Many Do Without School Breakfasts

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- Schools are serving up more free or discount breakfasts than ever, but about six in 10 eligible students still go without, an advocacy group reports.

The number of low-income children starting their school days with cereal and milk, a breakfast burrito or something else increased 5.2 percent last year. That was the biggest jump in nine years of growth, according to a study being released Thursday by the Food Research and Action Center, which monitors anti-hunger programs.

More than 7 million students received free or discounted morning meals. The children ate in the cafeteria, in the classroom, even on the bus.

The increase came partly because there were more low-income students. But the researchers emphasized more positive changes: More schools joined the breakfast program in the 2003-2004 school year -- almost eight in 10 schools now serve the meal -- and many that already offered breakfast did a better job promoting it.

Still, more than 9 million low-income students who participated in the school lunch program did not get a school breakfast. The eligibility requirements are the same.
.............
Under federal rules, breakfast and lunch are free to children from homes with annual income of up to $23,920 for a family of four, and discounted for children with a family income of up to $34,040 for four.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-school-breakfast,0,7671725.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[shrike]

1. I knew teachers who used to bring in fruit and muffins and pay for

it out of their own pockets. Sad.

[Malva Zebrina]

2. It's because they are lazy that they are hungry or poor

they could have gone out into the field and picked turnips for breakfast and anyhow, the troops in Iraq need the food more than the hungry poor children. <sarcasm>

Is this program privatized? I am ignorant of the details.

[histohoney]

4. I didn't

read anything in that article that stated any thing derogatory about the program. No one is making negative comments about the program.

It speaks of the need to get the word out and boost awareness of the program so those that need it can access it.

Instead of lashing out, lets talk about ways to boost awareness.
For me, I am going to the elementary school and see if I can make some posters or write some flyer's or see what else I can do.

[Malva Zebrina]

5. I am not the enemy so please try to not

villanize me by portraying me as one who lashes out.

I am glad that you are trying to be involved but the article states:

Still, more than 9 million low-income students who participated in the school lunch program did not get a school breakfast. The eligibility requirements are the same.

Who exactly is responsible, in your estimation? The poor? The uneducated? The schools?

Is it because they are too stupid to know that they can have something to eat for breakfast free? Or would there be other reasons?

The article is a report, without data or analysis as to the cause.

[MountainLaurel]

6. One issue: the paperwork

If the parents are only marginally literate, getting through the bureaucratese and locating all the forms necessary to prove eligibility might be nigh impossible. For others, it might be that the parents refuse to take "charity." Another issue: illegal immigrants are often hesitant to complete any "official" paperwork of that sort.

Just a few ideas.

[sybylla]

9. My school district will do the paperwork for the parents

In fact, they will even call some families and invite them to participate if they somehow find out a family fell on hard times.

It's just that many of the families are too proud to take the assistance. Unfortunately, if they did take it, it would benefit the school in other ways. Much of the federal funding schools receive is based upon participation in free and reduced meal programs, assuming that schools with more lower income students need more financial support.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. Maybe they are just getting breakfast at home

Just because their parents are poor doesn't mean that they are totally incapable of taking care of their children.

[LifeDuringWartime]

17. bingo

...probably the reason.

[Yupster]

18. That was my first thought too Freddie

Maybe the kids are hungry when they wake up and their mom gives them a bowl of oatmeal before they go to school. That's how it worked for me.

[LeighAnn]

23. My guess is that they eat at home

Maybe the breakfast is, like, totally crappy at school and, even though they are poor, like, their mothers actually still get up and make them breakfast. People who are poor on record still usually manage to feed their kids. Instinct, and what-not.

[saigon68]

3. "Their Parents are lazy Bums. They expect us white people to support them

Remember Ketchup is a vegetable--- (President R. Raygun) </sarcasm>

In 1981, Ronald Reagan's budget director, David Stockman, proposed classifying ketchup as a vegetable as part of Reagan's budget cuts for federally financed school lunch programs (it would make it cheaper to satisfy the requirements on vegetable content of lunches). The suggestion was widely ridiculed and the proposal was killed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DireStrike]

7. Um, maybe they didn't care?

I was eligible in high school and I skipped breakfast every day. I knew many others like me, and also plenty of kids who didn't want school breakfast because they preferred home breakfast.

[TO Kid]

10. That's what I was thinking

The report said that many of the kids were getting the free lunch but not the breakfast- I find it hard to believe they weren't aware that it was available. More likely is that they had breakfast at home.

[dddem]

12. another thought in that vein...

My kids don't eat breakfast, because, like me, they aren't hungry in the morning. We all know it's not the greatest thing to do, but I for one can't think about food until I've been up for a few hours. I give my kids a healthy snack (luckily they have a morning snack before lunch, I realize that's not the case everywhere.

[Eagle_Eye]

8. Bush says

Bush says if you have before school prayer, you don't need breakfast

[SmokingJacket]

13. Maybe they don't want their children to eat the crap the schools serve.

My son is in a preK program with mostly poor kids, and they all get the school breakfast. It's loathesome: fried blocks of "french toast" served with "syrup," or else artificially colored and flavored sugary cereal. Never anything fresh or whole grain. My kid eats homemade oatmeal and fruit at home, then eats again at school because he doesn't want to feel left out.

And I'm sure a lot of kids don't want to wait until they get to school to eat, sometimes hours after they get up.

[MissMarple]

14. Not all schools with the lunch program have the breakfast program.

And many schools contract with private companies to provide the food service. But I think that is more common in the cities. It's the same with the school buses.

[libpunkmom]

15. First day of school

every year (at my son's school) a packet is sent home, the typical policy books ect., but it always has every form needed to file for free or reduced lunch included. And the school secretaries will help families fill out the forms.. But I've noticed that it is up to the kids once they get to school to go and get their breakfast.. Since that is the case, I've seen several teachers remind students (once the bell rings and they see them) to go and get their breakfast and they let them eat it in class. Oh and the food is CRAP!!! They might as well be running into a McDonald's...

[LifeDuringWartime]

16. in my district

only seniors and staff in the high school are allowed to go to the cafeteria during study halls (so that means only seniors+staff for breakfast)

but in the 3-6 building, im pretty sure anybody can get breakfast.

go figure.


i love signing out of study hall and grabbing a bagel and/or poptarts and/or an english muffin :)

[DieDiebold]

19. That's Cuz the Food Tastes Like Shit

[Judi Lynn]

22. Perhaps the children they have in mind are the very, very poor children

in this country, and God only knows there many, and the number is growing.

It's not a matter of how good this food tastes for children who are living in hard times with almost nothing. If you think this isn't happening, you just haven't been paying attention, have you?

[sadman]

24. I'm sure Bush...

will get right on this. Maybe it is time to secede. The richest country in the world and there's still children starving. And I'm sure the righter wingers will say something about it being their fault or some such nonsense...did I mention it's probably about time to secede?

[MassLiberal]

25. heard this story on NPR this morning

and they speculated that kids might feel there is a stigma attached to getting their meal for free.