Healey-Driscoll Administration Highlights Importance of Child Nutrition
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey has declared March 2-6 Massachusetts School Breakfast Week, recognizing the critical role school breakfast programs play in supporting student success, reducing food insecurity and grocery costs for families, and strengthening the local food system across Massachusetts.
Participation in school meals continues to grow after Healey made state-supported universal free school meals permanent, making Massachusetts one of only nine states to provide school meals at no cost to all students. School breakfast programs now serve around 292,000 students each day, a 20% increase, representing an additional 48,000 students per day compared to the 2022-23 school year. Stable funding for universal free school meals has allowed school nutrition programs to plan ahead and invest in healthy meals that incorporate local produce.
“Every child deserves to start their school day nourished and ready to learn,” Healey said. “School Breakfast Week is a chance to celebrate the dedicated nutrition professionals and local partners who make this program possible and to recommit ourselves to supporting student success in and out of the classroom.”
The administration is committed to increasing school breakfast participation to make sure students have the fuel they need to stay alert and focused throughout the school day. The effort is also part of the work of the governor’s Anti-Hunger Task Force to mitigate President Trump’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and adopt long-term solutions to hunger. While more students are eating school breakfast, the number of students who eat lunch each day is still about double the number who eat breakfast. In the fall of 2024, 292,000 students ate breakfast daily, while 595,000 ate lunch.
Research consistently shows that students who eat breakfast perform better academically, have improved attendance, and experience fewer behavioral and social-emotional challenges. School breakfast programs also improve food security and protect against obesity and other negative health outcomes.