Governor Mills, Senate President Daughtry Celebrate Expansion of Maine's Nation-leading Free School Meals Program

Grant program in supplemental budget will expand Maine's free school meals program for pre-K students

Governor Janet Mills and Senate President Mattie Daughtry today visited the Family Focus Early Learning Center in Brunswick to celebrate a provision of the supplemental budget that will enable Maine's nation-leading free school meals program to serve more pre-K students across the state.

In 2021, Governor Mills signed landmark legislation making Maine just the second state in the nation to provide free school breakfast and lunch to all students in public schools -- a program fully funded in each of the Governor's subsequent budgets.

Under the program, pre-K students enrolled in programs located in public schools are eligible to receive the free meals. Public programs operated by community partners at off-site locations, however, have been ineligible due to Federal restrictions on the National School Lunch Program.

A provision included in the supplemental budget recently signed to law by Governor Mills -- inspired by legislation introduced and championed by President Daughtry -- creates a new grant program to expand free meals to students at off-site public programs.

"My Administration has made Maine a national leader in supporting young learners -- guaranteeing free school meals for all students and making record investments to expand public pre-K programs across the state," said Governor Janet Mills. "This program will build on that progress by making sure more pre-K students can benefit from a nutritious meal, regardless of where their classroom is located. I thank President Daughtry for her important work on behalf of Maine's children and working families."

"Families across Maine are stretched thin right now and every penny saved matters," said Senate President Mattie Daughtry. "During our child care listening tour, we heard directly from families and providers about this exact gap -- kids in the same public program, but not getting the same support. This law fixes that by making sure a nutritious meal follows the child, no matter where they learn, and gives providers the ability to focus on caring for kids instead of figuring out how to cover the cost of feeding them."

The new grant program was based on LD 2064, known as "The Apple Act," introduced by Senate President Daughtry in February based on findings from her statewide Support Kids, Support Maine Child Care Listening Tour. During her visit to Family Focus in Brunswick last year, school leaders told the Senate President that were taking a $15,000 annual financial hit to ensure kids were fed.

"I want to thank Governor Mills and Senate President Daughtry for listening to providers and responding to a real need in our communities," said Laura Larson, Executive Director of Family Focus. "This new program creates a pathway toward ensuring that children in off-site public pre-K programs can access the same nutritious meals as their peers, helping providers focus on caring for children instead of worrying about how to cover the cost of food."

"Ensuring that every Maine student, even the youngest in public pre-K sites, has access to free school meals and the nutrition they need to succeed, is an investment in education, health, and Maine's economy that benefits all Maine people," said Billy Shore, Founder and CEO of Share Our Strength, the parent organization for the No Kid Hungry campaign. "Once again Governor Mills leads the way for the rest of the nation in demonstrating a return on investment that benefits every taxpayer."

"The benefits of high-quality education for our youngest children are universally accepted and the benefits of expanded access to healthy school meals for these same students are similar - higher academic achievement, better health outcomes by improving children's diets and combatting hunger," said Colleen Frawley, Advocacy Manager for Full Plates, Full Potential. "We welcome the ongoing commitment by Maine to Healthy School Meals for All and we know closing this particular funding gap will help families and childcare providers too."

Since taking office in 2019, the Mills Administration has invested more than $145 million in state and federal funding to expand child care and early childhood education throughout Maine, with public Pre-K programs reaching their highest enrollment ever in the 2025-2026 school year. The Maine Department of Education has estimated that about 350 children currently attend public pre-K at off-site community-based child care programs across 13 school districts, with that number expected to increase.

Advocates estimate that free school meals can save families up to $160 per month per child. This new grant program is one of many priorities included in supplemental budget focused on keeping costs low for Maine people. The enacted budget also includes the Governor's proposals to provide direct financial relief to more than 500,000 Maine people, make Free Community College Permanent, deliver enhanced property tax relief for Maine households, and build on her administration's record investments in housing.