Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1349911
Spectrum Photo, Gering, NE Of the nearly 24,000 students benefiting from free and reduced lunch programs in Wyoming schools, just over half participate in the school breakfast program. This data from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) shines a light on a concerning reality: Many of the students eligible to benefit from their school breakfast program—simply aren't participating. In fact, FRAC ranks Wyoming 44th in the nati on for the percentage of students who receive free and reduced lunch also receiving school breakfast. The FRAC points to common barriers to participation in school breakfast programs, including timing, convenience, and stigma. Breakfast after the bell programs, in which breakfast is served to all students in the classroom as opposed to only income-eligible students in the cafeteria—dramatically increases p articipation by making it convenient and accessible to all. The implementation of Breakfast after the bell programs has been one of the main engines driving the School Breakfast Program's growth nationally over the past decade. According to First Lady Jennie Gordon's Wyoming Hunger Initiative, at least 1 in 6 Wyoming kids struggles with food insecurity, and that number could be rising. "So many things ha ve changed for our state in the last year," the First Lady told WEA News. "Between the pandemic and downturn in Wyoming's economy, folks who have never accessed a food bank or pantry are now needing these services." As fixtures in every student's days, education employees are in a unique position to help kids who may be starting their days without a nutritious breakfast—or without any breakfast at all. " School staff is often the first to see when a student and their family are struggling with food insecurity," said the First Lady. "They know the children best and how they can approach the family and avoid any stigma related to getting the assistance they need." According to the FRAC, a strong and sustainable breakfast after the bell program includes a planning process that engages all district stakeholders from the beginning and requires a thorough assessment. The Food Research & Action Center and the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom have developed a number of resources to help breakfast champions navigate the stakeholder engagement and implementation process that is required to build strong programs, including assessment tools, financial calculators, and toolkits created for specific stakeholder s, e.g., educators and administrators. Even in the absence of a dedicated breakfast after the bell program, there are ways we can make a difference for students struggling with food insecurity. "Many schools have a weekend feeding program that is confidential for the family," says the First Lady. "If your school district does not have one, this is a great time to reach out to community members to start on e." Resources for educators hoping to start a program, contribute to an existing program, or connect families with assistance can be found at the Wyoming Hunger Initiative's website nohungerwyo.org. Can't find what you need? Contact the Wyoming Hunger Initiative at (307) 777-7398. CHAMPIONING FOOD SECURITY FOR WYOMING STUDENTS If all states met the Food Research & Action Center's goal of reaching 70 low- income children with school breakfast for every 100 participating in school lunch, more than 2.5 million additional children would start the day with a healthy breakfast at school. States and school districts would tap into over $495 million in additional federal funding to support school food services 6 SCHOOL BREAKFAST SCORECARD SCHOOL YEAR 2019–2020 | FEBRUARY 2021 WWW.FRAC.ORG PERCENT Increase of Free and Reduced-Price Students in School Breakfast Program Oklahoma Nevada Massachusetts District of Columbia Rhode Island West Virginia Iowa Washington Michigan Virginia 13.1% 9.1% 7.3% 6.5% 6.3% 5.7% 5.5% 4.4% 4.2% 4.1% BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE BREAKFAST PARTICIPANTS SCHOOL YEAR 2018–2019 TO SCHOOL YEAR 2019–2020 State Findings For the seventh year in a row, West Virginia was the top- performing state in terms of school breakfast participation, reaching 84.1 low-income students with school breakfast for every 100 who participated in school lunch. Vermont was the only other state to meet the Food Research & Action Center's (FRAC) national benchmark of reaching 70 low-income students participating in school breakfast for every 100 in school lunch, with a ratio of 71.3 to 100. New Mexico was less than one point away (69.3 to 100). Seventeen states — Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia — and the District of Columbia reached at least 60 low-income children with school breakfast for every 100 participating in school lunch, while an additional state — Michigan — was less than one point shy of meeting that ratio. Legislation has been instrumental in achieving sustainable success in many of the top-performing states — Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and West Virginia — and the District of Columbia for requiring high-poverty schools to implement best practices, such as breakfast after the bell, free breakfast to all students, or both, to ensure all children in those schools have access to school breakfast. Utah was the lowest-performing state, serving 39.6 students breakfast for every 100 receiving lunch, a 4.5 percent decrease compared to the prior school year. An additional six states — Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Washington — failed to reach even half of the low-income students who ate school lunch. In the 2019–2020 school year, 29 states experienced growth in the School Breakfast Program. Oklahoma had the largest percentage of growth — a 13.1 percent increase in participation among low-income students compared to the prior year. Nevada followed with a 9.1 percent increase in the number of low-income students participating in school breakfast. At the same time, breakfast participation growth slowed considerably in many states when compared to the 2018– 2019 school year. This was due in part to implementation of breakfast after the bell models stalling in some states. For example, some school districts that were early adopters of breakfast after the bell models halted programs or stopped planned expansion when there was a change in district leadership or a loss of stakeholder support. States must regain the momentum seen over the past decade and continue to work with school districts to expand the number of eligible schools adopting community eligibility and breakfast after the bell models to meet FRAC's goal of reaching 70 low-income students with school breakfast for every 100 who participate in school lunch. RATIO of Free and Reduced-Price Students in School Breakfast per 100 in School Lunch West Virginia Vermont New Mexico Kentucky Arkansas District of Columbia Tennessee Maine Texas Missouri 84.1 71.3 69.3 68.4 67.8 67.6 66.2 64.3 64.2 64.0 RATIO OF FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE SCHOOL BREAKFAST TO LUNCH PARTICIPATION SCHOOL YEAR 2019–2020 RATIO of Free and Reduced-Price Students in School Breakfast per 100 in School Lunch Florida Connecticut Wyoming Washington South Dakota New Hampshire Nebraska Iowa Hawaii Utah 51.9 51.8 51.0 49.6 45.9 45.7 45.0 43.6 40.3 39.6 RATIO OF FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE SCHOOL BREAKFAST TO LUNCH PARTICIPATION SCHOOL YEAR 2019–2020