RELEASE: No Kid Hungry Starts With Breakfast

New Analysis Shows Potential Impact of School Breakfast on Academic Achievement, Economic Prosperity; Interactive Map Shows Possible Benefits on State, Local Levels

February 27, 2013

Contact: Christy Felling
Phone: 202.649.4340
Email: cfelling@strength.org

Read the Deloitte White Paper in its entirety “Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis” at NoKidHungry.org/Breakfast.

Washington, D.C. – According to new analysis released by Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign today, ensuring low-income children have access to a healthy school breakfast has the potential to dramatically impact their academic, health and economic futures. In honor of National School Breakfast Week (March 4 – 8), the No Kid Hungry campaign also released a new, interactive map that shows the potential benefits school breakfast could have on kids at the state and local levels across the nation.

The Analysis

The study, “Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis” was developed in collaboration with Deloitte, which analyzed third party studies and publicly available data. It finds federal programs like school breakfast are important in the fight to end childhood hunger.

According to “Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis,” school breakfast does more than provide children with essential daily nutrition. On average, students who eat school breakfast have been shown to achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized math tests and attend 1.5 more days of school. Research also shows students who attend class more regularly are 20% more likely to graduate from high school, and high school graduates typically earn $10,090 more a year while enjoying a 4% higher employment rate.

“This report demonstrates that investing in our children and economic prosperity go hand-in-hand and merit bipartisan support,” says Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength.  “The seemingly simple act of ensuring that children get school breakfast offers the potential for students to experience greater academic achievement, increased job readiness and ultimately more economic prosperity for our nation. Stronger, better nourished kids mean a stronger America.”

 “School breakfast does much more than provide essential nutrition. It also improves a student’s ability to focus and thrive in the classroom,” said Joe Echevarria, CEO, Deloitte LLP. “Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign helps children develop into our country’s future innovators and productive members of our workforce. Deloitte is passionate about advancing educational opportunities and proud to be a part of this important project.”

The Map

By connecting kids in need with nutritious food and teaching their families how to cook healthy, affordable meals, the No Kid Hungry campaign is ending childhood hunger in America. School breakfast participation is key to that strategy. 

The traditional school breakfast – breakfast served to low-income students in the cafeteria before school begins – has not been widely effective in getting more students eating breakfast due to stigma and tough schedules. Of low-income students who eat school lunch (21 million) only about half (11 million) eat school breakfast. Innovative ways of serving breakfast, moving it from the cafeteria to the classroom, help close that gap and ensure more low-income students are able to start the day with a healthy meal.

The No Kid Hungry campaign today also released their new “School Breakfast Changes Lives” interactive map at NoKidHungry.org/Breakfast sponsored by Deloitte. The map highlights the benefits of school breakfast at the state and local levels, showing the potential impact on math scores, attendance and graduation rates if 70% of elementary and middle-school students eating a free or reduced-price lunch were also to get a healthy school breakfast. For example, on the national level, this improved participation rate has the potential impact of 3.2 million more students achieving better scores on standardized math tests per year,  4.8 million fewer school absences per year and 807,000 more students graduating from high school.

To speak with No Kid Hungry experts on this topic, please contact Christy Felling at 202.320.4483 or cfelling@strength.org.

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About Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign

No child should grow up hungry in America, but one in five children struggles with hunger. Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry^® campaign is ending childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. The No Kid Hungry campaign connects kids in need to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals and teaches low-income families to cook healthy, affordable meals through its Cooking Matters program.  This work is accomplished through the No Kid Hungry network, made up of private citizens, public officials, nonprofits, business leaders and others providing innovative hunger solutions in their communities. The No Kid Hungry campaign’s work to increase school breakfast participation is generously supported by national sponsor Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund.  Join us at NoKidHungry.org.