Governor Hochul with Albany City School District’s Eagle Point Elementary School students to recommit to her 2025 State of the State proposal to ensure every single one of New York’s over 2.7 million students can receive breakfast and lunch for free at school.
Governor Kathy Hochul is recommitting to her 2025 State of the State proposal to ensure every single one of New York’s over 2.7 million students can receive breakfast and lunch for free at school.
This program will build on federal support to help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids.
Hochul’s push comes as the federal government is continuing its efforts to slash 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.
New York State currently receives $2 billion in federal funding to support school meal programs. Hochul’s proposal would build on that support by eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, thus ensuring that every student in the state has access to a healthy breakfast and lunch at school.
The Governor said that offering free school meals is a proven and effective way to help keep kids in school and able to focus in the classroom. Additionally, 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.
The FY25 Budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, allowing all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of their families’ income. 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, thereby reducing costs for families and ensuring that no student goes hungry at school. Under this 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.
Good job Madame Governor. I am sure all NY families will appreciate it.