Hochul proposing free breakfast & lunch for over 2.7 million students

For first time in state history, New York would cover cost of all school meals to help address food insecurity & ensure every student can eat for free; governor’s initiative would save families an estimated $165 on groceries per child each month

Submitted by the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul

As her fifth proposal as part of her affordability agenda for the 2025 State of the State, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a historic initiative to ensure every single one of New York’s over 2.7 million students can receive breakfast and lunch for free at school.

This monumental program will help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids, and create more opportunities for students to succeed.

“The research is clear: Good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Hochul said. “I'm proposing free school meals for every student in New York – giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents' pockets.”

Offering free school meals is an effective way to help keep kids in school and able to focus in the classroom. 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. 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.

Such an ambitious proposal has not been attempted by New York state before now, and Hochul has continued to prioritize free school meals throughout her time in office. The fiscal year 2025 enacted 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.

This new State of the State initiative will cover the cost of free lunch and breakfast for every student at every school in New York, regardless of their participation in the program, which will expand eligibility to nearly 300,000 additional students.

NYSUT President Melinda Person said, “Every day in our schools, educators see hungry children who would likely qualify for existing free meal programs, but fall through the cracks due to stigma or bureaucracy. Nearly one in six New York children faces food insecurity, and this critical initiative to provide universal free meals for all students – regardless of their ZIP code or family income – will reduce food anxiety, improve mental and physical health, and support students’ ability to thrive. Every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves the nutrition they need to grow and learn.”

Community Food Advocates Executive Director Liz Accles said, “The Healthy School Meals for All Coalition has always believed in the power of government to work for the good of the people. Universal free school meals is an immediately tangible and prime example of this principle in action. We thank Gov. Hochul for championing this issue and making it a top priority – we are absolutely thrilled.”

Hunger Solutions New York CEO Andrés J. Vives said, “With today’s announcement, Gov. Hochul has made it clear New York will lead the way in ensuring all children have access to the food they need to thrive. Universal access to free school breakfast and lunch will alleviate hunger, support children’s mental and physical health, and provide much-needed financial relief to families struggling with high costs of living. We applaud the governor’s championing of this historic investment and look forward to working with the Legislature to ensure this proposal is included in the final budget.”

New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Robert S. Schneider said, “NYSSBA is thrilled to support this initiative. The last two state budgets made significant investments in school meals, and this program builds on that progress by providing a truly universal school meals program. This will ensure that no children go to school hungry, and greatly increases their chances to be successful in the classroom.”

School Administrators Association of New York State Executive Director Jennifer Carlson said, “The School Administrators Association of New York State commends the governor’s inclusion of significant funding to ensure that every student is eligible to receive breakfast and lunch in school. School leaders working with students and families have recognized the critical need to provide students with a healthy start to each day. The governor’s proposed funding will provide all students with the nourishment needed to actively engage in the learning process and support families by reducing costs for such meals. We are pleased and encouraged to see such funding proposed in the governor’s State of the State address.”

New York State Council of School Superintendents Executive Director Charles Dedrick said, “We commend Gov. Hochul’s proposal to assure access to free in-school meals for all children. It will reduce hunger among schoolchildren, spare parents both time and money, and simplify administration for schools. Superintendents across the state hope it will be enacted in the next state budget.”

NY School Nutrition Association CEO Jennifer Martin said, “As an organization dedicated to the well-being and future of our state’s children, we applaud Gov. Hochul for including school meals for all in this year’s budget. This bold and compassionate move ensures that every child, regardless of background, has access to the nourishment they need to succeed in the classroom. A hungry child is a child distracted from their potential, and by providing meals to all students, we are investing in their health, their education, and their future. We encourage all legislators to join the governor in this effort to break down barriers and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive. This is a critical step toward building a stronger, healthier, and more equitable future for our state.”

Hochul has made combating food insecurity a priority for her administration. Under her leadership, the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets administers several programs that support increasing food and nutrition security across the state:

•The Nourish New York Initiative, administered by the DOH in conjunction with the DOAM, provides funding to support the purchase and distribution of New York state-grown or produced items, including dairy products and produce. Since its launch, Nourish New York has supported the purchase of over 118 million pounds of New York food products, providing a boost to New York farmers and more than 99 million meals to those in need.

•Farm-to-school program connects schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture and improve student health. The program provides financial, technical and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors, and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally varied meals to New York students.

•The 30 Percent New York State Initiative builds on the Farm-to-School program by increasing the reimbursement schools receive for lunches from 5.9 cents per meal to 25 cents per meal for any district that ensures their school lunches are made up of at least 30% eligible New York- produced and -processed products, providing healthier meal options for students and additional markets for farmers.

•Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant program, which provides $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York state farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children.

•The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program supports a network of more than 2,600 emergency food providers who distribute healthy food and fresh produce to individuals who request assistance.

•The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) serves more than 425,000 individuals through breastfeeding support, nutrition education, supplemental nutritious food benefits, and health care referrals.

•The Commodity Supplemental Food Program offers free, nutritious foods to adults aged 60 and older. Approximately 36,000 older adults participate in the program monthly. During the summer, participants receive additional benefits for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets through the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, available in New York City and Long Island. The goal is to improve the health of low-income individuals aged 60 years of age and older by supplementing their diets with nutritious U.S. Department of Agriculture foods.

•The Child and Adult Care Food Program is a nutrition education and meal reimbursement program that helps providers serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children and adults in day care settings. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and continues New York's commitment to promote the health and well-being of its residents. All children and adults who attend child care centers, community-based adult centers, afterschool programs, homeless shelters, and family day care programs receive meals.

•The Food Access Expansion Grant Program provides $10 million to help increase food access for New Yorkers living in areas without grocery stores and without options for healthy, affordable food. It provides infrastructure funding to support the development and expansion of supermarkets, food cooperatives, permanent farm stands, and other retail food stores in underserved regions of the state while also increasing markets for New York farmers.

•The FreshConnect and the FreshConnect Fresh2You programs, which now doubles the buying power for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients at farmers’ markets across New York. The initiative provides eligible New Yorkers with a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $50 per day at participating farmers’ markets, which allows families in need to purchase more healthy food, including produce, dairy, eggs and meats.

•The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) promotes local producers by expanding their sales at farmers’ markets and farm stands, and fosters healthy communities through the consumption of locally grown foods. Eligible consumers are provided with coupons to use for fresh fruits and vegetables at the more than 700 market locations, including farmers’ markets, farm stands, and mobile market stops participating in the FMNP, supplying healthy homegrown foods to communities across New York.

•The SNAP-Ed Funding Program, which is administered in coordination with the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, aims to make local produce more available and accessible to SNAP-eligible communities while sourcing local produce and providing nutrition education through Community Garden and Food Box programs.

In addition, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets administers the federally funded New York Food for New York Families program, providing nearly $50 million to partner food banks and food service organizations to implement projects that purchase New York-grown food products and distribute them to underserved communities. It also provides technical assistance to help growers sell into the New York Food for New York Families program.

On the Department of Health website, one can find more information on the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.