Voices for Children in Nebraska is working with senators on an interim study looking into the school breakfast program in Nebraska. Before we can encourage senators to increase participation of this program, it is important to know how many schools and districts offer a school breakfast program currently.
As of 2011, Nebraska had 491 school districts with 1,254 schools. This included Educational Service Unit #1 schools, interim programs, state operated schools, and public and private schools. Despite the fact that school breakfast has been shown to be incredibly beneficial for children, only 716 of the state’s schools, around 57%, served breakfast during the 2010-2011 school year. When you compare the percent of schools that serve breakfast to the 81% of schools that serve lunch, a gap in services becomes obvious.
Many children are able to eat their breakfast at home, but some cannot due to time and financial constraints. Studying the impact of school breakfast programs and availability to all students will allow lawmakers to take the necessary steps toward ensuring all Nebraska kids are ready to learn to their fullest potential.
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