Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $200 Million in Food Assistance Going to 1.5 Million Children Across New York

 

$120 Per Child Going to Eligible Families Through Summer EBT Program

More Assistance is Available and New Yorkers Can Apply Until September 3

State Expects 2 Million Children Will Qualify For Assistance

Continues Governor’s Focus on Addressing the Cost of Living, Following $350 Million in Supplemental Child Tax Credit Payments and Increased Access to Child Care Assistance

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York has issued nearly $200 million in food assistance to more than 1.5 million low-income children as part of the new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program. New York is sending $120 per child to eligible families to help pay for healthy meals. Some eligible families have already begun to receive this assistance and the benefits will continue to be sent in the coming weeks. Governor Hochul also highlighted that more assistance is available, and the State expects approximately 2 million children will qualify to receive this benefit. New Yorkers are encouraged to learn more about eligibility and apply before the September 3 deadline.

“Having access to healthy, nutritious food is essential for children’s health and well-being,” Governor Hochul said. “As New York continues putting money back in the pockets of working families, we’ve already begun sending food assistance to more than 1.5 million kids – and we’re going to keep delivering these benefits to more families in need.”

Summer EBT is a new federally funded program that supports efforts to address food insecurity among children from low-income families. Each state electing to opt into the Summer EBT program is responsible for distributing the $120-per-child benefits to eligible families, as well as covering half of the administrative costs involved in distributing the funds. Governor Hochul ensured that New York would participate in this program and secured $13 million in the State’s FY 2025 Enacted Budget to support Summer EBT distribution efforts throughout the State.

Governor Hochul made today’s announcement at the Lower East Side Girls Club with local advocates and Representative Dan Goldman, who helped secure Summer EBT funding alongside New York’s congressional delegation.

Eligible children are receiving Summer EBT food benefits on an EBT card that their families can use just like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Summer EBT food benefits can be used to buy food like fruits, vegetables, meat, whole grains, and dairy at authorized retail food stores, farmers markets, and anywhere else SNAP is accepted.

Most children who are eligible – including recipients of SNAP, Temporary Assistance, or Medicaid – will automatically receive Summer EBT and do not need to do anything to apply. These families were sent a letter this summer letting them know that their child is eligible.

In addition to those who are automatically receiving benefits, other eligible families may apply to receive benefits for their children. To be eligible, a child must attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and meet the income requirements for free/reduced-price school meals.

To learn more about eligibility and apply, visit ny.gov/SummerEBT. Applications for Summer 2024 benefits must be submitted by September 3, 2024.

Expanding Access to Child Tax Credit Payments

Governor Hochul recently announced New York State is delivering approximately $350 million in supplemental payments to low- and moderate-income families statewide through the Empire State Child Credit program. More than 1 million families will receive this financial assistance without any need to apply, as each eligible family will receive a direct payment of up to $330 per child. The State has already begun sending checks to eligible taxpayers, with all checks expected to be sent by the end of August.

The Empire State Child Credit is a refundable tax credit for income-qualified New Yorkers with children. In 2023, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature expanded the Empire State Child Credit to include children under four, benefitting an estimated 600,000 additional children per year. Earlier this year, the more than 1 million families eligible for the Empire State Child Credit began to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits based on their 2023 tax filings.

Delivering Financial Relief to Working New Yorkers

Governor Hochul and the State Legislature have delivered an unprecedented level of financial support to low- and moderate-income New Yorkers over the last two years. More than $2.6 billion has been provided through supplemental payment and savings programs to millions of New York taxpayers since 2022.

This includes the 2022 homeowner tax rebate credit, the 2022 supplemental Earned Income Tax Credit and Empire State Child Credit payments, the 2022 gas tax suspension, the 2023 expansion of the Empire State Child Credit and the latest round of Empire State Child Credit supplemental payments.

Helping More Working Families Pay for Child Care

Governor Hochul recently launched ny.gov/childcare – a digital portal to help make free or low-cost child care more accessible to eligible families statewide through New York State’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). This new initiative follows a historic $1.8 billion state and federal investment in CCAP secured by Governor Hochul in the FY25 Enacted Budget. CCAP covers more than 90 percent of market rate child care costs for most eligible families, with most families of four paying no more than $15 per week for child care.

The Governor previously worked with the Legislature to overhaul the child care system and make historic, one-of-a-kind investments, including a four-year, $7 billion commitment to improving the child care assistance program; expanding income eligibility for child care assistance to more than half of young children in New York; increasing state reimbursement rates to providers to expand the number of programs from which families can choose; investing $50 million to establish a child care capital program; investing $343 million to stabilize programs at risk of closure and support the child care workforce; and investing $15.6 million to expand child care to all SUNY and CUNY campuses.