An Act to Expand Access to Early Childhood Nutrition by
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2064
Sponsors: DAUGHTRY
Amends: 5 MRSA §24052

Legislative Document
No. 2064
S.P. 853
In Senate, December 17, 2025
An Act to Expand Access to Early Childhood Nutrition by 
Establishing a Grant Program for Public Preschools
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 15, 2025.  Referred to the Committee 
on Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Senators: INGWERSEN of York, PIERCE of Cumberland, RAFFERTY of 
York, Representatives: EATON of Deer Isle, MURPHY of Scarborough, SALISBURY of 
Westbrook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §24052, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 450, §11, is amended by 
amending the section headnote to read:
§24052.  Duties; early childhood nutrition grant program administration
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §24052, sub-§2 is enacted to read:
2.  Early childhood nutrition grant program.  The council shall create and 
administer, with input from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child 
and Family Services and the Department of Education, a grant program to allow school 
administrative units to enter into agreements with providers of public preschool programs 
to provide students in those programs with breakfast, lunch and a snack.  
A.  The council shall develop eligibility standards and requirements for participation 
in the grant program, including, but not limited to:
(1)  The public preschool program is not located on the site of a public school, as 
defined in Title 20-A, section 1, subsection 24;
(2)  The public preschool program meets the Department of Education's basic 
approval standards for public preschool under the Department of Education's rule 
Chapter 124: Basic Approval Standards: Public Preschool Programs; and
(3)  The public preschool program shall provide food that meets the nutrition 
standards developed for child care centers pursuant to 42 United States Code, 
Section 1766 and administered by the Department of Education, child and adult 
care food program.
B.  Grants may be awarded by the council as follows.
(1)  The amount of the grant is limited to $1,200 per student annually.
(2)  In addition to the grant under subparagraph (1), an eligible public preschool 
program may apply for an additional grant of no more than $10,000 for 
infrastructure improvements to allow the public preschool program to provide 
breakfast, lunch and a snack.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Maine Children's Cabinet Early Childhood Advisory Council, 
with input from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family 
Services and the Department of Education, to establish and administer a grant program to 
allow school administrative units to enter into agreements with providers of off-site public 
preschool programs to provide students in those programs with breakfast, lunch and a 
snack.  The grant is limited to $1,200 per student per year, but an eligible program may 
apply for an additional grant of up to $10,000 for infrastructure improvements to allow the 
program to provide breakfast, lunch and a snack.  The food provided by the public 
preschool program must meet certain nutrition standards.