What Works: Universal School Breakfast

Today’s post in the “What Works Wednesday” series focuses on universal school breakfast.

Numerous studies have shown the importance of a balanced breakfast. Children who skip breakfast and experience hunger are more likely to have slower memory recall, score lower on math and cognitive tests, and exhibit behavioral and emotional problems. So it makes sense then, that kids who eat breakfast have improved cognitive function, attention and memory, score better on math and vocabulary tests and are more likely to participate in classroom activities.

Children from low-income families are most likely to skip breakfast, which serves to exacerbate the achievement gap. Even though low-income students are eligible for free breakfast, many do not participate because of accessibility (not every school offers free breakfast) and because of the stigma associated with accepting government provided meals. According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

Only 44 children eat federally-funded free or reduced price school breakfasts for every 100 who receive free or reduced price school lunch.

However, school districts that provide universal breakfast have a much higher breakfast participation rate. Portland, Oregon has a 98 percent participation rate. Newark, New Jersey serves breakfast to 94 percent of their students. Both school systems have universal free breakfast that is served in the classroom.

Schools that serve universal breakfast have fewer behavior problems and students that are more focused and ready to learn. But there are also other financial benefits. First, a universal policy eliminates bureaucracy and reduces paperwork, saving districts time and money. Also, as the U.S Conference of Mayors notes:

The good news is that school breakfast is a low-cost intervention. When schools reach 80 percent participation, the program pays for itself. And more importantly, school breakfast brings in significant federal dollars into cities and towns that are facing shrinking budgets and severe state cutbacks. With schools under pressure to find innovative and inexpensive ways to demonstrate high performance, it only makes sense for schools to take full advantage of this program.

Universal breakfast not only ensures that every child, regardless of his or her socioeconomic status, starts each day with a nutritious meal, but it also frees up family discretionary income. As the economy continues to sour and pocketbooks tighten, this is a policy everyone can get behind.