HARRISBURG, Pa. — Many call breakfast the "most important meal of the day."
The state is making sure students start the day the right way.
It's a new program across the state, and it kicked in on Monday morning.
When he made the announcement last month, Governor Wolf said he is taking hunger off the table.
Welcome to day one of the state's Universal Free Breakfast Program.
Every public, private, and charter school student now qualifies for a free breakfast at school, regardless of family income level.
Wolf added young people need to feed their bellies before they feed their minds. He wanted to include free lunches as part of the deal, but the money just wasn't there.
As it stands now, free breakfast for everyone will cost more than $21 million. The state had the extra money left over from a federal free school meal program that was not extended. The expansion of the state program affects nearly two million students.
It doesn't last forever. The state's free breakfast for every student program expires at the end of the current school year in June.
The video below is from February 8, 2022, when Gov. Wolf laid out his budget plan for the 2022-23 fiscal year.