The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is looking for organizations who want to help the Shapiro Administration provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas across the Commonwealth during the summer months through the Department’s Summer Food Service Program. New sponsors must apply by May 1, 2026.

Last summer, nearly 300 organizations provided nutritious meals to children at approximately 2,100 locations throughout the state. However, to reach more children and narrow the hunger gap that summer may bring, more organizations and meal sites are needed throughout the state, especially in rural areas.

Participating organizations are reimbursed for meals served to children who live in areas in which at least 50 percent of the children qualify for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. 

Participating organizations must be year-round, not-for-profit entities, which include schools, local, municipal or county governments, libraries, churches, fire and police stations, residential summer camps, and national youth sports programs. Organizations approved to sponsor the Summer Food Service Program are responsible for managing the meal service sites that provide the meals to children. Beginning this summer, organizations serving rural areas may be approved to provide non-congregate meals, such as grab-and-go meals or delivered meals, to children in qualifying areas.

Most participating organizations may be reimbursed for up to two meals a day: lunch or dinner, and breakfast or a snack. Those serving primarily migrant children may be reimbursed for up to three meals a day. Camps may serve up to three meals a day, but they are reimbursed only for meals served to children eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program. 

The Summer Food Service Program, which began in 1976, is a federally funded child nutrition program designed to reach children in economically disadvantaged areas. People over 18 who are mentally or physically handicapped and participate in public or nonprofit private programs established for the disabled are also able to receive free meals at the Summer Food Service Program sites. 

For more information on becoming a participating organization or a meal site for the summer Food Service Program, view the website at www.education.pa.gov/sfsp. You can also call 800-331-0129 or email RA-SFSP@pa.gov. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

On February 3, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro released his proposed 2026-27 executive Budget, which he said will build upon two years of bipartisan efforts to adequately fund all of Pennsylvania’s public schools, putting necessary resources directly into classrooms and ensuring the safety and security of students and staff. The proposed budget also seeks to continue investing in the governor’s school facilities program. It also continues to fund universal free breakfast, and the mental health and physical safety programs schools can use to provide safe learning environments while proposing reforms to the way public schools pay for cyber charter schools.

Here are some highlights regarding K-12 Education:
Adequately Funding PA Schools
-Directs an additional $565 million to promote students’ success, in line with the findings of the Basic Education Funding Commission. This funding is used to establish, maintain, or expand after-school tutoring assistance, full-day pre-kindergarten or kindergarten programs, social and health services, continuing professional development, evidence-based reading instruction, science and applied-knowledge skills, school libraries, and other programs that support students’ academic performance targets. The tax equity supplement funds are used by schools to supplement homestead exemptions, property tax and rent rebates, mitigate tax increases, and relieve debt.
-Increases Basic Education Funding by $50 million, proposing $8.31 billion in total to support PA’s public schools. The increase will be distributed through the student-weighted funding formula that directs money to school districts based on factors including the number of students enrolled and the poverty level of those students. The formula also considers factors that reflect student and community differences such as population density, household income of families in the district, number of students attending charter schools, and the district’s ability to raise money through local taxes.
-Increases Special Education Funding by $50 million, proposing $1.58 billion in total funding to provide special education services to students with disabilities and special needs.
Continuing Cyber Reform
Changes to update the cyber charter funding formula by removing costs that arbitrarily inflated tuition rates and expenses. For example, those changes led to the deduction of costs associated with maintaining physical classroom buildings and facilities — costs cyber charter schools do not have because they provide education to students online. It also clarifies the preexisting law to ensure cyber charter schools visibly see and communicate with students at least once per week to ensure students are safe and healthy, and providing penalties for noncompliance. The budget proposes to save school districts an estimated $75 million annually, bringing total savings from these reforms up to $250 million a year.
Creating a Safe and Healthy Learning Environment
The budget continues to fully fund universal free breakfast and continues funding to provide menstrual hygiene products at no cost to students in schools so that no student has to miss school because they are unable to afford pads or tampons. It also continues funding for mental health supports within schools. by continuing an investment of $111 million for school safety and mental health supports. It also calls closes an insurance loophole that allows insurers to deny reimbursement for services provided within a school. The 2026-27 Budget also provides $125 million in support to continue addressing structural and environmental concerns with school buildings, with $25 million of that funding dedicated to the Solar for Schools program. To date, the Shapiro Administration has secured $400 million for 208 school facilities and solar projects that fund repairs and upgrades, with additional projects expected to be awarded near the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year. This budget also continues to invest in safe school facilities.

To view the Governor’s proposed budget in full, click here.