Although increased reliance on SNAP and the expansion of school meals programs are driven by high levels of unemployment and stagnant low wages, some policymakers threaten to cut these programs, and many children who would benefit from nutritional supports are ineligible or lack access to them.
Despite high levels of unemployment and stagnant low wages, the resulting increase in the share families that rely on SNAP and the expansion of subsidized school lunch, breakfast, and even dinner have been met with threats to cut these programs, and many children who would benefit from nutritional supports are ineligible or lack access to them.
These commentaries by BBA leaders and others offer perspectives on how issues related to nutrition affect daily classroom life, and what policymakers can do about it. In No Excuse for Hungry Students, Philadelphia high school …
BBA case studies illustrate how communities taking a comprehensive, whole-child approach to education incorporate breakfast, lunch, and even snacks and dinner into the school day and year.
The Children’s Defense Fund provides a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on poverty and related factors such as family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood …
The Center for Hunger-Free Communities uses multi-faceted research and action to develop innovative, empirically-tested solutions to the challenges of hunger and economic insecurity. Witnesses to Hunger, the Center’s research and advocacy project, partners with …
Another FRAC report, National School Lunch Program: Trends and Factors Affecting Student Participation, 2015, analyzes changes in participation levels. It shows that lower family incomes and improvements to the eligibility process for school meals …
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, expands and contracts according to the need and is thus a critical family nutrition support in hard economic times, as per Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 2013 …
Parents who struggle financially often cut back on the quantity and quality of food they purchase in order to meet other basic needs. Indeed, high levels of unemployment and under-employment, together with a dearth of jobs that pay a living wage, have driven up rates of both hunger and obesity among US children. The share of families that rely on SNAP/food stamp benefits has increased in response, and subsidized federal programs for school lunch, breakfast, and even dinner have expanded, along with delivery of summer meals in high-poverty communities. At the same time, cuts to these programs remain a constant threat, and many children who would benefit from nutritional supports are ineligible or lack access to them.
Policy solution: Schools are most successful when students are not distracted from learning because they are hungry or worried about where their next meal will come from. Every child should have consistent access to nutritious food all day and all year, and the school system, with support from other agencies, should be structured to provide it without stigma or barriers to access.
Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report, shows that summer 2014 marked the largest increase in children eating summer meals since July 1993.
School meals are one key tool in mitigating the impacts of hunger on academic success. Several reports explore enhancements to the federal school meals program and their impacts. Breakfast After the Bell: Equipping Students for …
Another great resource for understanding US poverty and hunger, Half-in-Ten/Talk Poverty blogs on these issues, incorporating first-hand accounts from those living in poverty. The Ten Worst States for Food Insecurity reveals how, in the …
How Hungry is America? FRAC’s National, State and Local Index of Food Hardship, provides 2015 food hardship data for the nation, every state, and 100 of the country’s largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).
The Children's Defense Fund looks in-depth at hunger and food insecurity in Ohio, where large numbers of young children are affected, with long-term consequences for their health and learning.
Establishing an even educational playing field so that all children enter kindergarten prepared to learn and thrive requires supports for children, their parents, and their caregivers from birth. And ensuring equal opportunities to learn requires support for children’s physical and mental health. A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education advances enriching experiences with nurturing, knowledgeable adults throughout the day and all year, in order to promote children’s strong cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral development.
Schools and educators serving students with higher needs need the resources to do so effectively. A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education advances policies that establish strong standards and curriculum in all schools and ensure sufficient funding for high-needs schools to reach them. BBA promotes supports-based accountability systems focused on improving instruction and strategies to desegregate schools and deconcentrate poverty within them, so that educators and students have a strong context in which to teach and learn.
Effective, sustainable school improvement efforts merge research-based evidence of effective ways to mitigate the impacts of poverty with community input regarding the district’s unique assets and needs. A Broader, Bolder Approach highlights the need for key community voices – including educators, parents, students, and faith and business leaders – to be at the center of developing and implementing education reforms.