State’s Richest County Just Created Universal Free Breakfast Program

In schools that qualify, every student has access to a free breakfast regardless of their family’s income.

Gus Navarro/WDET

The richest county in Michigan is doing something unprecedented for its low-income residents — as well as many other families that aren’t low-income. Oakland County is launching the largest universal free breakfast program for students in Michigan. That means, in schools that qualify, every student has access to a free breakfast regardless of their family’s income.

Stephen Henderson speaks with two people involved on Detroit Today to discuss the specifics of this new program and what it means for the community. 

Dave Woodward is the chairman of the Oakland County Board Of Commissioners. He spent a year pushing for the creation of the new program after seeing a small-scale version a year ago at Hazel Park High School.

Dr. Wanda Cook-Robinson is the superintendent of Oakland Schools, one of the partners on the program. Oakland Schools will contribute about $200,000 to the program in its first year.

Click the audio player above to listen to this conversation.

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