(KLZA)-- Falls City Public Schools is one of nine school districts across Nebraska that will have improved access to early childhood education programs with the use of $1,090,000 in Early Childhood Education Program Grants.

The Falls City School District will receive $75 thousand to provide collaborative early childhood programs to serve at-risk three and four-year-old children. The purpose of the Early Childhood Education Grant Program is to improve equity of access to early childhood education programs.

More than 180 students across the state will benefit from the grant funds.

In other business during Monday nights Falls City School Board meeting Superintendent Tim Heckenlively reported Falls City Public Schools will no longer sponsor the Summer Meal Service, No-Cost Meals in 2022.

The USDA COVID-19 waiver allowing schools to provide alternative types of meal service, including the grab & go multi-day meals, was not renewed for summer, 2022.

Due to the traditional guidelines required of Summer Food Program Sponsors, it will no longer be financially feasible or practical for District 56 to operate the summer program.

In addition, as of Monday, Congress has not given the USDA authority to issue new or extendd COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response waivers for the 2022-23 school year.

A bill to extend the flexibility to provide no-cost meals an to receive the higher reimbursement rates for the coming school year has been introduced in the Senate, however, it has not been put up for a vote.

The Falls City School District will be planning for a return to normal operations, including collecting meal applications and making eligibility determinations for Free, Reduced and Paid-price meals.