Report Finds Connecting Kids to Breakfast is Vital for Academic Achievement

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65% OF TEACHERS SEE HUNGER IN CLASSROOM; PROBLEM HAS INCREASED IN PAST YEAR


Two-thirds of teachers across the U.S. say they have children in their classrooms who regularly come to school too hungry to learn because they are not getting enough to eat at home, according to a national new survey released today. More than 60% of the teachers surveyed for Hunger in Our Schools: Share Our Strength's Teachers Report say that the problem has increased in the past year, and many find that breakfast programs are a key link to a students' ability to succeed academically.

The survey, conducted by Lake Research Partners, contains highlights of a public opinion survey of 638 kindergarten through eighth grade public school teachers in urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide. The study reveals that 65% of teachers report that most or a lot of their students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. This reliance is widespread geographically, but particularly strong in urban and rural areas.

More than 40% of teachers say they believe it is a serious problem that children are coming to school hungry because they have not had enough to eat at home. In fact, 61% of teachers who perceive this problem purchase food for their classrooms out of their own pockets, spending an average of $25 a month.

"I've had lots of students come to school - not just one or two - who put their heads down and cry because they haven't eaten since lunch yesterday," said Stacey Frakes, an elementary teacher at Greenville Elementary School in Madison County FL.

However, teachers are nearly unanimously (98%) in agreement that there is a strong connection between eating a healthy breakfast and a student's ability to concentrate, behave well and perform academically.

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