HOST Members Celebrate National School Breakfast Week

National School Breakfast Week 2019It's National School Breakfast Week, a celebration launched 30 years ago to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program to all children. This year's theme is "Start Your Engines with School Breakfast," and several HOST members are zooming ahead with information, ideas, and success stories.

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) reminds us that 12.5 million low-income children received school breakfast on an average school day during the 2017–2018 school year. School breakfast participation helps to improve children’s dietary intake, helping to decrease the risk of food insecurity, childhood obesity, and other negative health outcomes. It has also been linked with fewer visits to the school nurse, particularly in the morning. Research shows, too, that school breakfast can help to boost test scores, improve attendance, and increase focus and engagement in the classroom. Despite this, federal and state agencies, school districts, educators, and advocates must continue to build on the momentum school breakfast has gained in recent years to ensure that more low-income children start the school day with a healthy meal.

For examples of how specific schools are observing the week and extending their actions across the year, check out these news stories.

National School Breakfast Week 2019 infographic

HOST logo

The HOST site is managed by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College

Wellesley Centers for Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203 USA

host@niost.org
781.283.2547