The extra helping of joy in school's 2023 start

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The start of a new school year is always a busy and exciting time in our house. I now have a fifth-grader who has spent the last week meeting her teacher and learning which friends will be in her class. It's a joyful time to watch her growth and look back at previous first-day photos. But this year brings with it extra joy — not just for my family, but every parent. For the first time in our state's history, students in Minnesota will have access to free breakfast and lunch every day at school. Period. No questions asked. We're just feeding the kids.

Watching Gov. Tim Walz sign free school meals into law this spring was one of the proudest moments of my career. Providing free breakfast and lunch to all students removes stigma in the lunchroom, saves families thousands of dollars a year, invests in the health and well-being of our children, improves school performance, increases attendance and ensures that no student goes hungry.

This is deeply personal to me. I'm lieutenant governor now, but I was once just a kid growing up in St. Louis Park. I was raised by my mom who utilized Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program — which allowed her to go back to school to earn her certificate in phlebotomy — and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which helped put food on the table. Thanks to these programs, we survived and ultimately thrived.

But it also meant I was the kid with the different-colored lunch ticket. When there was no more money in my account, I stood in line for a cheese sandwich when others got hot lunch. The colored lunch tickets have long been dispensed, but the shame of feeling different for receiving free and reduced lunch has continued for too many kids.

I took my childhood experiences and dedicated my career to fighting for children and families. Along with years of work from advocates, we are now making sure families like mine feel supported and know that breakfast and lunch will be one less thing to worry about.

As a mom, I am reminded of the food insecurity I experienced growing up and how important it is to make sure kids are fed. As a lieutenant governor, I heard last year from a school social worker in Minnesota who found during a home visit that children were eating crayons because there was no food in the house. Another school cafeteria worker told me about students who just barely didn't qualify for free or reduced lunch but who showed up with lunchboxes filled with only an apple.

The lunchroom should be a happy, energetic place for students to laugh and spend time with friends, not a place where kids feel embarrassment, shame or hunger. How could anyone possibly be against the idea of feeding hungry children? I am proud that Minnesota is leading the way in investing in a healthier, better future for all of our kids.

Not only is feeding our students the right thing to do; it will also save families thousands of dollars this school year. Coupled with rebate payments being sent this month, expanded access to child care, record investments in education, and a historic child tax credit, free school meals is just one way we're striving to lower costs for families across Minnesota.

I hope these successes in Minnesota can demonstrate what's possible at the state and the federal level when we listen to families and respond to our parents, students and schools. We are building a strong education system that lifts families out of poverty, reduces inequality and enables all people to live full healthy lives. We are closer than ever to achieving our goal of making Minnesota the best state to raise a family, which is a joyful reason to celebrate this new school year.

Peggy Flanagan is lieutenant governor of Minnesota.