We are doing a happy dance!!!
10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farms has been expanded statewide!
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the new state budget for 2021 on Wednesday, and it goes into effect today. The budget includes $2 million for 10 Cents a Meal, up from $575,000 last year. Schools all across the state, from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula, now are eligible to apply for the grant funds. Sponsors of early childhood education centers also can apply for the first time.
Spread the news to your schools and early childhood centers! Tell them to watch for news from the Michigan Department of Education, which plans to implement the grant application process quickly.
Here are some things you can do:
- Share this resource. School districts and early childhood centers interested in applying can prepare for the grant application process by reading this Grant Application Guide. Tell farms, food hubs, and other local food enterprises you know as well. Schools and early childhood centers will score higher if they can show that they know where they will source local food.
- Learn more about early childhood center opportunities with this grant.
- Learn how to help your own school or early childhood center succeed in applying for and using the grant with this short Supporter Guide, which includes ideas on how you can get involved and help kids get excited about trying new foods!
And about the legislature:
- Shout out to Sen. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City. He is the lead champion for 10 Cents a Meal in the legislature and his tireless leadership for the program has made a crucial difference.
- Make sure he has colleagues in the House who know and love 10 Cents a Meal. We will have a new legislature next year—with every seat in the House of Representatives up for election on November 3. You can help your future representative know about 10 Cents a Meal. It is a single line item in the big School Aid Budget, so it is easy to miss. Educating candidates makes a difference.
- And let me know what you hear!
