The School Breakfast Program For Children

In the United States many citizens face hunger, starvation and malnutrition on a daily basis. This food insecurity affects millions of Americans. Food insecurity is caused when Americans don’t have enough money to purchase food for themselves and their family. When children experience hunger if affects them both physically and psychologically. “Children who are denied an adequate diet are at a greater risk of not reaching their full potential as individuals. Undernourished youngsters have trouble concentrating and bonding with other children and are more likely to suffer illnesses resulting in school absences.” (Karger, p 371) It is important for children to meet their full potential in order for society to continue thriving into the future. If children are not receiving an adequate education because they have an empty stomach, then they will not continue to higher education or they will do poorly. In order to combat hunger in children the federal government responded with several major programs. Two of the programs the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) are targeted towards school age children. These programs provide students with breakfast and lunch while they are at school.

Cause 1: What causes the poor academic performance in children due to food insecurity is that they do not eat breakfast. The saying breakfast is the most important meal of the day is not just folk lore or a buzz phrase. The article by Sheila Terry and Kimberly Kerry, “Classroom Breakfast: Helping Maryland Students Make the Grade” published in the March 2000 issue of the Maryland State Department of Education, reports that “over a two-year period, classroom breakfast schools showed a 22% improvement in that score, [MSPAP test], compared to a 13% improvement for control schools

According to National Heart Lung and Blood institute, in America, 1 in 6 kids are obese. Although obesity might not seem that much of a big deal, it is. Childhood obesity can lead to much worse health problems later in adulthood, such as higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and even cancer, among many chronic health issues all caused by obesity. Many kids get about half of their daily calories at school, and for some, school is where they get all of their daily calories. Since school plays such a big part in affecting the lives of many kids across America, special attention should be shown to nutrition. This can help kids with obesity, as well as kids that don’t have much food at home to eat and only rely on school food. For many poor kids, they don’t have a lot of healthy foods at home, because they can’t afford it. So, they rely on cheap school food for their vitamins and nutrients. Because cafeteria foods, like hamburgers or beef and cheese nachos, are highly processed and filled with unnecessary fat ,those kids that rely on school for food won’t get the nutrients and vitamins they need and will go home hungry. Since kids are growing up, it is especially important for them to get the right food they need to grow up healthy and strong, and in a place full of kids that are growing up, it is only right to provide them with good and healthy food that will allow the kids to grow up into healthy adults without obesity, malnourishment, or any kind of health

The goals,is to improve school food, teach nutrition, support sustainable food systems, and create an education program focused on understanding the relationships between food, culture, health, and the environment.By the time today’s kindergartner finishes high school, she may have eaten well over 4,000 school meals—4,000 opportunities to strengthen her body and mind, introduce food pleasures that will make her a lifelong healthy eater, and deepen her engagement with the natural world. The more than 5.5 billion lunches and nearly 2 billion breakfasts served yearly in school programs, along with complementary education programs, can have a profound effect on issues of public health, academic performance, economics, justice, national security,

During an average school day, most schools will provide a lunch for their students. After concern that school lunches were helping contribute to the obesity epidemic, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) began to regulate school lunches. “The Obama administration’s new Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed into law last December, sets aside $4.5 billion over 10 years to fund school lunches and child nutrition programs; it requires school lunch programs to double the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in each meal, reduce calories and expand access to drinking water during meal time. With 31 million children receiving school lunches and 20% of all U.S. children suffering from obesity, the measure should help to improve the food

I see poor nutrition and low birth weight affecting students in my classroom more and more. There are many programs within districts to try to help offset the problem of poor nutrition. Our school has voted to implement breakfast in the classroom this fall. This program will allow every student in my class to have access to free breakfast every day. I used to keep extra food on hand in my classroom for students who would inevitably complain about not having had breakfast. A study on the breakfast program found that “There is significant evidence of positive academic effects due to breakfast consumption” (Benefits, 2010). This program is one way that we can help our students to have the nourishment they need to be able to learn and

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was signed into law by President Barak Obama on December 13, 2010. This act reauthorizes many child nutrition programs including the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs (NSLP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the Summer Food Service Program, the Afterschool Meal Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). NCSL,2011).

A recent study conducted by the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP) recorded that nearly 8% of American children under the age of 12 years old continuously experience hunger each year. The project also concluded that childhood hunger could be related to a lack of resources. The study also examined the relationship between food insufficiencies found in low income school aged children and their abilities to mentally function. Alarmingly, the study found that hungry and at-risk for hunger children were twice as likely as children receiving adequate meals to be classified as having impaired functioning. The study also reported that Teachers noted increased levels of hyperactivity, absenteeism, and tardiness among the lower

Some people don’t have time in the mornings to eat breakfast, so when they wake up, they go hungry until lunch; which is a minimum of four hours

​Parents must take proper care to ensure their child is receiving adequate nutrition every day, especially in combination with school or other day programs. The behavior and attitude of the parents have the greatest effect upon a child’s developing habits, especially as the amount of meals eaten together at home increases (Escobar, 1999). That being said, ensuring a child continues to eat healthily outside of the home can be a struggle without the support of a regulated school lunch

School provides Breakfast and lunch everyday at school for 5 days a week for 10 months a year. This saves the average family money so they don’t have to worry about spending the money they need for other things ,such as bills, on money. ‘’The numbers are astonishing in the land of the all-you-can-eat buffet,’’ Quindlen says explaining that the children eat so much at school because they don’t know when they are going to get another meal the rest of the day or if they are going to get one at all. The mothers tell their children to eat as much as they can because they know of their finance problems. Although the school does provide school lunch, some families are scared of being exposed and known of being poor. Children are going without food because of pride. ‘’The parents themselves are

Don’t you want your children to be provided with a great meal? School lunches should be able to supply a healthy, balanced meal for students for feeding their young bodies and minds with only the best foods for fuel. Catering to their growing bodies and brains will improve academic performance, increase attendance, and help fight childhood obesity. We need to change the program all together by giving children the choice to select items of what they put on their lunch plate, as well as teach students what a healthy lifestyle is.

Chapter six discusses the effects of eating healthy on youth and the various ways teachers can encourage a healthy lifestyle. In the chapter, it talks about the importance of eating breakfast (p.181). Today, many schools provide breakfast for students to either purchase or at no cost (depending on their economic status). One way schools can use this as their benefit is to provide healthy lunches. Students are often given chocolate milk, warm frozen waffles, and other not super healthy foods. Schools could provide peanut butter toast, yogurt, or egg cups. These are much healthier choices. This idea doesn’t have to stop with breakfast either. Schools can provide healthy lunches as well.

Obesity is a tragic case that many people face today. Children especially face obesity at a young age due to many cases. Children are more likely face obesity if their parents, for example, eat fast food or processed goods. However, is the school lunch program a huge factor into children’s obesity? Schools can either provide only healthy foods or allow unhealthy options. In some cases, going healthy means they go into debt, or they can choose to allow unhealthy options and generate revenue. Schools lose money daily because it costs more money to prepare meals than the reimbursement they get from the federal government. Children are better off eating what they are surrounded by. If children are surrounded by home made fresh prepared meals, they are more likely to choose healthier options from that day on. To achieve this, many school districts fail and succeed to create a healthier environment for children.

Five million child deaths occur every year because of lack of nutrients, also known as malnutrition. Many studies have been done in order to figure out how school meals affect the student’s behavior in, and out of the classroom. Low test grades, low attendance rates, and misbehavior has been mostly noted in students who are at “nutritional risk.” Also, students who come from low-income families, depend on school meals, and if the meals are not fresh and healthy, the malnutrition percent will increase. Academic achievement depends on how well your mind and body is; if a student is at