Hochul touts free lunch plan during school visit
"This monumental program will build on federal support to help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids, and create more opportunities for students to succeed," a news release from Hochul's office stated. "Today's visit comes as the federal government continues its efforts to slash vital food assistance programs — including attempting to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, threatening cuts to the Community Eligibility Provision in the National School Lunch program and eliminating over $1 billion in federal funding to help bring local food to schools and food banks."
'I'm fighting to make school meals free for every student in New York — giving every young person the nourishment they need to thrive in the classroom and putting money back in families' pockets,' Hochul said. 'As the federal government takes a hammer to vital food assistance programs, we're stepping up to the plate by filling the plates of those who need it most.'
New York state currently receives $2 billion in federal funding to support school meal programs, according to the release. Hochul's proposal would build on that support to ensure that every student in the state has access to breakfast and lunch at school. "By eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, New York State will level the playing field and give parents back the money they would be spending," the release stated.
Free school meals are estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month and have been shown to support learning, boost test scores, and improve attendance and classroom behavior, according to the release.
The current state budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision program, allowing all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of their families' income, the release stated. The governor's 2025 State of the State initiative requires all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families' income. Under the initiative, the state will pay the student's share of costs for all meals served to students not already receiving free meals, expanding eligibility for free meals to nearly 300,000 additional students, according to the release.
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