WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Gov. Maura Healey was in Central Massachusetts Wednesday to celebrate the Summer Child Nutrition Program.

Healey was joined by state and federal leaders at Fales Elementary School in Westborough.

Earlier this year the state received federal approval for the program which will help feed about 600,000 students while schools are closed for the summer.

Healey said low-income families with school-aged children are eligible to receive financial assistance to buy groceries.

They'll receive a one-time, $120 payment per child starting next week.

“Massachusetts, you know, we like to lead and a lot of things,” said Healey. “It's important to us, right, to win, to be on top. We're very competitive here. I don't think there's an area where it's more important than winning that when it comes to taking care of our kids and making sure that they have the nutrition that they need and that they deserve.”

“We found that it reduced severe hunger by one-third,” said Cindy Long, administrator of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. “We found that it improved the nutritional quality of the food the kids were eating. And intuitively, we know it took a great amount of stress off of those families who would otherwise struggle to make up for those school meals during the summer.”

Families who are not automatically enrolled can apply on DTA Connect on the state's website through Sept. 7.