The Healthy School Meals for All NY Kids Coalition Applauds Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins & Speaker Heastie for Their Commitment to Free School Breakfast and Lunch
Albany, New York—In the FY2026 Final Enacted Budget, New York has made a historic investment in children, families, and schools by enacting statewide universal free school meals starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The program will provide 2.7 million New York students access to free breakfast and lunch each school day.
The State Senate and Assembly have long championed this investment, and Governor Hochul included full funding for universal meals in her FY2026 Executive Budget proposal. The Healthy School Meals for All New York Kids Coalition applauds the leadership and tireless advocacy of prime sponsors Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas. Thanks to these legislative champions, more than 350 coalition members, and countless students, parents, and educators across the state, universal free school meals are now a reality in New York.
“Our vision to bring Universal School Meals to New York is one of the most consequential public goods we’ve delivered for children and families in a generation—setting our students up to succeed in school and beyond,” said Senator Michelle Hinchey. “I am deeply proud to have co-led the push for Universal School Meals with Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas. Guaranteeing free breakfast and lunch for every student means no child has to learn hungry, we eliminate the stigma that once held students back, and we deliver tangible savings and peace of mind to families. I’m grateful to our coalition led by Hunger Solutions New York and Community Food Advocates, which never gave up the fight, and I cannot wait to see more students join the program and thrive because of it.”
“We did it! I’m incredibly proud of the hard work this broad, bipartisan coalition has put in to get us here. I’m especially grateful to Governor Hochul, Speaker Heastie, Senator Hinchey, and to the advocates, parents, and union leaders whose leadership helped ensure that 2.7 million students across New York State will now have access to free, healthy breakfast and lunch. This is a major victory—because we know we can’t teach a hungry child. With this win, we’ve eliminated the stigma that has kept too many kids out of the cafeteria and lifted a huge burden off working families. We got it done, New York!” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.
Senator Liz Krueger said, “It is very gratifying that, after years of tireless advocacy, we are delivering universal free breakfast and lunch for all New York students. This program will lift a burden from New York’s hard-working parents, reduce costs for families, and improve outcomes and help level the playing field for our kids. This is just the kind of program we need to address affordability and demonstrate that when we come together as a society, through government, we can make people’s lives that much easier.”
“Today, New York has made history,” said Andrés Vives, Chief Executive Officer of Hunger Solutions New York. “Enacting universal school meals is an incredible victory for students, parents, and schools. Students receive access to nutritious meals without stigma, while parents save an estimated $165 per child per month on food costs. Meanwhile, schools can focus on what matters most: nourishing and educating students. We applaud Governor Hochul, legislative leaders, and State Senate and Assembly champions for their commitment to ending hunger in our schools. Their leadership will be felt in cafeterias and classrooms in every corner of New York.”
“By ensuring every student has access to free school meals, this year’s budget can be summed up in one word: historic,” said Liz Accles, Community Food Advocates’ Executive Director. “No longer will stigma stop students from getting the food they need. No longer will parents worry about school meal debt as the cost of living continues to rise. As the ninth state to implement universal school meals, New York is not only investing in its children, it is investing in its future by ensuring students get the nutritious food they need to thrive.”
Universal school meal policies are a proven strategy to reduce child hunger, while also supporting student health and learning. Studies show wide-ranging benefits, including higher test scores in reading and math and improved student attendance and school environment. Beyond the academic benefits, students with access to universal school meals are two times less likely to experience food insecurity and are at reduced risk of adverse mental health outcomes, including anxiety and depression. Research shows that across all income levels, school meals are the healthiest meals children eat, with kids who eat school meals consuming more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and milk than their peers.
Universal school meals also benefit local farmers. This policy improves schools’ buying power and streamlines the administration of school nutrition programs, allowing schools to dedicate more resources to prioritize fresh, local items on menus. A recent USDA report also found that Healthy School Meals for All policies translate to more local foods in school cafeterias.
Healthy School Meals for All is a policy that New York families want and need. A recent survey by Hunger Solutions New York found that 87 percent of New York parents believe all students—no matter their family’s income—should have access to free school meals. Survey respondents described universal school meals as a financial lifeline, with 82 percent of surveyed parents reporting that free school meals save their families money. Thanks to the state’s historic investment, 2.7 million students and their families will now have access to this critical support.
NYSUT President Melinda Person commented, “This is a transformational moment for New York’s children. With universal school meals made complete across the state, no student will have to struggle to learn while battling hunger pangs. Every child deserves dignity, nourishment, and the chance to seize the opportunities in front of them. We are deeply grateful to Gov. Hochul and the Legislature for recognizing that feeding kids isn’t just compassionate—it’s essential to their success.”
“NYSSBA is ecstatic that our New York State lawmakers agree to guarantee every K-12 student across the state the necessary nutrition needed to effectively participate and learn in school in the 2025-26 enacted state budget,” said Robert Schneider, Executive Director of the New York State School Boards Association. “Securing the monies needed to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students lifts any potential financial burden on families to ensure the basic building blocks of learning and development are met.”
“Today is a great day for children. For far too long, food insecurity, hunger, and stigma have negatively impacted our children and schools,” said Patricia Frazier, NYS PTA President. “But today, NYS has truly made a difference for children, as we finally implement School Meals for All. On behalf of our 2.6 million school children, their families and educators, we sincerely thank and applaud Governor Hochul, legislative champions Senator Hinchey and Assemblymember Gonzales-Rojas, and our colleagues in the School Meals for All coalition and NYS PTA members across the state for their steadfast advocacy to Measure our Mission for children.”
Kyle Belokopitsky, NYS PTA Executive Director, added, “Come September, our children won’t have to worry if they are going to have breakfast or lunch that day, they won’t have to worry where that meal is coming from, they can focus on learning, play, and just being a child. Children won’t have to pack an extra sandwich for a friend in need, teachers won’t have to keep food stocked in a cabinet for children who are hungry, and children won’t feel shame in getting that free school meal. Today is a very great day.”
“On behalf of the New York School Nutrition Association, I want to thank Governor Hochul and the Legislature for their unwavering commitment to student health and equity by including funding in the state budget to provide healthy school breakfast and lunch to all students,” said Bryan McCoy, President of New York School Nutrition Association. “This investment ensures that every child, regardless of background, has access to the nutritious meals they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Executive Director of the School Administrators Association of NYS, Jenn Carlson, states, “The School Administrators Association of NYS, on behalf of over 22,000 public school administrators, is very pleased that increased funding for breakfast and lunches for our students was included in the final budget. Ensuring funding for breakfast and lunch has been a high priority for our members. The current fiscal environment for families is unstable at best, and this funding will ensure that our students are provided with sufficient nourishment needed for both physical and mental growth and learning. The reliability of knowing that their children will have these meals in schools will provide significant relief for families.
“New York Farm Bureau thanks the Governor and State Legislature for including funding for Healthy School Meals for All in the final State Budget,” said David Fisher, President of the New York Farm Bureau. “These funds allow more schools to purchase food from New York farmers, helping to ensure that students across the state have more access to fresh, locally produced food. It’s a win-win: our local farmers get procurement with school systems and our schoolchildren get healthy food.”
“We are encouraged that the new budget will make it possible for all districts to offer free in-school meals to all their students,” said Charles Dedrick, Executive Director, New York State Council of School Superintendents. “This will reduce hunger among children, save time and money for parents, and simplify administration for schools. Now we must all work to ensure that Washington keeps up its end and maintains federal funding for school and child nutrition programs.”
“It’s a proud moment for New York. Every child deserves access to nutritious food—this policy brings us one step closer to that goal. The New York Health Foundation is honored to have supported the advocacy and education efforts throughout the years that helped make this policy a reality,” said New York Health Foundation President and CEO David Sandman. “As we celebrate this win, we recognize federal budget cuts could threaten this progress, and we will remain steadfast in our fight for policies that support affordable access to nutritious food for all.”
“We are thrilled to see that New York will now guarantee universal school meals for all kids,” said Dan Egan, Executive Director of Feeding New York State. “Not only will this policy create significant cost savings for families, it is an investment in the health, well-being, and academic achievement of every child. While more is needed to eradicate childhood hunger and poverty, today is an important step in affirming healthy food as a basic human right.”
“This is a very exciting day for New York but especially for the thousands of kids who will now receive healthy nutritious meals at school thanks to this legislation,” said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Director of New York Government Relations at Agudah Israel. “Agudah Israel is grateful to Governor Hochul, bill sponsors Senator Hinchey and Assemblymember González-Rojas as well as all the other legislators and advocates who worked so hard over these last few years to bring this effort to fruition.”
“The inclusion of universal free meals in the FY26 budget represents an important step in providing critical support for all of New York’s students, including our nonpublic school students, while alleviating a pressing financial burden on our families,” said Sydney Altfield, Executive Director of Teach NYS. “Free breakfast and lunch for all our students, helps level the playing field, ensuring that access to nutritious food is not a barrier to success in school and beyond. We applaud New York State Legislature for recognizing that ALL students – regardless of where they attend school – should be provided with the essential services they need to thrive.”
“We applaud Governor Hochul, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, and Senator Michelle Hinchey for championing Healthy School Meals for All and making New York a national leader in the fight against childhood hunger,” said Leah Kabran Eden, Executive Director and Co-founder of Equity Advocates. “With this investment, New York is not only stepping up to meet a critical need—it’s setting a national standard for how we confront food insecurity head-on. The inclusion of universal free school meals in the state budget is the direct result of years of tireless advocacy by a broad and committed coalition working toward a shared vision: that no child in New York should go hungry at school. Equity Advocates has been honored to be part of this movement since day one. This victory is a monumental win for all New Yorkers.”
“We commend the efforts of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to make healthy school meals accessible for all New York children,” said Catherine Cochran, Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Not only does this policy ensure equitable access to free school meals, but it is an important step toward improving diet quality, food security, and academic performance for students in New York.”
“The Food Research & Action Center congratulates New York on passing a Healthy School Meals for All policy,” said Alexis Bylander, Interim Child Nutrition Programs & Policy Director at the Food Research & Action Center. “New York is now poised to become the ninth state in the country to offer free meals to all students to support their nutrition, health and learning. When students are hungry they do not have the energy or focus they need to get the most out of their school day. Offering school meals to all students at no charge to families is the future for school nutrition and schools. New York is setting an example for other states, showing the importance of passing policies that reduce childhood food insecurity and support academic success.”
“Making sure that all children have access to free school meals is critical to combatting poverty, fighting stigma, and helping all New York children and families thrive,” said Kate Breslin, President and CEO at the Schuyler Center for Analysis & Advocacy. “We applaud Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature for taking bold action this year to fully fund universal free school meals for all students across the state of New York. This investment will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of New York’s children and families.”
“National Farm to School Network applauds and congratulates the State of New York for becoming the ninth state to adopt a permanent Healthy School Meals for All policy,” said Cassandra Bull, Policy Specialist at National Farm to School Network. “This bold step builds on more than a decade of investment in farm-to-school initiatives across the state. This policy not only ensures every child can receive nourishing meals—it also gives schools more room to serve fresh, high-quality local food and deepens the state’s commitment to its farmers and food economy.”
“Providing meals at no charge to all students in school means every child gets fed,” said Rachel Sabella, Director, No Kid Hungry New York. “With this budget’s passage, New York is leading the way in the fight against child hunger, showing that bold, people-first policy can improve lives—especially for the 1 in 5 children in New York State that could face food insecurity this year. We thank the Governor, the State Assembly and the State Senate for coming together in a bipartisan manner to ensure every child across the state has access to a no-cost school breakfast and school lunch.”
“Healthy food is essential to good heart health,” said Barbara Collura, member of the board of directors of the American Heart Association in the Capital Region. “All of New York’s children deserve the same healthy start as their bodies and minds develop. Knowing that healthy breakfasts and lunches are available in all schools sets all our children up for success later in life. Funding healthy school meals can prevent funding the treatment of disease when our children are older. The American Heart Association thanks Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for investing in our children’s futures.”
“Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature have taken an incredible step towards ending food insecurity for our children,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president & CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank. “By establishing universal school meals for all children across New York State, every child will know where and when they will get their next breakfast and lunch during the school year. Families will have more money in their budgets. Thank you to our legislative champions, Sen. Michelle Hinchey, Member of Assembly Jessica González-Rojas, the main bill sponsors, and Sen. Dean Murray for his forceful support on this issue.”
“United Way applauds the passage of universal school meals in New York — a transformative step toward ensuring every child has the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Therese Daly, UWNYS & 211 NY President & CEO. “This landmark initiative builds on the Governor’s affordability agenda, easing financial burdens for families and directly addressing food insecurity among our youth. By guaranteeing access to nutritious meals for all students, we are not only investing in their health and academic success but also advancing a more equitable future for communities across our state. United Way of New York State is grateful to all the champions who made this possible and applauds Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Carl Heastie, and Governor Hochul for this monumental step forward in our fight to end childhood poverty.”
“This is a great day for New York Schoolchildren,” said Janet Poppiendeck, author, Free for All: Fixing School Food in America. “Based on what I have learned from other states that have enacted statewide Healthy School Meals for All, I look forward to an end to stigma and shame in the cafeteria, to burdensome application collection and processing, and to unpaid lunch debt. Now that food service staff can focus on the meals, we will see fresher, tastier meals full of food produced by New York farmers, and no New York State student will have to go hungry at school.
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About the Healthy School Meals for All New York Kids Coalition
The Healthy School Meals for All NY Kids Coalition is a group of more than 350 nonprofits, parent and teacher groups, labor unions, education associations, and anti-hunger organizations led by Hunger Solutions New York and Community Food Advocates.
Community Food Advocates (CFA) is a New York City nonprofit that advocates to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to healthy, affordable, culturally affirming foods within a sustainable and equity-centered food system. In 2017, CFA led a coalition of over 200 organizations and elected officials to secure universal free school lunch (UFL) for all of New York City’s 1.1 million public school students. The campaign, Lunch 4 Learning (L4L), has since built on the foundation of city-wide universal free school lunch with high-impact policy changes.
Hunger Solutions New York is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating hunger. Hunger Solutions New York provides outreach and technical assistance to maximize school meals and other federal nutrition assistance programs across the state. The organization also advocates for state and federal policies to strengthen and expand the reach of federal nutrition programs in New York.
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