Laura A. Gillen
Herald file photo
As we begin another exciting school year for so many young students across Nassau County, I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan Feed Hungry Kids Act in Congress. Earlier this month, I joined educators in Valley Stream to announce this common-sense, bipartisan legislation.
As a mother, the thought of any child going hungry in school is devastating to me. Students can’t reach their full academic potential on an empty stomach. Every one of America’s children deserves a good education that sets them up for a successful life, regardless of their background or ZIP code.
We saw during the pandemic that many families struggled to put food on the table. As families struggle with the costs of health care and housing, many times, one of the first things to go is food. In Nassau County, over 15,000 households currently count on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and other food assistance to put food on the table. Unfortunately, free and nutritious food still remains out of reach for too many across our country.
Increasing access to no-cost breakfast and lunch has been shown to boost students’ learning, increase test scores and improve attendance and classroom behavior.
Until recently, however, Valley Stream and other districts like it were not able to provide every student with free breakfast and lunch, no matter what. Two years ago, Valley Stream directly benefited from expanded access to an important federal program called the Community Eligibility Provision.
That’s why I’m introducing the Feed Hungry Kids Act with my Republican colleague, Rep. David Valadao, of California. This bill would protect that federal program, which has helped Valley Stream and more than 17,000 other schools across the United States ensure that they can provide meals at no cost to all of their students.
The Community Eligibility Provision allows underserved schools to offer breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge. The way it works is simple: If a certain percentage of kids in the school qualify, everyone gets access to meals at no cost.
This is so important for so many reasons. First and foremost, it ensures that our kids are fed during the day. Second, and equally important, CEP reduces the paperwork burden facing families and school districts, making sure that kids don’t fall through the cracks and helping our schools focus on what’s really important — educating our kids.
Originally, the threshold was 40 percent, but in the fall of 2023, the federal government lowered the participation threshold for CEP to 25 percent — meaning that if a quarter of kids in the district qualify for free school meals, every kid can benefit.
By reducing the threshold to 25 percent, an additional 17,000 schools across the country, including in the Valley Stream district, became eligible for this essential program.
That’s why I am proud to take the lead on this act, which would codify the 2023 policy expanding access to free school meals into law, ensuring that CEP meals remain available for students right here in this school district and across the country.
Now, earlier this year, some in Congress shopped around the idea of not only returning the threshold for free meals to 40 percent, but raising it even further. In fact, one potential proposal would increase it to 60 percent, literally taking food away from students and schools. That would be devastating to America’s children.
Making sure our students have food in their stomachs should undoubtedly be a bipartisan issue. With this bipartisan legislation, CEP schools won’t have to worry about remaining eligible for the program and being able to keep kids fed.
Protecting healthy, no-cost meals for our nation’s students is especially important now, as we see food assistance programs nationwide, including several that keep Long Island’s children and seniors fed, being threatened by the cruel GOP tax bill passed earlier this summer along party lines.
I’m proud to fight for Nassau County in Congress, and proud to lead this bipartisan bill, to push back against any proposed cuts to food assistance that would hurt our children and our community.
Laura Gillen represents the 4th Congressional District.
