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By Nora L. Howley, Manager of Programs, NEA Health Information Network

We’ve all heard it said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But too many children in the United States are starting school each day without breakfast.  As NEA President Dennis Van Roekel pointed out last week on the Huffington Post: “If we're honest with ourselves, the faces of hunger are everywhere -- in every area, every city and every demographic. The 2012 edition of the 'Kids Count' report, one of the most widely quoted surveys on the condition of children in the U.S., indicates that child poverty is mounting. This is not just an issue of an extra donut or bagel. This is chronic hunger affecting millions of children every day, and the consequences are staggering.” Hungry children cannot learn, they cannot concentrate, and they certainly can’t achieve at the levels they would otherwise.

Educators everywhere know this problem all too well. A new poll from Share Our Strength found that three out of five educators report students coming to school hungry and the majority of those say that the problem is getting worse. 

Expanding participation in school breakfast is one of the most important and successful things that schools can do to make a difference. While most schools participate in the federal School Breakfast Program, less than half of children who are eligible for a free or reduced-price breakfast are eating it.

Several LFA member organizations are currently working to change this.

• The NEA Health Information Network and the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation are two of the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom which is currently working with ten districts around the country to implement in-classroom breakfast programs.
• The American Association of School Administrators is working with four urban districts to build superintendent leadership to expand breakfast programs using a variety of models.

While these are big, funded initiatives, there is a lot that school districts can do with the resources they have.  Visit the NEA HIN website for more ideas on how to Start School with Breakfast.

Editor’s Note: This 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.

USDA photo by Scott Bauer. Image Number K7237-8. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons