November 18, 2004
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MAKING THE GRADE WITH BREAKFAST

Pennsylvania Hunger Action Releases Annual School Breakfast Report Card

Harrisburg (November 18, 2004). Which school districts offer a nutritious breakfast to their students? The Pennsylvania School Breakfast Report Card released today by the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center is a comprehensive review and rating of school districts, based on their participation of the federal School Breakfast Program.

Multiple research studies have shown that children have the best chance for academic success if they start their days with nutritious breakfasts. While breakfast is traditionally consumed before leaving home in the morning, other factors – such as parents’ work schedules and children’s lack of appetite early in the morning – often interfere. Educators have found that providing a school-based breakfast is a cost effective way to enhance the learning environment. In recognition of this fact, many school principals make a special effort to provide breakfast for all children on days when school-wide tests are administered.

“School breakfast also is a key ingredient in a health and anti-obesity agenda” said Sue Mitchem of the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center. “It lessens the temptation to snack on less healthy food or to overeat at other meals. And for children from low-income families, school-based meals serve the additional purpose of providing food that parents may not be able to provide.”

Most school district personnel understand the need for a nutritious breakfast for school breakfast. It is not difficult to do and federal and state funds are available to cover the entire cost. Yet there is a wide disparity in how Pennsylvania’s school districts implement the breakfast program. Some districts, such as Farrell Area School district in Mercer County, serve 88 percent of their students everyday. Others, such as Pottsville Area School District in Schuylkill County, do not even offer the program. Some districts offer the program in some school buildings but not in others.

Mitchem encourages school administrators who resist offering breakfast in school to take another look. “If decision-makers would sit with an empty stomach in a classroom for three or four hours, my guess is that all would soon be serving breakfast.”

For students from families whose income is below 130 percent of poverty, breakfast is free. Students from families between 130 and 185 percent of poverty pay no more than 30 cents per breakfast. Students from families with incomes above 185 percent of poverty pay the full price, as determined by the local school district.

Many schools are serving breakfast and very successfully. Statewide, during 2003-04 Pennsylvania schools served 2.6 million more breakfasts than they did during the previous year. That translates into a 7 percent increase in breakfasts served. Yet according the National School Breakfast Scorecard published annually by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Pennsylvania lags behind most states, ranking 38th nationally in its provision of breakfast to low-income children. Were Pennsylvania to achieve even the national average in school breakfast program participation, an additional 34,000 children would be served and an additional $7 million in federal funds would be available to cover the cost.

Locally, the Hazelton Area School District was recognized for its outstanding performance in the “Moving Up” category for significantly increasing the number of breakfasts served each day.

The Pennsylvania School Breakfast Report Card includes five categories. In addition to citing schools that are not providing needed nutritional support, it gives recognition to schools that are offering exemplary breakfast programs. Key findings are summarized below. Also attached is the full Report Card.

Star Performers

“Star Performers” are school districts that integrate breakfast into the school day and encourage all children to participate. Selected for recognition this year are districts in which average daily breakfast participation was at least 50 percent of average daily lunch participation. Leading the way in 2003-04 for the fourth consecutive year was Farrell Area School District in Mercer County. Breakfast participation at Farrell last year was 88 percent of lunch participation.

New “Star Performers” in this year’s report include the Homer-Central School District in Indiana County, the Mahanoy School District in Schuylkill County, the Harmony Area School District in Clearfield County, the Conemaugh Township School District in Somerset County and the Cornell School District in Allegheny County.

Increasingly, the option of eating breakfast in school is also taken by children who can afford to pay. Statewide, during the past school year the number of full-price breakfasts increased by 6 percent.

Getting the Job Done

Schools with many children from low-income families have a special responsibility because of the likelihood that some of those children come from homes where there is no food available for breakfast.

Among school districts in which at least 20 percent of the children came from low-income families, thirteen stood out for serving breakfast to at least half of those students each day. Again topping this list of schools that are “Getting the Job Done” is Farrell Area School District; 86 percent of its low-income students had breakfast at school every day.

New to “Getting the Job Done” in this year’s Report Card are Harmony Area School District in Clearfield County, Homer-Center School District in Indiana County, Forest School District in Forest County and Harrisburg City in Dauphin County.

Moving Up!

Eleven school districts began offering the breakfast program last year including four school districts from last year’s “Failing the Children” list. By starting breakfast, these eleven districts joined others that have made the link between nutrition, health and academics.

Also meriting special recognition for positive change are the eight districts that significantly grew their programs last year. They include: Allentown City School District, which increased its daily breakfast count by 661 children; Philadelphia City School District, which increased its daily count by 915 children; and both the Reading School District (Berks) and the Bethlehem School District (Lehigh) for increasing average daily breakfast attendance by more than 300.

Improvement Needed

Twenty-four school districts with at least 20 percent low-income students are cited for reaching only a tiny fraction of those students with breakfast.

This list of districts with much work to do includes West York Area School District ( York County), Kennett Consolidated School District ( Chester County) and the Easton School District ( Northampton County). All three are serving only between 4 and 6 percent of their low-income children.

Sayre Area School District in Bradford County, which led this list, has already begun to make needed improvements. It began a small breakfast pilot at the end of the 2003-04 school year and has expanded to another building during the current school year. It is not expected to appear in this category on future Report Cards.

Two other schools on the “Improvement Needed” list (Derry Area in Westmoreland County and Cranberry Area in Venango County) are also beginning or expanding breakfast during the current school year.

Failing the Children

Twenty-eight districts with 20 percent or more low-income children did not participate at all in the breakfast program. Pottsville Area School District, with 1,200 low-income children and no breakfast program, heads this list. In last year’s Report Card it was second.

In contrast Dubois School District ( Clearfield County), second on this year’s list and third on last year’s list, will not be on the “Failing the Children” list in the future. In September 2004 it began breakfast in every one of its buildings. Four other school districts from the 2002-03 “Failing the Children” list began offering breakfast last year and thus appear in this year’s “Moving Up” category.

In the 28 school districts on this list 35,666 low-income children do not have access to a nutritious breakfast at their schools. Without a nutritious breakfast these children, along with their friends from families with higher incomes, are missing a very important component for success in school.

Star Performers

Making Breakfast a Regular Part of the School Day

Getting the Job Done

Serving Breakfast to Most Low-Income Children

Moving Up

Starting or Growing Breakfast Programs Last Year

Improvement Needed

Lots of Need – Few Breakfasts Served  

* These school districts are currently working to improve their breakfast program participation.

Failing the Children

No Breakfast Despite the Need  

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