Breakfast After the Bell Program
Issue: Building a Healthy & Inclusive Society
Target Level of Office: State
Policy Origin: Colorado State Legislature
Poilcy/Bill Number: House Bill 13-1006 or Breakfast After the Bell Nutrition Program
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=226
YEO Co-Sponsors:
Rep. Mark Ferrandino and Rep. Dominick Moreno
Summary Narrative of the Policy: Passed in May 2013, the Breakfast After the Bell Nutrition
Program began in the 2014-2015 school year and its purpose is to offer a breakfast at no charge
to each student enrolled in a public school that has 70 percent or more students who are eligible
for free or reduced price lunch under the USDA’s National School Lunch Program. The Colorado
Department of Education assists school districts with the implementation of the program by
providing an implementation guide, resources, training, and technical assistance.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• Childhood hunger is a serious issue for public schools. According to a survey conducted
by Share Our Strength, “No Kid Hungry,” six out of 10 K-8 public school teachers say that
students regularly come to school hungry because they are not getting enough to eat at
home. Teachers surveyed also said 80 percent of students are coming to school hungry
one or more times each week. A majority of teachers say most or many of their students
rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition and a majority of teachers who
see hunger as a problem believe that the problem is growing.
• According to the Journal of School Health, studies have overwhelmingly found that food
insufficiency was associated with significantly poorer cognitive functioning, decreased
school attendance, or diminished academic achievement.
• Missing meals and experiencing hunger impair children’s development and achievement.
According to studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Pediatrics,
and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, hungry
children have lower math scores and are more likely to repeat a grade, come to school
late, or miss school entirely.
• In studies of school breakfast programs in Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, and
Rhode Island, researchers have found that students who eat breakfast at school have
better attendance records, are less likely to be tardy, exhibit fewer behavioral and
psychological problems, and demonstrate higher academic performance, particularly
in math. Schools report that offering all students free breakfast improves behavior and
increases attentiveness.
• Offering breakfast to all students after the bell also reduces the stigma often associated
with selective free meal programs.
Policy
2014 Book
State Level
53