State law requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to annually report to the Legislature the number of schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The report must identify barriers to participation and make recommendations to increase participation. The CEP…

Purpose/Objective: To describe the perceived benefits and barriers to move beyond Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) and initiating Universal Free Meals (UFM) in all districts across the U.S. that choose to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Methods: Cross-sectional survey conducted in…

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 allows school districts to provide free meals to all students if over 40 percent of them are directly certified as free-meal eligible. While emerging evidence documents positive effects on student behavior and academics, critics worry that CEP has unintended…

State law (Revised Code of Washington [RCW] 28A.235.290) requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to report annually to the Legislature on the number of schools participating in United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The report must identify barriers to participation and…

FNS Research Corner provides a continuing series to summarize recently completed and current research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the area of Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). Summaries of recently completed research projects and in-progress research are provided in this article.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are operated locally by school food authorities (SFAs), usually a part of the local school district. SFAs are reimbursed at nationally set rates for the cost of meals served to participating students. Previous USDA, Economic Research Service…

Purpose/Objectives: The study aim was to evaluate parent support for breakfast after the bell programs (BABPs). Methods: Data were collected through an online survey from parents (n=488) of school-aged children enrolled in public schools in Utah. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression methods. Results: Parents…

Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards. Students are most affected by efforts to improve the school food environment; yet, few studies directly include students. This study examined high school students' experiences of school meal reform to gain…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a breathtaking amount of change to the nation's schools in a matter of weeks. On March 11, Seattle Public Schools was the first major district to close schools. The next day, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the first statewide school closure order effective March 17, beginning a cascade of similar orders. By…

A recent series of emails and phone calls from parents concerned about the sugar content of Houston Independent School District's school breakfasts revealed that a new issue had risen to the surface. This prompted us to look closely at the sugar content of our breakfast items. School districts participating in the National School Breakfast Program…

Over the past few years, New Jersey schools have achieved significant progress in providing breakfast to more low-income students, with a 55 percent increase from 2010 to 2014. However, in May 2014, 49 New Jersey school districts with high levels of poverty continued to lag in providing breakfast to their students. This two-page report lists…

Background: Having breakfast is correlated with health and academic benefits; yet, many children do not consume breakfast, and participation in the federal School Breakfast Program remains low. The purpose of this study was to examine parent perceptions of school breakfast and identify relationships between those who consume breakfast at school…

Background: In this study, we describe state agency strategies to support weight-related policy implementation in schools, and examine the association among state support, obesity prevalence, and strength of state policies governing school nutrition and physical education. Methods: The 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study describes…

Since mid-March, millions of schoolchildren have been stuck at home due to school closures brought on by the rapid spread of COVID-19. School districts' initial responses were captured by the first wave of the American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) COVID-19 Education Response Longitudinal Survey (C-ERLS), a nationally representative survey of…

When school buildings first closed in mid-March, few education leaders knew how long such closures would last. Now, that picture is becoming increasingly clear. Nearly all state governments have issued orders or recommendations requiring school buildings to remain closed for the duration of the 2019-20 academic year due to the threat of COVID-19.…