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School Data Leadership Association | 2026 overview

SUN Bucks: the program in plain language

SUN Bucks, also called Summer EBT, provides grocery benefits to eligible children during the summer. California identifies many children automatically; schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) help establish eligibility for others and keep the student data used for benefit issuance accurate.

$120 per eligible child Issued as a single summer benefit for June, July, and August 2026.

Who may be eligible?

Usually automatic

Public-benefit match

Children ages 6-18 may be streamlined-certified through CalSAWS when they participate in CalFresh, CalWORKs, or qualifying Medi-Cal. Families generally do not need to submit a school application for this pathway.

Usually automatic

School enrollment plus eligibility status

Children ages 0-21 enrolled in an NSLP/SBP-participating school may qualify through direct certification or a recognized categorical status, including homeless, migrant, foster, or runaway status.

Application may be needed

Household-income determination

A student who is not automatically identified may qualify through an approved NSLP meal application or Universal Benefits Application (UBA), depending on the school’s meal-program arrangement.

Important: An Alternative Income Form (AIF) may support Local Control Funding Formula purposes, but it does not establish SUN Bucks eligibility. CEP schools do not collect NSLP meal applications; they use the UBA for students who need an income-based SUN Bucks determination.

What families should know

  1. Check before applying

    Many children are identified automatically. A family should not be asked to complete a UBA or meal application when the child already qualifies through a streamlined or categorical pathway.

  2. Use the right form

    When an application is needed, the correct form depends on the school: an NSLP meal application at Standard Counting and Claiming or Provision 2 base-year sites, or a UBA at CEP and Provision 2 non-base-year sites.

  3. Know the 2026 window

    The 2026 eligibility period is July 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. An application must be submitted by August 31, 2026 to support a summer 2026 benefit.

  4. Use the family helpline for benefit questions

    For card status, address changes, missing cards, or household benefit questions, call the SUN Bucks Helpline at 877-328-9677.

How CALPADS and EDCS connect

1. Source systems
CalSAWS, CALPADS, local eligibility records, and approved applications establish different eligibility facts.
2. CALPADS
Current enrollment, address, and applicable program records help CDE identify eligible students and route benefits correctly.
3. EDCS
LEAs submit eligible students not fully represented by the CALPADS/CalSAWS process, including specified application, local direct-certification, and benefit-extension records.
4. Benefit issuance
CDE combines the authorized data and provides eligibility information to CDSS for SUN Bucks issuance.

CALPADS priorities

  • Keep enrollment and student mailing addresses current.
  • Maintain required program records, including applicable homeless records.
  • Continue reporting free and reduced-price meal program records 181 and 182 when applicable.
  • Do not assume that a CALPADS direct-certification record must also be sent to EDCS.

EDCS priorities for 2026

  • Submit the specified locally determined eligibility records.
  • Use the 2026 append model: each upload adds new students rather than replacing the full prior file.
  • Correct erroneous submissions immediately through CDE.
  • Follow Flash #321 for monthly pull dates and the September 30, 2026 close.

Student and family data privacy

SUN Bucks administration depends on sharing personally identifiable student and household information across authorized systems. That does not make the information broadly shareable. Federal guidance requires Summer EBT database information to remain confidential and limits its use to program administration or other permitted social-service benefits.

  • Collect only what the approved process requires. Do not add optional local fields without a documented purpose.
  • Limit access by role. Nutrition services, CALPADS/data staff, enrollment staff, and administrators should have only the access needed for their assigned work.
  • Use approved secure systems. Do not move UBA, income, case-number, address, or eligibility data through personal email, open shared drives, or informal spreadsheets.
  • Separate status from explanation. Staff may need an eligibility result without needing the household income, public-benefit, foster, homeless, migrant, or runaway details behind it.
  • Verify before upload. A wrong record can expose sensitive information and can cause benefits to be issued incorrectly. Report an erroneous EDCS submission to CDE immediately.
  • Follow retention and destruction rules. Apply the LEA’s approved records schedule, FERPA procedures, data-sharing agreements, and incident-response process.

Official resources and references

Contacts: LEA program questions: . CALPADS/data questions: . Household benefit questions: 877-328-9677.

About this summary: This School Data Leadership Association explainer synthesizes the CDE SUN Bucks LEA webinar dated February 27, 2026 and the official resources above. It is an operational overview, not a substitute for current CDE, CDSS, USDA, or legal guidance. Verify deadlines and system instructions before submission.