Washington, DC – The national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry has selected six states to participate in its 2019 School Breakfast Leadership Institute. Teams from Georgia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming will attend an in-person convening in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 11-12, and receive a $50,000 grant from No Kid Hungry to implement a comprehensive action plan to expand access to school breakfast in their state. States were selected through a competitive proposal process.
No Kid Hungry’s School Breakfast Leadership Institute brings together national, state and local leaders to develop new and better ways to connect kids with school breakfast. Each state team comprises stakeholders who can influence school breakfast practice and policy including gubernatorial and state education agency staff, school nutrition directors, superintendents, non-profit partners, school board members and education association representatives.
Now in its second year, the Institute has proven a catalyst for expanded access to school breakfast, already helping to move the needle in the six states that participated in 2018: Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“The School Breakfast Leadership Institute and grant have been a great way for us to be able to focus time and effort on improving breakfast in the state of South Carolina,” said Ellen Mason, an Education Associate with the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Health and Nutrition. “It has enabled us to talk to not only child nutrition directors, but superintendents, chief financial officers, and principals about the importance of breakfast for students. We are hopeful that the models developed through this opportunity can be expanded throughout the state to ensure that no student in South Carolina starts the school day hungry.”
School breakfast is an energy source for kids across the nation. Research shows that hunger has long-term ramifications on children, including lower test scores, weaker attendance rates, and a higher risk of hospitalizations and chronic diseases. No Kid Hungry and its partners focus on school breakfast as a critical way to end childhood hunger.
Accessing traditional cafeteria breakfast service can be challenging for many kids. Breakfast after the bell provides breakfast in a way that is more convenient and accessible to students, resulting in more kids starting the day ready to learn.