EBT program a boon for kids' nutrition this summer

By The Herald Editorial Board

Among the things that school kids in Washington state have to worry about — homework, gym class and cooties, among others — a nutritious meal shouldn’t have to be one of them.

For more kids it no longer is.

Starting this school year, school children at public schools where 40 percent or more students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, can request breakfast, lunch or both at school at no charge to the child and without having to prove eligibility for the federally reimbursed free or reduced-price meals, following passage of legislation in 2023. Bills seeking to expand that to all children did not advance this year, however.

State legislators, next session as they prepare another two-year budget, should give more consideration to expanding access to free meals to all students, eliminating the possibility that any student might go hungry.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-ebt-program-a-boon-for-kids-nutrition-this-summer/