BOSTON—Earlier this month, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law Senator Sal DiDomenico’s bill to fight childhood hunger and boost participation rates in school breakfast programs in schools with high percentages of students from low-income families in the Commonwealth. The bill, An Act regarding breakfast after the bell, requires all public K‑12 schools with 60 percent or more students eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the federal National School Lunch Program to offer breakfast after theinstructional day begins.

Senator DiDomenico has been a longtime champion of anti-hunger policies in the Massachusetts Senate and has sponsored this Breakfast After the Bell bill for the past two legislative sessions. Earlier in theyear, he was the recipient of the 2020 Breakfast Hero Award from the national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry for his advocacy on Breakfast After the Bell and his work to end childhood hunger in theCommonwealth. This new law is the culmination of many years work and advocacy by Senator DiDomenico, his staff, and food security advocates from across the state. 

“As childhood hunger rates continue to spike due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to increase our school breakfast participation rates and provide our students with the nutrition they need to start their day ready to learn,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico, theSenate sponsor of the bill. “I have seen the success of Breakfast After the Bell in my own community, and I am confident that this policy will help to ensure every child in the Commonwealth has access to a stigma-free and nutritious breakfast. Thank you to Senate President Spilka and Speaker DeLeo for making Breakfast After the Bell a legislative priority, as well as my partners Representative Vega, Representative Vargas, and the Rise and Shine Coalition for their tireless advocacy on this legislation.”

“When we first began advocating for this bill, 1 in 9 children in Massachusetts faced food insecurity and nearly 150,000 low income students were not accessing school breakfast. Today, 1 in 5 children is at risk of food insecurity, so now more than ever many more families will likely benefit from school meals,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank, which led thestatewide Rise and Shine Massachusetts coalition. “Passing this bill was a team effort by more than fifty organizations and school stakeholders across the state in coordination with our legislative champions. The Breakfast After the Bell legislation will help us move to a more equitable public education system, one in which all students get the nutrition they need to succeed for years to come.”

 “The COVID-19 crisis and resulting increase in food insecurity highlight the importance of child nutrition programs, such as school breakfast,” said Erin McAleer, President of Project Bread.

“Project Bread stands ready to support schools and districts in implementation of this legislation, working hand-in-hand to provide the most successful school breakfast program possible. We are grateful to thelegislature for their overwhelming support of Breakfast After the Bell, and especially to Senator DiDomenico and House sponsors, Representatives Vargas and Vega, for their commitment to ensuring that more Massachusetts students can start the school day with the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.”

Massachusetts currently requires all schools with high percentages of students from low-income families to provide breakfast to every eligible student. However, because breakfast is typically offered before thebell and in the cafeteria, participation levels are low—less than 40 percent—compared to 80‑90 percent participation for free and reduced lunch. Moving breakfast from before the bell to after the bell is a proven strategy to boost breakfast participation and ensure that all students have the nutrition they need to start their day ready to learn.

This law will require schools across Massachusetts serving low-income students to offer breakfast afterthe start of the instructional day through a variety of delivery models, including breakfast in theclassroom, grab-and-go, and second-chance breakfast. This flexibility allows school districts to select themodel that best fits their students’ needs.

As a federally reimbursed program, Breakfast After the Bell has the potential to provide up to $25 million statewide to Massachusetts school districts that increase participation rates to 80 percent and above. These payments are made directly to school nutrition departments, helping to support jobs, update kitchen equipment, and provide healthier menu options. 

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BOSTON – Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico successfully secured $10 Million for COVID-19 Preparedness and Stabilization Grants to provide much needed support to Massachusetts afterschool and out-of-school time programs. These grants will provide funding to form community partnerships, workforce training and health and safety expenses necessary to adequately prepare for the 2020-2021 school year amidst COVID-19.  

DiDomenico's amendment was included in An Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth, which was passed by the Massachusetts Senate. This legislation will provide for programs related to economic development and job creation throughout the Commonwealth, with a special consideration for the diverse needs related to the 2019 novel coronavirus. Senator DiDomenico focused in on several specific community priorities in addition to educational equity related to after and out-of-school programming.

“In a workforce where one-third of individuals rely on childcare to successfully work, it’s a no-brainer that organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs and many of our local afterschool programs are integral to the smooth functioning of our society. These organizations’ capacity to allow parents more flexibility in fulltime work schedules, all the while ensuring their children are safely cared for outside supervised school hours, is extremely important to maintain. I am was proud to secure this funding that will allow our community afterschool partners to effectively prepare their facilities and staff for the fall, and I am so grateful for all that they do for our Commonwealth’s children and families.”

In consideration of upcoming budget constraints, school districts throughout the Commonwealth have been forced to reallocate funding for afterschool programming, making the system particularly vulnerable in light of increased costs related to COVID preparedness. Already, afterschool and out-of-school community partners face cumulative challenges from expenses related to additional cleaning requirements, PPE, protocols (like reduced group sizes), and consequent need for increased staffing that are necessary for the safe maintenance of these programs during coronavirus.

“I want to thank Senator DiDomenico for his leadership and support during a critical time for afterschool programs across the Commonwealth,” said Ardith Wieworka, CEO Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership. “Afterschool Programs, big and small, have helped support communities through the COVID-19 crisis. School reopening is imminent, and with these new resources, afterschool programs can meet the challenge and continue to provide much needed support to districts, students, and families over the coming months.”

“We are truly grateful to Senator DiDomenico and the Massachusetts State Senate for championing afterschool and out-of-school time programs like the Boys & Girls Clubs. Now more than ever, state support like this is critical to ensure that we can continue supporting the kids and families in the communities we serve,” said Jennifer Aldworth, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.

"The YMCAs are thankful to have a champion and partner in Senator Sal DiDomenico who understands the importance of directing critical state funding towards out of school time programs,” said Peter Doliber, CEO of the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs. As we enter into an unprecedented fall, YMCAs are striving to serve all children equitably and this funding will help us towards that goal. This funding will provide much needed support for staffing and cleaning which will allow us to serve more children and families. " 

Specifically, these resources will serve to ensure the over 700,000 youth enrolled in public schools throughout the Commonwealth will have an equitable opportunity for safe afterschool and out-of-school care, in the midst of an otherwise unpredictable schoolyear. In efforts to alleviate challenges faced by organizations who provide these programs, the grants offered through this funding seek to assist in supporting increased costs related to:  

• PPE and cleaning 

• Additional supplies due to the need for single/solitary usage

• Programming to address academic achievement loss caused by long distance/remote/uncertain learning environment

• Services for low wage-earning communities 

• Services including, but not limited to, the provision of meals and transportation

The differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill will now be reconciled before heading to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

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BOSTON­– Senator Sal DiDomenico recently announced that his amendment providing $5 million for the development of a common application for MassHealth enrollees to more easily access the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was included as part of the Senate’s General Governmental Bond Bill. DiDomenico has been longtime champion of food security in the Commonwealth and has been filing legislation for years to streamline the process for individuals and families applying for federal SNAP benefits.

“I am very pleased that my amendment was included as a key component of the General Governmental Bond Bill,” said Senator DiDomenico. “As more individuals and families become unemployed and lose private health insurance, they will undoubtedly need both health care and nutritional benefits. This $5M will go a long way towards making the common application I have been advocating for a reality and will play a crucial role in helping to connect people with the food resources they need.” 

Senator DiDomenico is the lead sponsor of An Act improving public health through a common application for core food, health and safety-net programs, also known as the SNAP Gap bill. The SNAP Gap refers to the over 700,000 people who are MassHealth recipients and likely eligible for SNAP but are not receiving nutritional benefits. MassHealth and SNAP, as well as many other safety-net programs, use separate application processes that ask for similar information. This duplicates efforts and creates more work for both the state and low-income consumers.

DiDomenico’s bill would create a common application portal to let low-income households apply for MassHealth and SNAP at the same time, thereby consolidating the application process and raising awareness of SNAP eligibility. This bill would help more low-income students access free school meals, increasing food access for over 100,000 Massachusetts elders, and help more families meet their basic needs. 

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