Governor Hochul Announces Free, Healthy School Meals for All Students in New York

by Alexina Cather, MPH

In her recent State of the State address, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that, in an effort to address childhood hunger and health disparities, New York State would be providing free, nutritious meals to all school students regardless of their socioeconomic background.

If the proposal is passed–and it’s believed that it will–New York would join California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont as the ninth state to provide Healthy School Meals for All, also known as Universal School Meals, for all school children.

The Rollout of Healthy School Meals for All in New York State

New York State’s FY 2025 Budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which allows all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch free of cost regardless of their families’ income. The Healthy School Meals program will further expand to reach all schools in the state, thereby serving its more than 2.7 million school students, and expanding eligibility to nearly 300,000 additional students.

Healthy School Meals for All, which includes free breakfast and lunch, can significantly reduce food insecurity, saving families money, and setting students up for educational success. The initiative in New York State builds upon previous efforts to respond to food insecurity and Governor Hochul’s broader strategy to increase affordability for New Yorkers, improve student wellness, reduce health disparities, and promote educational equity. Advocates consider the program a critical step towards creating health and food equity for all students. Alongside expanding free school meals, the state has invested in nutrition education, mental health services, and other support systems to ensure that every student’s needs are met inside and outside the classroom. The initiative will begin in high-need communities and be rolled out over the next few years.

Tackling Food Insecurity and Promoting Educational Equity

Healthy School Meals for All addresses food insecurity and educational inequity by ensuring all students in New York have access to free, nutritious meals throughout the school day. This commitment helps reduce the achievement gap and promotes health equity, as nourished students are better equipped to learn, participate, and thrive. It is a crucial step towards dismantling the systemic barriers to learning and helping children reach their full potential.

According to Joel Berg, Chief Executive Officer at Hunger Free America, “In school districts that have already implemented universal school meals, the policy has been shown to decrease child hunger, improve students’ health outcomes, and boost academic achievement. As I often say, to be schooled you must be fueled, and to be well-read you must be well-fed. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for championing this important initiative that will save parents money and strengthen our children’s futures. Hunger Free America will work tirelessly in the coming months to ensure that the legislature includes this commonsense proposal in the final state budget.”

The availability of free, healthy meals for all has also been shown to reduce the stigma often associated with income-driven assistance, while at the same time providing critical support to those in need, a demographic that has significantly increased in recent years, partly due to rising food costs.

Food insecurity continues to rise across the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture reported that 13.5 percent of families were food insecure in 2023, up from 12.8 percent in 2022. According to the Office of the New York State Comptroller, roughly one in nine families in New York are struggling to feed their household. 

Hunger and food insecurity can have a significant and long-lasting impact on a child’s health, well-being, and academic performance. Studies show that students suffering from food insecurity are more likely to experience difficulty concentrating, lower test scores, increased absenteeism, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral issues. Hunger and poor nutrition can also contribute to chronic health problems such as obesity and diabetes, further magnifying the educational and health disparities already existing in underserved communities.

​​Nancy Easton, the Executive Director of Wellness in the Schools, a national nonprofit that creates healthier environments for children to live, learn, and thrive, believes that “Expanding universal school meals to all of New York State is a powerful step forward in supporting our children’s health and education.” She adds, “Alongside Governor Hochul’s initiative, the federal government must prioritize updating the Child Nutrition Reauthorization to enhance and strengthen child nutrition and school meal programs nationwide. It is essential that school districts not only offer free breakfast and lunch but also ensure these meals are nutritious and free from ultra-processed foods.”

Economic Benefits of Free School Meals

Reducing food insecurity and improving health are not the only positive outcomes of Healthy School Meals for All. Research has shown that investments in school meal programs economically benefit communities by increasing worker productivity and workforce development, and supporting local farmers and producers, further stimulating the state’s economic growth. 

A report by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Center for Good Food Purchasing found that while school meal programs cost $18.7 billion annually to implement, they provide $40 billion in health and economic benefits to more than 30 million students daily. In New York State, the program is expected to save families approximately $165 per child each month in grocery costs, which has the potential to alleviate financial stress and allow families to put that money towards other costs, such as housing and childcare.

Building a More Inclusive Future

Federal programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Women, Infants, and Children Program, help alleviate hunger and reduce food insecurity. However, certain populations, such as undocumented immigrants and middle-class families, who don’t qualify for assistance through programs such as SNAP, may still struggle to afford nutritious meals for their families. The Healthy School Meals for All Program ensures that no child—regardless of their family’s income or immigration status—will go hungry while at school.

Finally, Healthy School Meals for All Programs have been found to advance racial equity. Nearly 60 percent of children whose income level is just above the cutoff for free school meals are children of color. Ensuring that every child has access to free, nutritious meals at school is a critical tool in achieving racial equity and improving educational and health outcomes for students, particularly for Black and Latinx students.

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