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Editor’s Note: Today's post is from our partners at the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN). Each month, we feature a new column on a topic related to school health. Through this effort, we hope to inform the public of important health issues that impact schools and offer educators and parents resources to address them.

This post was authored by Lisa L. Sharma, Senior Program Coordinator at the NEA HIN. For additional information about this or other school health issues, contact her at lsharma@nea.org.

Did you know that the simple act of eating school breakfast can play a significant role in shaping students’ academic success?

The research is clear: eating breakfast at school helps children perform better.  Studies of school breakfast programs have found that students who eat breakfast at school show improved academic achievement – especially in vocabulary, math and standardized tests – have better attendance records, are less likely to be tardy and have fewer behavioral and psychological problems. What is more, children who regularly eat breakfast are better nourished and are less likely to be overweight or obese.

However, even with the numerous benefits of school breakfast, less than half of children eligible for free or reduced price meals are participating in the School Breakfast Program. Why is this? The most common reasons schools cite for low participation in a traditional cafeteria-based school breakfast are:

• Lack of awareness about the program
• Lack of time to eat breakfast due to bus or carpool schedules
• Pressure to go directly to the classroom upon arrival to school
• Social stigma that “only poor students” go to the cafeteria for breakfast before school

The good news is that there are proven methods that schools can use to overcome these barriers and increase participation in the School Breakfast Program. These models include: breakfast in the classroom, grab n’ go, “second chance” breakfast after 1^st period, and breakfast vending, among others. Each method has its benefits for different age groups and school settings, so be sure to read up on all the models and speak with your food service director to figure out which model or combination of models might work best for your school.

To access more detailed information, check out the Start School with Breakfast guide, a new publication from NEA Health Information Network and Share Our Strength that provides information on the benefits of school breakfast, new ways to increase school breakfast participation, useful tools for advocates and success stories from other districts. Download the guide by clicking here.

In addition, for more information about hunger and ways to increase participation in the school breakfast program visit the NEA Health Information Network website.   You can also learn more about what LFA member organizations AASA and NAESP are also doing on breakfast by following the links.