California is home to more than 9 million children, yet far too many struggle to access the nutrition they need to learn, grow, and thrive. The reality is stark—more than one in four California households with children (25.8%) experience food insecurity, with even higher rates among Black (28.7%) and Latino (31.2%) families.
Our state has made historic investment in Universal School Meals and the SUN Bucks program to fight this childhood food insecurity. Yet many children are still going hungry because students do not have adequate time to eat these meals.
In close collaboration with the Second Harvest Food Bank, we are building partnerships to co-create and develop a policy proposal that codifies CDE’s recommendations on minimum seated time standards for school meals. This proposal would ensure students receive at least 10 minutes of seated time for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch after being served, ensuring the state’s investment in Universal School Meals can fully benefit California's children.
Follow along for updates, Frequently Asked Questions, and opportunities to call our leaders to actions.
