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NYSHealth Invites You to Attend "A Conversation About Making Universal Free Lunch in NYC Public Schools a Reality"
This week, parents across New York City are receiving notices about prekindergarten slots for children attending school this fall. Thanks to Mayor de Blasio, universal pre-K became a reality for New York City children
two years ago. Universal pre-K helped make New York a leader in the movement toward better education and greater equity for children.
To ensure that all kids get off to a healthy start and are ready to learn each day, there is a natural next step: providing universal school lunch.
An astonishing 75% of NYC's 1.1 million public school students (780,000 children) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. However, 250,000 (1 in 3) eligible students do not participate in school lunch programs. The
reason is simple: students skip the lunch program to avoid stigma and bullying associated with a "free-free," a derisive term for free school lunch. In 2013, 81% of elementary school students ate school lunch while only 38% of high school students participated.
Bullying increases as children get older, and students, especially lower-income children, report high rates of bullying in the lunchroom. This leads to a skipped lunch phenomenon at a time when children most need food during the day.
In response, Community Food Advocates launched the Lunch 4 Learning Campaign to lead the effort to bring free universal school lunch to all NYC public schools. Universal school lunch was also a campaign promise of Mayor de
Blasio, who recognized that this program will eliminate the poverty stigma of participating in school lunch, improve children's health and education outcomes, and bring more federal dollars to New York City. However, as we head into the final stretch of approval
of the 2017 City budget, funding to make universal school lunch a reality is not a sure thing. New York City is the largest school system in the country; it could accomplish one of the most far-reaching pro-child and pro-health feats of all by making universal
school lunch a reality.
Please join us for a timely and important conversation with three health leaders in the universal school lunch campaign to hear about the most recent advocacy efforts.
Who: Melissa Mark-Viverito, Speaker, New York City Council
(invited)
Letitia James, New York City Public Advocate
(invited)
Liz Accles, Executive Director, Community Food Advocates
Monique Lindsay, Leader and Advocate,
Lunch 4 Learning Campaign Parent Caucus
When: Thursday, May 26, 2016
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: NYSHealth Conference Room
1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor (corner of 38th Street)
New York, NY 10018
Please
R.S.V.P. here by Monday, May 23, 2016. This event is by invitation only. Space is limited. Lunch will be provided.
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