Noting that sending information about children's health insurance through the school system is a very effective way to generate applications and enrollment for state health insurance programs, this issue brief is the first in a series to examine some of the innovative methods used to offer more children affordable health care. The brief presents a rationale for coordinating children's health insurance with the National School Lunch Program, including the similarity between children eligible for the two programs. The brief also describes the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and how it operates, including application requirements. Some pitfalls are identified in coordinating the two programs, such as issues related to confidentiality, program differences in definitions of household income, immigration status and eligibility, program differences in the amount of information needed, and additional administrative costs. The brief then describes the guidance provided by the United States Department of Agriculture about coordinating the NSLP and children's health insurance and describes actions of Colorado, Illinois, and Washington in coordinating the programs. The early lessons learned about successfully coordinating school lunch and children's health insurance are identified and related to school meal application forms, school activities, and Medicaid/CHIP agency activities. (Contains 15 endnotes.) (KB)