Aventura-area families have three action items before Miami-Dade County Public Schools opens Aug. 13, and two of them land the weekend of Aug. 8–9.
A district back-to-school resource fair runs Saturday, Aug. 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at Miami Carol City Senior High, 13301 Miami Gardens Dr., according to the Miami Herald's back-to-school guide published Aug. 5. The same day, nonprofit Style Saves launches its 16th annual giveaway at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., offering free uniforms, backpacks, sneakers and school supplies Saturday and Saturday, Aug. 8–9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Families must register for a time slot.
The organization has served more than 250,000 students over its history, according to Aventura Magazine.
Then on Monday, Aug. 10, the meal-benefit application opens at mdcpsnutrition.net for families at non-CEP schools. Only one application per household is needed, and it's confidential.
Why the meal application matters
Only 121 of the district's schools still qualify for the federal Community Eligibility Provision that provided free meals districtwide last year, WSVN reported. The district's qualification rate fell to 45.1%, below the 62.5% threshold.
For students at Don Soffer Aventura High and Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High, full-price lunch is $4.20 and breakfast is $2.50. At Aventura City of Excellence School, breakfast remains free for all students, but full-price lunch is $4.20. Reduced-price meals cost 40 cents for lunch and 30 cents for breakfast.
There's a cushion: all students at non-CEP schools get free breakfast and lunch during the first 30 days of the school year while applications are processed. After that, families without an approved application pay full price.
Chief Operations Officer Luis E. Diaz said in a July 22 district announcement that the goal is "to protect families from any hardship while keeping free breakfast and lunch available to as many students as possible."
Families enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, foster care, Head Start, migrant services or homeless assistance are automatically certified for free meals with no application needed.
Other checklist items
Bus registration: Students living two or more miles from their assigned school may qualify for district transportation. Check eligibility at mdcps.mybusplanner.com.
Immunizations: Florida requires updated shots for students entering kindergarten, seventh grade and some entering 12th grade. Families who need free vaccines can call the Miami-Dade Department of Health Special Immunization Unit at 786-845-0550.
Tax-free shopping: Florida's sales tax holiday on school supplies runs through Thursday, Aug. 20. Clothing and backpacks under $100 and supplies at $50 or less are exempt.
Parent Academy webinars: Free sessions in English, Haitian Creole and Spanish begin Tuesday, Aug. 18, at parentacademymiami.com.
As we reported Aug. 4, the district's new cafeteria menu includes sriracha honey chicken and all-beef meatballs.
For meal-program questions, families can call 786-275-0400, ext. 5000, or visit mdcpsnutrition.net.
