School Breakfast Program
Today, 93.5% of schools that serve lunch also serve breakfast. For the 2019-2020 school year, 15 million children ate breakfast on a typical day, of which 12 million were low-income children who may not otherwise have a morning meal. Not only does the School Breakfast Program reduce student hunger but it is linked to numerous benefits – from improved academic success to reduced tardiness, absenteeism and discipline problems.
By the Numbers
Although SBP participation continues to rise, there’s plenty of room for growth:
| School Breakfast | School Lunch | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of schools serving | 89,832 | 95,670 |
| Number of children served | 15 million | 30 million |
Strategies that Work for SBP Expansion
Participation in the School Breakfast Program has risen steadily over the years. What strategies are responsible for this increase? Classroom breakfast is one, notes FRAC. In its 2020 School Breakfast Scorecard they report that offering breakfast free of charge to all children, especially in low-income schools, as well as moving breakfast out of the cafeteria and into the classroom after the bell, continued to result in higher participation rates.
*Offer breakfast at no charge to all students
*Offer breakfast after the bell – make breakfast part of the school day with:
- Classroom breakfast
- Grab-n-go programs
- “Second chance” breakfast after first period during a morning break