BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- More area students will begin their morning classes with a full stomach starting Oct. 1.
Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced a $21 million plan to provide free breakfastsfor all school children in the state.
- The Wolf administration announced a plan to provide free breakfast for school children across the state.
- All students in K-12 public and charter school will be eligible.
- Kids at some private schools and day care centers may also qualify.
Wolf’s office estimates the initiative will impact 1.7 million children. All students in K-12 public and charter schools will be eligible for the free breakfasts. Kids at private schools and day care centers will also be eligible, if the facilities participate in the National School Breakfasts and Lunch programs.
Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Roy says the complimentary meals will help his students focus.
“I think there’s been a lot of research over the years that getting food into your stomach so you have energy, you’re awake, your brain is ready to learn makes a big difference in learning,” he said.
The federal government made school meals free during the pandemic. But that initiative expired at the end of June. Wolf says because the federal government paid for school breakfasts, the state’s fund for that has a surplus.
“I think that’s also going to help on the lunch debt because students will start the day with a meal,” he said. “Even if they can’t afford to have the lunch, they will at least have the free school breakfast.”
Kids will automatically qualify for the state’s universal breakfast program regardless of income.
