December 8, 2009 - School breakfast participation continues to rise, according to two reports issued by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) yesterday. According to FRAC’s School Breakfast Scorecard, 6.2 percent more children participated in the School Breakfast Program, bringing total participation in the school nutrition programs to 18.9 million children. FRAC also released another report that looks at school breakfast promotion and participation in 25 large urban school districts.
The School Breakfast Program began as a pilot program in 1966 with the intent of making sure children started the school day with the boost breakfast can give. School breakfast is available to children from all socio-economic backgrounds. Studies continue to demonstrate the links between breakfast and learning, making the case stronger for more schools to expand breakfast participation and make sure all children participate. In the 2008-2009 school year, 46.7 low income children ate school breakfast for every 100 children who ate school lunch.
To measure the reach of the School Breakfast Program in each state, FRAC compares the number of schools and low-income that participate in the breakfast program as compared to the broadly utilized National School Lunch Program. In the 2008-2009 school year, 86.3 percent of schools offering lunch offered breakfast as well. This is a slight increase from 85.7 percent last year. One of the barriers to offering the breakfast program at the local level continues to be the cost to prepare a school breakfast – which is greater than ‘per meal’ federal reimbursement provided to school districts participating in the School Breakfast Program.
This year, FRAC also released a report examining school breakfast participation in 25 major cities. In School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities, FRAC found that 17 of the 25 surveyed districts increased the percentage of low-income students eating breakfast each day. FRAC’s analysis also found that school districts that offered universal breakfast, served breakfast in the classroom, or offered bagged “grab and go” breakfasts had higher participation.
SNA has tools available to help school nutrition programs expand breakfast. National School Breakfast Week (March 8-12, 2010) is just around the corner and this year's campaign ‘School Breakfast – Ready Set Go!’ will introduce students to the importance of school breakfast and will demonstrate how eating school breakfast sets you up for a busy day at school. The “Ready Set Go!” theme will also help students learn about the importance of eating healthy and being active. Find out more at www.schoolnutrition.org/nsbw
School breakfast provides at least one-fourth of the nutrients needed by a growing child. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets the nutrient standards for the federal School Breakfast Program, requiring breakfasts provide less than 30 percent of their calories from fat, and 10 percent or less from saturated fat, meeting the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Research shows that children who eat breakfast have improved memory, problem-solving skills, verbal fluency and creative abilities. Qualitative research, including research from Harvard University and the University of Minnesota, also points to improved classroom behavior, with students being more alert, happier and ready to learn. Both studies saw an increase in math test scores in children who ate a good breakfast.
School Breakfast Scorecard 2008-2009
School Breakfast in America's Big Cities