School Breakfast Programs
For most kids waking up in the morning, getting dressed and sitting down to a bowl of cereal and some toast is a normal occurrence for them. However for some students that luxury may not be possible. Over the past couple of years several states across the US have spent millions of dollars and served over 360 million breakfasts and lunches for children who cannot afford to have a regular priced meal or who don’t have money for food at all. With these programs producing such great results for the children in the classroom and out of school more and more states have begun to implement similar programs for underprivileged children.
One of the major reasons for the popularity of the breakfast programs is that it enables the children to start there day off with a healthy, nutritional meal. And for kids that are in elementary and middle school having a well balanced meal to start their day off is important because at that age children tend to hit growth spurts sporadically and having the right nutrition in there bodies will enable them to grow with out any complications.
Another key reason as to why the Breakfast programs have become such a major success is the in class room behavior of the students. In different polls taken across America schools that were using the breakfast programs had shown that students who took part in the programs overall grades improved, along with attendance and classroom behavior. In an article written by the Advantage Press it was stated that “A surprising benefit has been observed: there has been a sharp decrease in the number of children going to school nurses. Thus, less class time missed by students. Even teachers who had worried about the added work of overseeing br...
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...Programs January 2004
http://www.mtcef.org/activities_3a.htm
5. Provision 2 Guidance National School and Lunch Programs 3 March 2004
http://www.sde.state.id.us/child/docs/CNPResources/Publications/P2Guidance-
July242002.pdf
6. Chicago Public School Meal Programs September 2004
http://www.cps.k12.il.us/Parent/Enrollment/School_Lunch/school_lunch.html
7. ThedailyJounranl.com Monday, May 14, 2001
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/news/stories/20010514/opinion/568745.html
8. Policies and Procedure Manual Mississippi Nutrition Program September 2004
http://www.cn.mde.k12.ms.us/resources/forms/ta/mscnp15.pdf
9. Federal Food Programs
http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/programs/sbp.html
10. School Breakfast Programs August 2003
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Breakfast/AboutBFast/bfastfacts.htm
In most cases, when we think of the term, “ hungry children”, we think of third-world countries; We don’t think about the millions of children suffering in the prosperous nation of America. Anna Quindlen identifies the problem, that in America, a small but significant minority of children are starving; and she’s questioning whether to have year-round school to help feed them. Anna provides sufficient and effective evidence to help support her claim: She announced that school helps low-income families get their child at least one quality meal.
Education plays a dominant role in the lives of students all over the United States. Since most students spend roughly eight to twelve hours in school, it is important to make sure that they are provided with a healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack.
Breakfast is always considered to be the most important meal of the day. By eating a nutritious breakfast, we can produce enough energy for better academic performance as well as a fresh mind. However, breakfast has huge differences between countries, such as China and America.
While learning does not end when school is out, neither does the need for good nutrition (“Benefits”, n.d.). Good nutrition is very beneficial to children, especially school age children. Not only does it provide nutritional benefits to help with their growth process, it also enhances their learning process. Senate Bill 89 (SB 89), passed in the 83rd regular session, ensure that low income children acquire free meals in the summer when school is not in session. Although, SB 89 ensures nutritious meals for children in the summer, the bill does not go far enough. The bill failed to take into account the following; transportation issues, the number of days the program operates weekly and the statutory requirement that only school districts with fifty percent (50%) or more of their students qualifying for the free and reduced lunch program are required to implement the program. Besides the above listed problems, the implementation of the bill faces a major barrier to participation and lack of awareness.
One reason our school should get a new lunch menu is many students do not like the food served. For example, a survey was taken and of the 31 students 100% said they disliked the food. As student Bryan Huang said, “The lunches are horrible, they need better choices and more choices.” In other words, the food is not delicious and there are not many choices. Also, when children don’t get proper nutrition they have trouble focusing in school. Most students do not buy lunch because they feel it is unappealing and do not like the food served. Many students go to other kids and ask for food. In addition, many students do not eat breakfast so they rely on lunch to fuel them for the day. But, if they do not like the food served they won’t eat so they starve for the rest of the school day, which can
The state program that I am willing to eliminate is the Texas School Breakfast and Lunch Program. Most of the children in this program are already receiving food stamps so the state is providing food for these families anyway. Working in the schools, I have seen the children take a plate of food, eat a few bites, then throw the rest of it in the trash. Additionally, I have seen numerous students not eat any of it all. When asked why they are not eating, they claim, “I don’t like it.” Ordinarily, no matter how much the teacher encourages or challenges the child to at least try it, they will not touch it. It is a disgrace to see how much food the kids waste on a daily basis. The only negative impact is that a minute group of students who actually eat the food will not be able to enjoy a free meal.
Children who eat from the national school lunch program are not receiving healthy foods. “Worldwide there are now more than 40 million overweight or obese children below the age of five” (Lang pg. 64). ”In most schools, the fare is a mix of chicken nuggets, tator tots, canned fruits and vegetables, chocolate milk that contains more sugar than soda, corn dogs and pizza pockets, Cheap food that cost less than a dollar a day” (Cooper pg. 25). Sugary foods cause students to sleep in class, students tend to go for the sugary and unhealthy food when they receive their lunch tray. Children are the people most affected by the chemicals used to produce and process food. They eat more foods than adults, which means that antibiotic and hormone residues in their foods collect in greater concentrations in their bodies. In addition, kids are eating foods that are unhealthy leading to addiction. "American children are increasingly enduring obesity and general...
First of all, school starting later in the morning will give students the time to eat breakfast. There are very few days during the school year where I get the opportunity to eat breakfast, and when I do, I notice, myself, to be more attentive while in class. However, when I am not able to eat breakfast, my ability to function in class is inferior, or not very good, because of the thoughts “hurry up lunch time” and “wish I had time to eat this morning.” This leads me to be less intent while in class. Moreover, many students say they do not eat breakfast due to the lack of time. In a research report by Breakfast First, an organization that promotes the necessities of students having breakfast, states that one out of every five students does not get to eat breakfast, and that eating breakfast can help students stay strong-minded and conscious during class. Also stating, eating breakfast helps students from having constant thoughts of when lunch time is or from having rumbling stomachs. This research shows how important breakfast is for student’s cognitive abilities, which springs a reason to why schools should begin later in the morning.
Assurance for students and others concerned regarding the breakfast program mostly relies around the time consuming aspect of the program. An article in American Teacher stated that in many schools teachers expressed concerns about the logistics of the program, inc...
This represents only 48% of the total student population. Of these students, 84% receive a free breakfast. Based on the numbers of lunch participation, there is a opportunity to reach more students, especially those who might benefit from a low-cost breakfast meal. Therefore, it has been chosen as an ideal site to test a new breakfast in the classroom (BIC) program because breakfast can be served free-of-charge to all students. The primary goals of the BIC program are to increase student participation in school breakfast and reduce the incidence of childhood hunger in the classroom. To be successful, participation must be adequate enough to cover the costs of
Breakfast is one of the best ways to recharge your batteries. It is a perfect time to boost your energy. Studies also suggest that eating a healthy breakfast improves brain function particularly memory and recall. This is essential for soaking up new knowledge and applying it later for a big test. Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast improves one academically. Scientists believe it may be because breakfast supplies nutrients to the nervous system to rev up brain power. Breakfast skippers tend to weigh more than those who eat breakfast regularly. Also, those who eat a morning meal tend to make healthier food choices throughout the day, which can positively impact weight and long-term health. Encourage eating breakfast daily at home or school and make it easy and
Breakfast is touted the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, a lot of kids start the day with the wrong kind of breakfast – one filled with sugar. Cereals might seem like the easy solution, but they definitely aren’t a health food.
The School Nutrition Association says “100,000 schools serve school lunches to 30.5 million students a day and over 90,000 schools serve school breakfasts to 14 million students a day.” (School Nutrition Association. Par.1. Par.3) Those 14 million and 30.5 million can improve in many amazing ways. Kaiser Permanente has said “Evidence indicates that improved nutrition in schools can increase focus and attention, decrease discipline problems, improve attendance, boost academic achievement and improve the health of students.” (Kaiser Permanente. Thriving schools. Par.1) Making this decision to make the program better may take a while, but all of the good outcomes that happen when the schools change can benefit not only the students, but the teachers and parents as
School lunches leave students with limited options, leaving no room for improvement in the fight for childhood obesity that one in three children suffer from. (8) Having the same, repetitive, items that are high in fat, sugar, preservatives, and additives(1) increase chances of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in students to name a few.(2) Even with the additional ameliorates directly from the White House, they only affect federally funded schools, excluding private schools. (4) With these weaknesses in our school lunch system, reform is definitely needed to conquer these common issues.
According to the United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 250 million people in the United States. Having knowledge that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, 35-40 percent of Americans skip breakfast. Without breakfast, some people become less able to do physical work in the late morning hours and some students do not perform well in the classroom. When one skips breakfast, their body shuts down their metabolism in an attempt to preserve what it contains, which causes drowsiness. Since metabolism accounts for approximately 70 percent of the body’s energy expenditure, the consumption of a healthy first meal of the day is encouraged. There are many reasons why breakfast should be a part of people’s everyday diet, but some people just do not have time to eat breakfast.