Report: Record 71,000 Schools Now Serve Low-Income Children Breakfast
By Pamela Appea
Aid for Education Report, Early Childhood Education
November 20, 2000
Copyright 2000 by Community Development Publications
The Food Research & Action Center’s annual school breakfast scorecard said the average number of low-income children served daily by the School Breakfast Program rose to 6.3 million students in 2000—almost double the 3.4 million participating kids in 1990.
But the group says a “service gap” leaves over 2 million children without a chance to eat school breakfasts nationwide. In some cases, millions of federal dollars allocated for each state does not get used for school breakfast programs, the group says.
The Food Research & Action Center charges 32 states for “falling behind” by undeserving at least 10,000 eligible children, with California and New York leading the pack—more than 292, 000 and 229,000 children respectively, are not getting school breakfast each day. In the analysis, the study categorizes free and reduced-price breakfasts together.
Congress temporarily established the School Breakfast Program in 1966 nationwide, giving it permanent authorization in 1975.
Info: Food Research & Action Center, 202/986-2200. ww.frac.org.
