California could expand its free public school meals program to also include children in daycare under a bill introduced last week, state Sen. Josh Becker said this week.
Starting for the 2022-2023 school year, the state’s Universal Meals Program will make free breakfast and lunch available to all K-12 public school students. State legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the program last year as part of the state’s budget.
Senate Bill 1481 would extend that program to state-licensed daycare providers, according to Becker, by reimbursing them for the full cost of providing meals as long as they follow federal nutrition standards.
“California’s youngest children cannot be left out of our state’s groundbreaking meals policy to tackle food insecurity among learners,” said Becker, D-San Mateo. “SB 1481 would ensure that all families can send their kids to child care centers offering free, nutritious meals.”
A total of 13 other legislators have signed on an co-authors of the bill, including Assembly members Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, and Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley.
“Food insecurity is a growing problem and access to healthy nutritious food is of critical importance to everyone,” Mullin said. “It is even more critical for young children who are in their early stages of growth and development.”
According to Becker, the bill is expected to be heard in an undetermined Senate committee this spring.
37 comments
No such thing as a free lunch.
Let them eat paste
@MM
Almost spit out my coffee. Very funny.
Nothing is free! We all pay for it! If you can’t afford children don’t have them. How many times have you seen a person with multiple children and they can’t take care of themselves? It’s always the children that suffer.
Per Mullin, ““Food insecurity is a growing problem and access to healthy nutritious food is of critical importance to everyone,”
Ok, genius, then what about college kids, seniors and well everyone? Free food for all now!!! Vote for me!
Free?
I guess I don’t care if they get fed but what bothers me is people having children they can’t feed. If you look up just about any school you will see forty or fifty percent of the kids get a free lunch. However their shoes cost over a hundred dollars. Not a good sign.
While it is commendable to help those with food insecurities–this creates dependency on the government to feed your children. My father fed eight children on his own salary and we lived within our means. There will be consequences of this reliance…”classical economic theory, which predicts that when governments provide benefits, individuals may decide that they can afford to work less (economists refer to this as the “income effect”).
If you can’t afford a school lunch for your kid, you shouldn’t be having kids. I understand some people may have situations where they need help in times of illness, injury or job loss, but for these losers to expect free lunch and daycare for their kids for the duration of school is an outrage. A nation of welfare losers. 30 trillion in debt, this country is finished, but don’t worry, World War 3 will fix everything. I know refugees who have been here since the 80s from war torn Afghanistan’s and they’ve been on Section 8 for over 35 years!
I think this is what the Democrat party and leaders want! God help us!
***As we’re on the brink of world war 3 all I can say is stop worrying about all this piddly crap****
I also know that if Trump were still president none of this would be going on. (War, inflation, crime at home)
@Joe Mama
Your right, I have a former coworker who has been on Section 8 since the 80’s and only pays in the 400 range and the rest the government pays the rest of it. Meanwhile I’m here struggling to pay my full rent of 1400.00 and I got a notice to pay or quit. No one is helping me with the rent. Everyone expect a free handout FOREVER. The Section 8 should start paying more from their own pocket. Now with schools, looks like the Democrats is turning schools like home. Have everything, what is next? Have a Operation Room to perform operations incase Little Johnny needs one.
Unbelievable!
This will benefit the children of parents that are in the country illegally. Legal residents, and/or citizens that are too poor to feed their children, are eligible for government programs such as food stamps, and WIC.
LET’S MAKE EVERYTHING FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Free – More phony garbage from Sac.
What parents can afford daycare but can’t afford to feed their kids?
I know it’s said that God helps those who help themselves, but I don’t think that means you can help yourself to what others produce. Get your hand out of my pocket, Becket! Parents are responsible for their children’s welfare, not the state tax coffer.
@Anon… totally agree. I don’t know why I bother with this site and it’s comments. It is literally the dumbest and meanest thing I see on the internet. This community would be better if this site shut down.
@BaltB
BITE YOUR TONGUE……this is the best site on the internet.
Don’t take the bait folks … They want your kids …. Resist with all your might
how does your garden grow?
Most of the “food” they serve to children is absolute unhealthy garbage!
I don’t want children to suffer. I’m also not interested in paying for people that can’t afford to have children. The food should be crazy healthy. No junk food whatsoever. Too many kids are ridiculously fat today. You shouldn’t have a beer belly before you can legally buy beer.
Its not free. Paid for with the taxes I pay because I get up every day and go to work. Apparently, this “Lawmaker” does not know how the State budget works.
Ha, doesn’t know how the state budget works? Are you kidding, these demons write the laws and set the budget. It is with 100% absolute informed forethought that they extract as much as they can of what YOU earned to give it to others who will vote to keep the scam rollin’.
The quality of school lunch has hit rock bottom since it became free. There used to be a couple good meals, and the kids enjoyed buying lunch once in awhile. Now, it’s just a granola bar or nachos. Or a half frozen burger. There is a menu planner, but my kids in different grades at the same school are almost always offered different things. What is going on? Nothing is really free!!
hmmm, what kind of lunches will this be? Healthy?
I know this is a state program but just another waste of taxpayer dollars, right in line with one of the biggest scams ever, the NSLP (Natl School Lunch Program) which is now more than just “free” lunch, it’s also breakfast plus snacks and afterschool meals. Plus many of these kids are also in families on SNAP , CalFresh, etc. The audit requirements are a joke, fraud is rampant by both end-users and providers, and it’s become even worse during pandemic as USDA just giving $$ out to anyone with hardly any oversight.
You nailed it.
Curious how much was budgeted for “feeding” daycare children. In the bill, after quick perusal, looks like the state is adding about 20-40 cents per meal. What I could not find is the number of meals they estimated for the year, and then how much more that is not part of the meal gets spread amongst “friends.” Is it $50 million for the year? More? Less? Certainly not free. Why not instead partner with Second Harvest, or St Vincent De Paul, instead of reaching into the producers’ pockets taking more of their hard earned money. Assembly members Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, and Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley certainly are unbelievably generous.; very free with spreading their money around…oh wait,,, thieves
Another example of the many Democrat government vote buying schemes. They pander to the poor, uneducated masses; while they live their affluent, rich and luxurious lives.
And eventually, the hard working, tax paying, honest citizens end up paying for it.
I remember when Michelle Obama tried to serve the kids “nutritious” meals. The garbage cans were full of it after the kids rejected it.
They tried something like this when I was a kid. The cafeteria started to serve “nutritious” meals on trays, instead of the usual bag lunch that had a sandwich, chips, fruit, and a milk. Three bean salad was usually included because it was nutritious. We kids soon realized that three bean salad was great to catapult across the cafeteria with our sporks. Every day was a food fight.
That experiment lasted about 1 month, then back to bag lunches. What the administration actually taught us was civil disobedience can be fun.
@Badge1104
CORRECT!
What about children who are home schooling.
I’m more concerned with “Education Insecurity” than I am food security! California (Public) schools hit rock bottom, and then built a deeper basement last year.
I have never witnessed so many people upset over feeding children. Im sure most of you are also pro life. So much of our tax money goes to expenses not disclosed to the public but feeding children in childcare is where you cross the line? Unbalivable
FAOY,
Feeding children is a good thing. The problem is that the zero accountability government can’t be trusted to do anything right, and hardworking taxpayers are tired of paying for their mistakes.
Comments are closed.