Boston Public Schools breakfast program ranked in top 3 nationally

BOSTON – Boston Public Schools (BPS) is ranked third among urban school districts nationwide for participation in the school breakfast program, according to report released recently by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

In the report, School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities, FRAC looked at school breakfast participation and trends in 25 large urban districts and measured participation by comparing the number of low-income children receiving school breakfast to the number of such children receiving school lunch. Boston had a participation rate of 62.6% during the 2008-2009 school year, placing it third after Newark, NJ, and Columbus, OH, which had rates of 95.7% and 65.3%, respectively.

“We know that eating a healthy breakfast is the best way for students to start the day ready to learn, and we are pleased to see so many Boston students taking advantage of the school breakfast program,” said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. “We encourage all children to eat breakfast, and we are continually exploring ways to increase participation by making meals healthier, tastier and more convenient for students.”

The FRAC report highlighted the three top performing school districts for operating programs that served breakfast in the classroom at no charge to the students in many or all schools. Boston offers Universal Free Breakfast, meaning that all students eat free, in 112 schools.

Seventy-four percent of BPS students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. In the past few years, the BPS Department of Food and Nutrition Services has launched efforts in conjunction with a number of partner organizations to increase participation in both the breakfast and lunch programs. BPS recently expanded the popular Chefs-in-Schools Program, which puts Executive Chef Kirk Conrad in schools to revamp menus, and added more fresh fruits and vegetables to the menu through the Farm-to-School and Fresh Fruit & Vegetable programs. Additionally, Boston Public Schools is working with the nonprofit consulting group Root Cause on a number of strategies to streamline operations and provide better meal service to students.

The Food Research and Action Center is the leading national nonprofit organization working to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger and under-nutrition in the United States. For more information, visit www.frac.org.