Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday a $21.5 million plan to provide universal free school breakfast for 1.7 million students this school year.

According to a news release from Wolf’s office, the Universal Free Breakfast Program will go into effect on Oct. 1 and run through the end of the 2022-23 school year.

More than 1.7 million Pennsylvania children enrolled in public schools, intermediate units, charter schools, career and technology schools, and child care institutions that participate in the national school lunch and school breakfast programs can benefit from this state-funded program.

The program is funded with prior year funding from the School Food Services General Fund appropriation. Schools that do not currently participate in the national lunch and breakfast programs can apply for universal breakfast on the Department of Education’s website.

From March 2020 through the end of the 2021-22 school year, students were afforded free meals from school as a result of waivers approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.