EXPANDING SCHOOL BREAKFAST PARTICIPATION Jessie Hewins Child Nutrition Policy Analyst Food Research and Action Center [email protected]@frac.org.

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Jessie HewinsChild Nutrition Policy AnalystFood Research and Action Center [email protected] - www.frac.org

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 2012-13 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 41st out of 50 states (and DC) for student participation and

16th 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 percentageEx: 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:

oSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)oTemporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)oFood Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or

oMedicaid (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 Percentage

Paid Claiming Percentage

40% 64% 36%

45% 72% 28%

50% 80% 20%

55% 88% 12%

60% 96% 4%

65% 100% 0

HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN PARTICIPATEo 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

School Enrollment

Identified Students

Identified Student %

Free Claiming %

School A 500 350 70% 100%

School B 750 450 60% 96%

School C 350 120 36% 57.6%

Total Group

1,600 920 57.5% 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 1st period

• Meals are served from cafeteria or carts located in the hallway

• Middle & High Schools

GRANT FUNDING AND RESOURCES

• Action for Healthy Kids – www.actionforhealthykids.org

• Food Research and Action Center - www.frac.org • Contact Jessie Hewins at [email protected] or 202-986-2200 x3966

• Fuel Up to Play 60 - www.fueluptoplay60.com

• American Dairy Association and Dairy Council www.adadc.com

Jessie HewinsChild Nutrition Policy Analyst Food Research and Action Center 202-986-2200 [email protected]

Sign up for our monthly School Breakfast Expansion Network newsletter at www.frac.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION