EXPANDING SCHOOL BREAKFAST PARTICIPATION Jessie Hewins Child Nutrition Policy Analyst Food Research and Action Center -

FOOD RESEARCH AND ACTION CENTER National anti-hunger organization in Washington DC Nonprofit and nonpartisan What we do Conduct research and policy analysis Serve as a clearinghouse Provide technical assistance Lobby Congress

SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND HEALTH Decreases the risk of food insecurity, especially for low- income children. A healthy breakfast each day helps prevent obesity. Children who eat school breakfast eat more fruits, drink more milk, and eat a wider variety of foods.

SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LEARNING School breakfast improves student behavior and reduces tardiness and absenteeism. Children who eat breakfast at school: Increase their math and reading scores Perform better on standardized tests Improve their speed and memory in cognitive tests

SCHOOL BREAKFAST PARTICIPATION IN NEW YORK SCHOOL YEAR 546,576 free and reduced-price eligible students participated on an average day 44.1 free and reduced-price eligible students eat breakfast for every 100 that eat lunch (national rate is 51.9) If New York met FRAC’s goal of 70:100, an additional 321,171 free and reduced- price eligible students would eat breakfast each day 96.6 percent of schools that offer school lunch also offer breakfast (national rate is 89.8 percent) New York ranks 41 st out of 50 states (and DC) for student participation and 16 th for school participation

BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION School buses don’t arrive at school early enough; Children arrive too late due to rushed morning schedules at home; The 30 cent co-payment for reduced-price breakfast is a problem for struggling families; The cafeteria is too small or children want to socialize or play outside; Parents are only vaguely aware of the program, or The program is stigmatized as being “for the poor kids.”

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION Schools with a high percentage of low-income students can offer free breakfast to all students Community Eligibility Provision Offer “Breakfast After the Bell” Breakfast in the Classroom Grab-N-Go Second Chance

COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION (CEP) Any school, group of schools, or districts with 40 percent “Identified Students” (e.g., directly certified) Offer breakfast and lunch free to all students Eliminate school meal applications Identified student percentage x 1.6 = free claiming percentage  Ex: 50 % ISP x 1.6 = 80 % of meals reimbursed at free rate, 20% at the paid rate

WHO ARE “IDENTIFIED STUDENTS”? Includes children who are directly certified (through data matching) for free meals because they live in households that participate in: o Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) o Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) o Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or o Medicaid (in districts participating in USDA’s demonstration project) Includes children who are certified for free meals without application because they are in foster care, Head Start, homeless or migrant.

MEAL REIMBURSEMENTS WITH COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY Percentage Identified Students Free Claiming PercentagePaid Claiming Percentage 40%64%36% 45%72%28% 50%80%20% 55%88%12% 60%96%4% 65%100%0

HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN PARTICIPATE o By individual school  Individual schools with 40% or more Identified Students participate in community eligibility o By group  Districts may choose to group schools any way they wish and calculate the free claiming percentage for the group of schools as a whole, using their combined enrollment and total number of Identified Students, as long as the percentage is 40% or higher o By school district  All schools in the district participate as a single group with the same free claiming percentage as long as it is 40% or higher

GROUPING SCHOOLS Any criteria—ex: neighborhood, grade level, ISP You can be very strategic with ISPs by grouping schools that have ISPs over 62.5% with lower schools There is no limit to the number of groups Within the same school district, some schools can participate individually and some can participate as a group SchoolEnrollmentIdentified Students Identified Student % Free Claiming % School A %100% School B %96% School C %57.6% Total Group1, %92%

CEP INCREASES SCHOOL BREAKFAST PARTICIPATION FRAC/Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Report, Oct. 2013: Breakfast participation increased by 25 percent for schools in second year of CEP Lunch participation increased by 13 percent

BREAKFAST IN THE CLASSROOM Meals delivered to the classroom Students eat in the classroom after the morning bell

GRAB AND GO Students pick up meals from carts or kiosks located in the…. …and eat breakfast in the classroom after the morning bell. Cafeteria or Hallway

SECOND CHANCE BREAKFAST Breakfast is provided after 1 st period Meals are served from cafeteria or carts located in the hallway Middle & High Schools

GRANT FUNDING AND RESOURCES Action for Healthy Kids – Food Research and Action Center - Contact Jessie Hewins at or x3966 Fuel Up to Play American Dairy Association and Dairy Council

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