No Kid Hungry is committed to ensuring that program sponsors, community organizations, and advocates have the resources and tools they need to ensure all kids have the food they need to thrive. We’ve highlighted several current resources below.
To access our full national resource library, visit our Center for Best Practices website.
Did you know that No Kid Hungry also hosts webinars on various topics around child nutrition? Click here to access webinars (both upcoming and recordings)!
School Nutrition
General
The Importance of School Meals
School meals are an important source of nutrition that support children’s health, development, and learning. They provide the most nutritious food consumed by children on a given day, and research has found that school meal participation is linked to improved diets, food security, and physical and mental health. School meals can also contribute to a host of positive educational outcomes, including improved attendance, behavior, and academic performance, and decreased absenteeism and tardiness.
This resource traces the path of the funding that supports school breakfast and lunch from Congress to cafeteria. It also answers common questions that advocates and elected officials have about how the programs work.
Universal Free Meals: Comparing Funding Options to Create Hunger-Free Schools
Every student deserves access to healthy food every day, and providing universal free school meals is a great way to make that happen. This resource will help you compare three options for providing universal free school meals: the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), Provision 2, and non-pricing.
Toolkits
This online guide from No Kid Hungry features ready-to-use activities and tools to help make school meal programs more student-centered. Within it are assets like a survey question library, QR code generator, customizable logos and more to help you engage students and caregivers.
Strategies for Finding Success with CEP
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) ensures that all students can participate in school breakfast and lunch at no cost to them, and CEP can also benefit school nutrition finances. This resource outlines strategies designed to help you maximize the benefits of CEP by increasing your Identified Student Percentage (ISP), managing program costs, generating revenue with savvy business practices, and improving meal participation rates.
For those thinking about starting a mobile program, this toolkit is designed to support summer meals program sponsors in the development and implementation of a successful mobile meals delivery and service solution in their communities.
Ending Child Hunger: A Mayor’s Checklist
Use this checklist to learn about the actions you can take as a mayor to end childhood hunger.
Breakfast
FAQs by Educators about School Breakfast
This resource answers those frequently asked questions that School Nutrition Directors and Principals get from educators regarding Breakfast After the Bell.
Breakfast After the Bell Myths
Learn about Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) myths, and the facts that disprove them. For example, learn how, despite the misconception, BAB does not cause mess or reduce instructional time.
Innovative Breakfast Delivery Options
The most effective ways to boost school breakfast participation are by using Breakfast After the Bell models. Learn how each Breakfast After the Bell model is structured, and the percentage increase your school breakfast program can experience by adopting these models.
Breakfast after the Bell: Pre-Implementation Checklist
Our Pre-Implementation Checklist outlines several steps that can help schools prepare for a Breakfast After the Bell program, such as of providing trainings to key stakeholders, developing an implementation plan, and connecting with other schools to share best practices.
Breakfast after the Bell: Equipment Tips
Determining the equipment needs of your Breakfast After the Bell program can be a daunting process. Let this resource help guide you in choosing what equipment would be useful for whichever Breakfast After the Bell model you choose.
School Breakfast: Healthier Than You Think
Summer Meals
Summer nutrition programs make sure children have the nutrition they need to do just that. During the school year, meals are available to kids through school breakfast and lunch. But kids lose critical access to meals during the summer when schools are out. To fill this gap, many local schools and community organizations nationwide operate summer meal programs (SUN Meals) to provide meals to kids at no cost.
In rural communities, non-congregate meal programs like grab & go, home delivery, and parent pick-up can operate where congregate meals are not available in order to reach even more children during the summer months.
Expanding Your Reach: Planning Your Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meal Service
Whether you are an experienced sponsor, or considering starting your first rural non-congregate site, watch this webinar, where No Kid Hungry experts, school district, and community sponsors share their experiences and best practices in maximizing the impact of rural congregate meal service
Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meals Resources Webinar
Join No Kid Hungry Florida for a walkthrough of tools and resources to support rural non-congregate summer meals; ideal for anyone interested in learning more or actively planning a program this summer.
Non-Congregate Summer Meals Florida Toolkit
To support your dedication to ensuring there is No Kid Hungry this summer, we’ve created this toolkit, filled with resources, templates, and images that can be used to promote and celebrate your non-congregate summer meal program. Please use these marketing materials to share the benefits of your program, including supporting the well-being of our children and saving families time and money.
