The PennZone

Plymouth Meeting, PA ~ Today, Governor Josh Shapiro and Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin visited Colonial Elementary School in Montgomery County to highlight the importance of providing free and nutritious breakfast to Pennsylvania students. Governor Shapiro's first budget proposes $38.5 million to provide universal free breakfast to all Pennsylvania students – regardless of income – through the Free School Breakfast Program and to cover the cost of lunch for 22,000 school students whose families earn less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level.

Since its implementation, the program has served more than 23 million breakfasts to students across the Commonwealth. Governor Shapiro stated that "We can't expect our kids to pay attention in class, learn, and succeed if they haven't eaten all day – and that's why I want to give free breakfast to every child in our schools." He went on to say that "More than 325,000 children across the Commonwealth – including more than 10,000 kids in Montgomery County alone – were food insecure in 2021. My budget would devote dedicated funding to making universal free breakfast a reality for the first time ever, because our children deserve a safe, healthy learning environment no matter what zip code they live in or how much their parents make."

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The Free School Breakfast Program ensures that all students have access to a healthy, nutritious meal to start the school day and eliminates the stigma associated with free and reduced-price breakfast that may deter eligible students from participating. Acting Secretary of Education Mumin said "Research shows that students learn best when they start their day with healthy, nutritious food, but sometimes — due to family budgets or busy schedules — breakfast can be the most difficult meal to come by. By providing free breakfast to all students in Pennsylvania, we can make the most important meal the most accessible meal and ensure that learners begin each day on the right foot."

Under this program, PDE will use existing meal reimbursement programs so that no student has an out-of-pocket cost for a reimbursable breakfast and those eligible for reduced lunch can receive a school lunch at no cost at schools participating in National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The Governor's budget proposal will provide sustainable recurring state funding for this program as well as allow those whose families are between 130% - 185% of poverty line receive a free lunch.

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Colonial School District Superintendent Dr Michael Christian said "Colonial School District understands the importance of nutrition as it relates to academic performance. We know that when students start the school day having had a nutritious meal, it can have a positive effect on the way they approach learning." Since implementation of Free School Breakfast Program participation has increased by 175% at Colonial Elementary School and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School with an average 455000 breakfasts served daily across 3129 schools serving 1.6 million students throughout Pennsylvania

Interested schools not currently participating in National School Lunch & Breakfast Programs can find information on PDE website while further information on PDE is available via Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/Pinterest

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