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Successful advocacy efforts by state and local organizations, and collaborative partnerships between schools, teachers, parents, and community agencies have expanded participation in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) in recent years. Nearly three-fourths (73.4%) of schools that offer school lunch also offer breakfast (according to reports to the USDA by the states, 1/21/99). More schools may embrace breakfast as a critical component to the school day, but program coverage, especially among children at risk for hunger, still lags. Based on data reported to the USDA by the states, only 36% of the low-income children covered by the school lunch program were also covered by the breakfast program in October 1998 (USDA report from the states, 1/21/99). An important step for child advocates and educators is to boost participation, and one proved method (Cook, Ohri-Vachaspati, and Kelly, 1996; and Murphy, Pagano, Nachmani, Sperling, Kane, and Kleinman, 1998) is to offer breakfast free to all students, regardless of their ability to pay for meals. This is so because a "universal" program removes the stigma often associated with school breakfast, encouraging more children to participate.
This report provides information regarding the use of universal free breakfast programs, and guidance to schools that want to start one. School officials and breakfast advocates will learn of the benefits of a universal free school breakfast program, the options available, and basic operational issues so that they will be equipped to promote and implement the program. Moreover, this document contains useful ideas from schools that have successful universal breakfast programs.
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