangements can automatically qualify for meals. Furthermore, the bill addresses extended eligibility for children who transfer between school districts, ensuring their meal eligibility determination is transferred and honored. For children who began living with a grandparent or other relative caregiver within the preceding 12 months and meet specific legal criteria, their meal eligibility will be extended for an additional year, and automatic eligibility for free meals is expanded to these same groups. Finally, it broadens the definition of an "eligible child" for Medicaid direct certification to include children receiving Medicaid based on aid under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. These comprehensive amendments seek to reduce food insecurity among at-risk student populations.