Wisconsin Schools to Benefit from School Breakfast Grants (WI)
August 18, 2010
State Superintendent Tony Evers has announced grant awards to 48 public and private schools in Wisconsin to start a school breakfast program or to increase participation in an existing program.
“Schools need to be doing all they can to ensure that every child graduates with the knowledge and skills needed for success in the workforce or as they pursue further education,” said Evers. “A hungry child cannot concentrate on learning, and this funding helps us provide additional resources some children may need in order to do well in school.”
This is the ninth year Wisconsin has received funding under a targeted school breakfast grant program championed by U.S. Se nator Herb Kohl. The more than $750,000 in federal funds are being distributed as grant awards over the next two years. This year schools received $375,000 in grant awards that range from $1,400 to $41,000. The funds can be used to purchase equipment as well as pay for recurring costs such as labor, training, outreach and publicity, travel, and other costs associated with a school breakfast program. The 48 schools receiving grants will serve breakfast at 80 buildings with enrollment of 48,000 students.
“Hunger can be distracting in the classroom,” Kohl said. “Kids often lose focus when trying to learn without a good nutritious breakfast. The school breakfast program has been a priority of mine for many years, and I am proud that Wisconsin is working to increase already existing programs and jump starting new breakfast programs.”
In Wisconsin, 1,690 sites offer school breakfast compared to the 2,598 that serve school lunch. Those numbers are up from the previous year, when 1,530 sites offered breakfast and 2,474 sites offered lunch. Statewide, more than 125,000 school breakfasts are served each day, with 74 percent of the students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
“School meals may be the only source of nutrition for many students, particularly during difficult economic times,” added Evers. “Providing school breakfast can be part of a comprehensive healthy school initiative for students and educators, fostering a positive learning environment and teaching students life-long healthy eating habits.”
Nationally, the School Breakfast Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in more than 86,000 schools and institutions. On a given school day, 10.8 million children receive a nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free school breakfast. The program was established under the Child Nutrition Act of 19 66 to ensure that all children have access to a healthy breakfast at school to promote learning readiness and healthy eating behaviors.