With development of the state’s budget for 2025-2026 in full swing, we at the Michigan League for Public Policy are joining the American Heart Association and other children’s health advocates in urging our lawmakers to continue support for free, healthy school meals for all public students in grades pre-K through 12.

Currently, the federal government partially reimburses schools for each meal served. Schools recoup the remaining costs through student copays. Students from families with low incomes are eligible for reduced or completely eliminated copays.

For the last two school years, Michigan has supplied state funds to cover all meal costs not reimbursed federally, enabling schools that accept the funds to provide breakfast and lunch to all kids at no charge to their families.

Expanding access to school meals enhances food security and diet quality, having a positive impact on kids’ physical and mental health. Additionally, school meals are linked to improved attendance, attentiveness, and behavior. All of this translates into greater success in school.

Continued state funding for universal school meals is more important than ever.

Due to inflation that began during the first Trump administration, families are paying 27% more for groceries than they did five years ago.

Local food pantries are turning to drastic measures, like substituting fresh and canned produce with vegetable powders, to meet increasing need while donations are down.

Hunger is real in our state — especially for families with children. Eighteen percent of Michigan kids are food insecure. The rate is even higher in some communities, exceeding one in four children in Montmorency, Roscommon, and Wayne Counties.

Recently, the Trump administration abruptly canceled delivery of millions of meals for Michiganders under federal programs that connect the state’s farmers to local schools and food banks.

Uncertainty around new federal tariff policies is wreaking havoc on parents’ long-term efforts to save for emergencies, college, and retirement, while everyday costs are expected to rise even higher.

To pay for trillions in further tax cuts for the nation’s richest people, Congress is also considering devastating cuts to services — like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid — that help struggling families meet their essential survival needs.

Amid such chaos, our kids should always be able to count on a meal at school.

The Healthy School Meals for All initiative is popular with kids and their families: in the first year that state funding was available, daily participation in school breakfast and lunch jumped by 24% and 20%, respectively. The elimination of student copays makes school meals affordable and convenient for parents at all income levels, saving up to $850 per child per year.

It reduces red tape for families and frees up precious resources for schools to redirect to the core functions of educating children. School districts report the program is running smoothly and efficiently, reducing administrative burdens like meal debt collection and eligibility paperwork.

Children can’t do their best in school on an empty stomach. It’s up to us to make policy choices that ensure they have what they need to reach their full potential.

At the Michigan League for Public Policy, we view budgets as value statements. While our federal elected officials try to pull the rug out from under working families to give huge tax breaks to millionaires, we Michiganders can show through our state budget that we value every child’s right to food, health, and opportunity.

Julie Cassidy is the Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy.