Statewide Coalition Advocates for Funding Healthy School Meals for All Illinois Students
New appropriations bill would provide $209M to fund school meals for all students across the state
Springfield, IL – Healthy School Meals for All Kids, a coalition dedicated to ensuring all Illinois students have access to free school meals, today called on the General Assembly to provide $209 million in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget to fund breakfast and lunch for all Illinois students. The legislation, sponsored by State Senator Laura Ellman and State Representative Maurice West, are being filed today.
Giving all children access to free healthy school meals is proven to improve their health, well-being, and academic performance. The Illinois General Assembly recognized this, passing the Healthy School Meals for All bill in Spring 2023, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students who want it in the state. However, while the legislation passed with strong, bipartisan support, it did not receive the appropriation to make it a reality.
“Eight states are already feeding all students and additional states, including New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, are building up to it in the next few years. It’s time for Illinois to join these state leaders and provide healthy school meals to all our children,” said Kathryn Bernstein, MPH, RDN, of the Illinois Public Health Institute, the group leading the coalition. “We are grateful to Senator Ellman and Representative West for recognizing the urgency of this moment and championing this legislation.”
It’s crucial that Illinois passes the funding in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget so the state doesn’t continue to lag further behind the other states that have passed and funded permanent school meal policies. Eight other states, including neighboring Minnesota and Michigan, have universal school meals because they know how important it is.
“One in ten children in Illinois experiences food insecurity, and we have an obligation to do everything we can to address this issue and ensure our children have the opportunity to thrive,” said Senator Laura Ellman. “I was proud to support the Healthy School Meals for All bill last year, but now we must appropriate the necessary funds. I am committed to working with my colleagues to ensure we include funding for this program in the FY2025 budget.”
Making free school meals available to all students can help advance racial equity and reduce disparities in health and education outcomes, as Black and Latine children are twice as likely to experience food insecurity as white children. It will also help reduce stigma, which is a significant barrier to school meal participation for students who currently qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
“Our state’s budget is a reflection of its values, and I know that Illinois is a place that cares about our children and their futures. Providing healthy breakfast and lunch to all our students would have an incredible impact on our young people and their families, and it only costs less than one percent of the state’s budget,” said State Representative Maurice West. “The path forward is clear – Illinois must join states across our country and fund school meals for all.”
By funding school meals for all students, Illinois can expand access to meals to all of those who need them. While more than 315,000 children in Illinois experience food insecurity, 21% of those children were not eligible for free or reduced-price school meal programs in 2020 due to outdated income eligibility requirements.
“The General Assembly passed the Healthy School Meals for All bill in Spring 2023 because they know we cannot allow children to go hungry in our state. Now, they need to take the next step and provide the funding to bring this program to life," said Beth MacKenna, President of the Illinois School Nutrition Association. “Feeding students breakfast and lunch at school would mean the 315,000 children who experience food insecurity in Illinois would not go hungry anymore, all at a cost of less than one percent of our state’s budget.”
The Healthy School Meals for All Kids initiative is part of the Illinois Alliance to Promote Opportunities for Health, a coalition supporting improved access to nourishing foods and safe and accessible physical activity convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute. The coalition supporting Healthy School Meals for All Kids includes a broad, diverse range of organizations, including: Action for Healthy Kids, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), Cook County Department of Public Health, Healthy Schools Campaign, Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois Education Association (IEA), Illinois Farm to School Network/Seven Generations Ahead, Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), Illinois Public Health Institute, Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs, Legal Action Chicago, Mission Readiness, Illinois, and POWER-PAC IL.
“The stigma associated with getting free school meals today often prevents many of our eligible young people from participating in the program and getting the nutritious food they need. By funding school meals for all, we can remove that stigma and ensure every student who needs a meal gets one,” said Lauren Peters at the American Heart Association. “We need the General Assembly to include this appropriation in the FY2025 budget – our children are counting on us.”
To learn more, visit https://www.healthyschoolmealsil.com/