All California students can get free meals at school. Here’s what the new program does

The days of forgetting your lunch money are gone — at least in California.

The state’s department of education is implementing a Universal Meals Program for school children. Starting this school year, 2022-2023, all public school students can get free lunch and breakfast, according to the department’s website.

California is the first state to have a statewide free school meals program.

The meals are served during the school day for students regardless of income status or eligibility for free or reduced programs. This includes students in state public school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that teach students in transitional kindergarten to grade 12.

The program is part of state Assembly Bill 130, which focuses on education finance and was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. Funding comes from the department of education.