FRAC: Statement on Release of the New WIC Food Package

School Breakfast Program Grows to Serve 8.1 Million Low-Income Children FRAC Points to Strategies for Continued Growth in Program

Washington , D.C. – December 11, 2007 – More than 8.1 million children per day participated in the National School Breakfast Program during the 2006-2007 school year, which is an increase of five percent from the previous school year, according to the Food Research and Action Center’s (FRAC) School Breakfast Scorecard 2007. While more children are starting the day with breakfast, the program continues to reach less than half of eligible low-income children; 45 low-income children participated in the School Breakfast Program for every 100 who participated in the National School Lunch Program.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the links between breakfast and health and learning: Breakfast improves nutrition, prevents obesity, improves students’ achievement, and reduces discipline problems in school. But, with persistent poverty, stagnating wages, and skyrocketing food, energy, health, and housing costs, many families struggle to provide a healthy and filling morning meal for their children. These problems are compounded by long commutes and nontraditional hours for low-wage workers. As a result, many children miss out on breakfast, which can compromise their health and education.

“We need to further increase participation and reach more children with breakfast. It's a fast and long-lasting way to improve children's learning and behavior, foster healthy eating habits, and end hunger," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. “The recent increase in participation we saw in 2006-2007 shows that many states and schools recognize the benefits of making sure that all children have a healthy breakfast to start their day, but we need to go further.”

In a separate recent report, FRAC examined school breakfast programs in 23 urban school districts and found that School Breakfast Program participation rates are higher when innovative programs are used, including universal breakfast, where all children can eat regardless of income, "grab and go" breakfast from carts in the hallway, and in-classroom breakfast. According to a FRAC survey of states included in this year’s Scorecard, many states are looking at ways to encourage these efforts in their school districts.

To measure the reach of the School Breakfast Program, FRAC compared the number of schools and the number of low-income children who participate in breakfast to those who participate in the National School Lunch Program. FRAC also sets an attainable participation goal for states as a way to gauge state progress and the costs of underparticipation in the program.

Nationally, if the number of low-income children who participated in the School Breakfast Program increased from 45 to 60 for every 100 who participated in the lunch program, almost 2.6 million more children would eat a healthy school breakfast every day, and states would received an additional $555 million in child nutrition funding. The School Breakfast Scorecard 2007 gives data for all states and highlights successful strategies.

Students Participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) per 100 in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
State	Ratio
Top 10 States
New Mexico	61.1
South Carolina	59.2
West Virginia	57.0
Oklahoma	56.9
Kentucky	56.3
Oregon	55.9
Vermont	55.5
Mississippi	55.5
Georgia	54.2
Idaho	53.7

Bottom 10 States:
Iowa	37.2
Nebraska	36.7
New Jersey	36.1
Colorado	35.7
Wisconsin	35.7
Connecticut	34.6
Alaska	34.0
Utah	33.8
New Hampshire	33.8
Illinois	32.9

Costs of underparticipation varied by state. While larger states missed drawing down most of the money ($90 million in California, $54 million in New York, and
$41 million in Illinois), 16 states each lost more than $10 million in federal funding, and 29 states lost more than $5 million.
The number of schools offering school breakfast during the 2006-2007 school year increased by 2.5 percent. Now, 85 percent of schools participating in the National School Lunch Program also offer breakfast.
New Mexico was the only state to
reach and pass FRAC’s school breakfast participation goal of serving 60 percent of
all eligible children. For every 100 low-income children in New Mexico eating lunch, 61 also received breakfast. Illinois had the lowest participation rate, reaching only 32 low-income children with breakfast for every 100 who ate lunch.
After spending the past four school years as the lowest performing state, Wisconsin leapt in the rankings with an impressive 25 percent increase in the number of children receiving school breakfast.

About the School Breakfast Program
The United States Department of Agriculture, through its Food and Nutrition Service, administers the School Breakfast Program at the federal level. At the state level the program typically is administered by state education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with school food authorities. The School Breakfast Program provides per meal cash reimbursements from the federal government to public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions.

Household income determines if a child is eligible to receive free or reduced price meals. To receive free breakfast, household income must be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level; for reduced price, income must be between 130 and 185 percent of the poverty level. For the 2006-07 school year, 130 percent of the poverty level is $21,580 per year for a family of three; 185 percent for a family of three is $30,710 per year.

The Food Research and Action Center (www.frac.org) is the leading national organization working for more effective public and private policies to eradicate domestic hunger and undernutrition.