WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Nourished kids are hungry for knowledge

It’s axiomatic that hungry children have trouble learning. But each morning in every one of our state’s 39 counties, many of Washington’s million students show up for class hungry. Their last good meal was the free or reduced-price breakfast or hot lunch they had at school yesterday.

The popularity of school-breakfast and lunch programs, of course, isn’t restricted to children of less-fortunate families. Certainly, advances in taste and presentation over the years have enhanced the regard for in-school cuisine from all quarters.

For those youngsters who do qualify, here are the federal free and reduced-price food school-programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture:

  • The School Lunch Program provides reduced-price lunches (40 cents). The state of Washington pays all lunch costs for public, K-3 students if they’re eligible for reduced-price meals.
  • The School Breakfast Program provides reduced-price breakfasts (30 cents). The state of Washington pays all breakfast costs for public, K-12 students if they’re eligible for reduced-price meals.
  • The Special Milk Program may provide free milk, depending on the school, for eligible students.

A recent announcement from the Washington state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) heralds the coming of even better food safety and quality for  thirty-nine schools. Grants will help these schools purchase kitchen-equipment, such as walk-in coolers, double ovens and salad bars. Eligibility for these grants was limited to schools with the highest number of students participating in programs for free- and reduced-price meals, as well as schools that hadn’t yet already received a kitchen-equipment grant.

For more details, check out these OSPI websites:

All across the country, according to Wikipedia, the School Lunch Program serves more than 30 million children every day. The program will celebrate its 70th birthday in two years.