Breakfast
Healthy Kids for Breakfast Grant
Why Universal Breakfast?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and the most underserved from both federal and state standpoints. Despite the fact studies have proven breakfast's importance as a key to overall health and improved academic performance, we do not do enough to ensure our children have access to breakfast every single day.
Of the nearly 20 million children that participate in the National School Lunch Program classified as free and reduced status, only 47.2 percent also participate in breakfast. Though breakfast is served at 87% of the nation's schools, it is a program that suffers primarily because it is not mandated to be scheduled as part of the school day. Breakfast suffers lack of time, lack of marketing, lack of parent knowledge and lack of equipment and space.
With over 17 million households classified as food insecure children's guaranteed access to breakfast at school is the gateway our nation needs to combat hunger and give our most at risk population the chance they deserve to live a healthier life. If we are to overcome these challenges we need to close the nutrition gap and ensure that every child every day eats healthy and delicious food in schools.
2011 Proposed USDA Regulations for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
Proposed rule for nutrition standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs
Healthier School Meals: A Summary of the New USDA Standards for School Breakfast and Lunch
Details of the the New USDA Standards for School Breakfast and Lunch.
By FRAC http://frac.org
Impact of School Breakfast on Children's Health and Learning
A comprehensive picture of the exceptional value of the school breakfast program.
Dr. J. Larry Brown, Harvard School of Public Health
Dr. William H. Beardslee, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Harvard School of Public Health
Commissioned by the Sodexo Foundation
New Healthier School Meal Standards: What You Need to Know (2/2/12)
Food Research & Action Center and United States Department of Agriculture Webinar Outline:
"CNR Putting the Act into Action."
North Caroline Guide to School Breakfast: Breakfast is Brain Fuel
The North Carolina Nutrition Education and Training (NET) Program was asked by the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction, Child Nutrition Services to develop a school breakfast promotional
toolkit tailored for North Carolina offering resources to:
-Educate students, families and school staff about the importance and benefits of breakfast
-Encourage students to eat breakfast
-Gain support from school administrators, teachers and other staff for school breakfast
-Encourage students and families to take advantage of school breakfast
-Support the health and academic success of students and the needs of the school administrators,
staff and families
Q & A on the Final Rule, "Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs" (1/25/12)
Memo to Nutrition Directors for 2012 Nutrition Standards Programs.
School Breakfast 101 from Wisconsin School Breakfast
A great fact sheet on School Breakfasts
School Breakfast in America's Big Cities 2006-2007
A case study done by the Food Research and Action Center on the performance of school breakfast programs in 19 large urban school districts. The goal was to monitor the school districts progress in increasing participation in school breakfast participation, specifically with the low-income population. Concludes that districts should prioritize increased participation in school breakfast to help reduce hunger and to support their students.
School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities: School Year 2010–2011
"Executive Summary:
This report examines the performance of school breakfast programs in 26 large urban school districts* during the 2010–2011 school year, with the goal of monitoring their progress in increasing school breakfast participation among low-income students. Given the concentration of low-incomes among students’ families in many cities, and the potential for economies of scale afforded by the large number of students, it is somewhat easier to reach children with school breakfast in large urban areas than elsewhere. Yet only half of these districts reached a majority of low-income students with the important morning nourishment they need to succeed in school.
All three districts that met FRAC’s goal of reaching at least 70 low-income children with breakfast through the School Breakfast Program for every 100 low-income children who received lunch through the National School Lunch Program have district-wide breakfast in the classroom programs. These programs, where students are offered breakfast at the beginning of the school day, have emerged as the most effective strategy to get school breakfast to the large number of students who need it. It is especially effective for large, urban schools with high concentrations of free and reduced price eligible students that can offer breakfast at no charge to all students."
By: FRAC http://frac.org/
School Breakfast Program Cost Benefit Analysis: Achieving a Profitable SBP
Heather Hilleren, MBA GreenLeaf Market
Executive Summary
Studies have shown feeding children a nutritious breakfast increases their school performance, nutrition intake, and overall health while decreasing obesity, discipline problems, and illnesses. Financially, adding a school breakfast program (SBP) creates an additional revenue stream, increases jobs, and brings outside capital into a community.
Despite these benefits, Wisconsin consistently ranks last nationally in its ability to feed children breakfast at school (School Breakfast Scorecard, 2006). Wisconsin school districts cite cost as the number one reason for not starting an SBP (Westover, 2006). This study assesses the costs associated with SBPs to determine if breakfast programs can break-even, and if so, how they can achieve profitability. Included are both urban and rural school districts that offer the three primary types of breakfast programs (standard, grab & go, and mid-morning) in their high schools. Seven school districts submitted financial reports and were interviewed to compile a financial analysis of SBPs. Although high schools form the primary focus of this study, elementary schools were included in the district financial analysis.