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Update on Department of Social Services (DSS) Benefits that students may be eligible for :
- Pandemic EBT SNAP benefits were deposited in the EBT accounts of nearly 55,200 households currently enrolled in SNAP on Sunday, May 24. An additional 800 households enrolled in the Temporary Family Assistance Program, but not currently enrolled in SNAP, also received Pandemic EBT SNAP benefits in their EBT accounts at that time.
- DSS will mail EBT debit cards to about 80,000 households not currently enrolled in SNAP and will deposit Pandemic EBT SNAP benefits into their new EBT accounts on Sunday, June 7, for Medicaid-enrolled households and on Sunday, June 21, for all other households. These are households that do not currently have EBT cards because they are not enrolled in SNAP or cash assistance.
Benefits can be used at any location that accepts SNAP/EBT cards. This includes Farmers' Markets and direct market farms. Pandemic EBT participants will also have online access to eligible food purchases through delivery or curbside pickup when it is implemented in the overall SNAP program, now scheduled for early June.
Families do not need to apply for Pandemic EBT benefits, as children are automatically eligible because in-person classes are not in session. The planned one-time benefit is $364.80 per child enrolled in the free and reduced-price meals program.
May 15, 2020
Dear Parents, Guardians and Members of the Danbury Public School Community,
It is hard to believe that we find ourselves in mid-May. Flowers are budding and I feel a new optimism and energy as the sun shines more regularly. With each week, we are making gains in the effectiveness of our Distance Learning Program for your child, folding in some real time meetings with your child’s teachers as an important piece of the puzzle. I encourage you to continue to engage with these teachers on your student’s needs and successes, as your feedback continues to drive the kind of innovative changes to our Program that can engage your child even more effectively.
Information and guidance regarding the potential for a fall opening continues to trickle out from our State leaders. As we wait for that guidance, I have convened a transition team made up of District and municipal leaders to walk slowly through the many details that would be involved with a reopening of some kind. With the traditional start of summer school, we continue to review plans for continued Distance Learning as a way to provide this critical support to our students. Your building Principals and Special Education teams continue to work with us on identification of students who would benefit from summer program, and we will bring you information on the programs as it is readied.
Turning to our fall planning, for those of you who have not already enrolled your student, all new student registration, including kindergarten, is available on line. An understanding of enrollment numbers for the 2020-21 school year is critical to our fall planning. If you have not already registered your child, please go to https://sites.google.com/a/danbury.k12.ct.us/schoolregistration/ to register your child for school. You will need to input registration information, and once you complete that process, a Registrar will contact you to provide supporting documentation.
In order to address food insecurity during the COVID pandemic, the State will mail an EBT card to eligible students receiving free or reduced-price school meals when school is in session. The food benefit cards will be mailed in phases in late May and mid-June. Along with the card, families will receive a flyer with instructions on how to activate the card and redeem benefits. A copy of the flyer can also be found on our District website. A separate application is not required.
We will continue to distribute food to families on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Parents and families will be able to pick up a multiple meal kit with a single “grab and go” visit. Each day you’ll be able to pick up two days worth of breakfast and lunch. Your child does not need to accompany you. You can drive up and a meal will be delivered to your car or stations will be available for a walk up pick up. Please remain in your vehicle and do not congregate in a single area. If you have any questions you can email us at: schoolnutrition@danbury.k12.ct.us
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the following locations:
○ Mill Ridge Primary School
○ Rogers Park Middle School
○ Stadley Rough School
○ Shelter Rock School
○ Morris Street Elementary School
○ Ellsworth Avenue School
○ Park Ave School
This link includes a list of local food banks and mobile pantries for additional food assistance. https://www.uwwesternct.org/blog/uwwc-danbury-area-food- response-covid19.
Chromebook distribution will continue on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the food distribution sites and times listed for those students still in need until Friday, May 28. Please visit your school website to fill out a device request form and you will be contacted with a time and location for pickup. When picking up your device, please place a large piece of paper in your front windshield with your child’s name, school and grade. Devices that are not working correctly can also be exchanged for a working device at this time.
In closing, I’d like to thank our community for the continued support shown daily to our students, staff and to my team throughout the process of providing complete Distance Learning Programming and planning for the fall in these times of uncertainty. Enjoy the time outside, and be safe,
SNAP Pandemic Pamphlet legalsize3 (1) (1).pdf
Dr. Sal
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