Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas has welcomed the inclusion of universal school meals in the recently-approved state budget, stating that every New York student will now have access to free breakfast and lunch regardless of their family’s income.
The recently-approved New York State Budget allocates $340 million for school meals, an increase of $160 million compared to last year’s budget.
The budget 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. Advocates said the measure would reduce costs for families and ensure that no student goes hungry at school.
González-Rojas, who was the prime sponsor of the Universal School Meals Act and who has long championed the initiative, said the inclusion of universal school meals for all students represented more than just a policy initiative, describing the measure as a “cultural shift.”
“Now, every single one of New York’s 2.7 million children will have access to a free healthy breakfast and free healthy lunch no matter their zip code or income level,” González-Rojas said in an address in the Assembly on May 8.
She said providing free meals to all children can help to erase the “stigma” associated with receiving a free meal due to income levels.
González-Rojas said she has spent three years championing universal school meals across New York State, stating that the initiative has received bipartisan support in the state legislature. She also said the initiative has received favorable support from food justice advocates, anti-poverty organizations, the New York State’s United Teachers Union and parents across the state.
“We all believe that no child should go hungry in school, and we all know that we cannot teach a hungry child,” González-Rojas said.
In January, González-Rojas joined Gov. Kathy Hochul at Long Island’s Westbury Middle School to announce the inclusion of free breakfast and lunch for all of New York State’s 2.7 million students in the State of the State budget proposal.
Hochul said at the time that providing all students with free school meals will help improve academic performance in the classroom.
“The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Hochul said in a statement at the time. “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.”
Meanwhile, González-Rojas also welcomed news that the budget included a $400 million funding increase for the Child Care Assistance Program, which helps low-income families across the state access child care through vouchers.
The funding increase, which includes a $350 million increase for the program in New York City and a $50 million increase for the program in the rest of the state, additionally mandates that New York City must spend $328 million on the program, up from $53 million last year, according to a report in The City.
Tens of thousands of families were at risk of being kicked off the program in New York City due to a $900 million budget shortfall ahead of the April 1 deadline, with the Administration for Children’s Services noting that the number of families receiving vouchers has jumped from around 10,000 in October 2022 to over 62,000 this February.
The city had warned that up to 7,000 families could have been kicked off the program each month due to the shortfall.
That shortfall prompted 47 of the 49 City Council members to pen a letter to Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in March calling for an additional $900 million in funding for the program. The additional $350 million does not meet that demand, even when factoring in the city’s mandated $328 million contribution.
González-Rojas, however, praised the state legislature for protecting the program from “devastating cuts” and said the program represents a critical resource for low-income families.
“We held the line because every parent deserves to know their child is safe and cared for while they work to provide for their family,” González-Rojas said in the address.
González-Rojas similarly welcomed the allocation of $50 million in funding for the pilot Housing Access Voucher Program, providing state-funded vouchers for homeless families or families at imminent risk of losing their homes.
González-Rojas described the initiative as “long overdue” and said it would help “bridge the gap” between income and rent in New York State. However, she said funding for the program must be expanded to a minimum of $250 million to “truly” address the housing crisis.
“Let’s be clear, this is just the start. This is not the finish line,” González-Rojas said.
