School Breakfast Participation Impacts Student Performance

On Wednesday, March 25, Somerset County Public Schools will Hear the Maryland Crunch! Hear the Maryland Crunch! is a huge apple crunching event that is happening all across the state. Held on Maryland Day, Hear the Maryland Crunch celebrates the successful School Breakfast Programs across the state. Hear the Maryland Crunch! aims to reduce childhood hunger by making sure that all students have access to school breakfast. Research shows that children who eat a nutritious breakfast at school are less likely to experience food insecurity, are better able to learn, exhibit better behavior at school, consume a healthier overall diet,demonstrate improved academic performance, and are less likely to be late to or absent from school. By increasing access to the School Breakfast Programs, we can help our children to be healthier and to perform better in school. Unfortunately, thousands of students in Maryland don’t have access to the School Breakfast Program. However in Somerset County Schools, all students can receive a free breakfast and a free lunch. Nearly 80,000 more meals have been served at this date compared with last year. This is a direct result of the school system's participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) starting in August 2014. Maryland Hunger Solutions states, "Students who participate in school breakfast show improved attendance and behavior, as well as decreased tardiness, perform problem-solving tasks, have improved memories, have fewer visits to the school nurse, and perform better on standardized tests."