School Breakfast Program

Wisconsin Research

The following publications related to school breakfast programs represent work conducted by University of Wisconsin-Extension, its partners and other organizations working to promote school breakfast in the state.

Wisconsin School Teachers’ Perceptions about Breakfast in the Classroom, 2009 () is a report that summarizes findings of a survey administered to Wisconsin school staff (primarily teachers) in October 2009 related to their perceptions about breakfast in the classroom.  Survey findings reveal that teachers witness hungry children coming to school and spend money out of their pocket to buy food for their students. Report also highlights that teachers who are already involved in breakfast in the classroom do not feel it interferes with instructional time and cite improvements in their workload since implementing breakfast in the classroom.

Wisconsin School Teachers’ Perceptions About Breakfast in the Classroom ( 13 pages) is a report that summarizes the findings of a survey administered to Wisconsin school staff (primarily teachers) in October of 2008 related to their perceptions about breakfast in the classroom, including the issue of instructional time.  The survey findings demonstrate a gap between perceived and real barriers related to breakfast in the classroom among school teachers.  Survey findings seem to indicate that while instructional time is an issue to consider when implementing BIC, teachers from schools with a breakfast program or teachers actively involved in offering breakfast in their classroom, view loss of instructional time as less of a barrier than teachers who do not have breakfast in their classroom.

The School Breakfast Program Participation and Impacts (  ) is a publication that reveals that students are more likely to participate in school breakfast programs when breakfast is served in the classroom, when time available for breakfast in schools is longer and when they come from lower income or time-constrained households.  (July 2009)

The School Breakfast Program Cost/Benefit Analysis (  ) assesses the costs associated with School Breakfast Programs to determine if breakfast programs can break-even, and if so, how they can achieve profitability.  August 2007.  Cost analysis spreadsheets.

The Wisconsin School Breakfast Survey Final Report 2007 ( ) is a report that provides information from school food service directors relating to school breakfast models in use, challenges to serving breakfast and information about how to increase student participation in the program.

The Breakfast Grants Success Stories Final Report (  ) publication delineates what worked for Wisconsin school food service directors and offers recommendations to other schools for increasing participation in their school breakfast programs.  (March 2006)

The Wisconsin School Breakfast Survey Report (  ) includes information from nearly 250 Wisconsin school food service directors operating a school breakfast program.  Recommendations to increase student participation can be found in this report. (January 2006)

An Assessment of Plate Waste in Milwaukee’s UFB BIC (  )  is a report that finds that much less food is wasted in Milwaukee’s Universal Free Breakfast in the Classroom programs than presumed. March 2009

Other research

Breakfast For All ( 16 pages) is an article that appeared in the American School Board Journal in January of 2010 that highlights the benefits of school breakfast programs.

The  School Meal Program Participation and Childhood Obesity (  )report used data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment III Study to examine dietary patterns of school meal program participants and nonparticipants and the relationship between school meal participation and Body Mass Index (BMI).  The study found that children who participate in school breakfast programs had significantly lower BMI than children who did not participate in the program.  (July 2009)

The  Reading Writing and Hungry  (  ) is a publication that suggests that the consequences of food insecurity on children not only has a physical impact on children but also impacts this on the country’s economic success.  (November 2008)

The  School Breakfast Participation (  ) report is a publication that shows the importance for schools to adopt alternative methods of serving breakfast at schools to increase student participation in school breakfast programs.  (September 2008)

School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities (  ) is a publication from the Food Research and Action Center comparing participation in the School Breakfast Program among large urban school districts in the country.  August 2007.

Foods in Schools Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth (  ) is a report from the Institute of Medicine that lays out a set of guiding principles to support the creation of healthful eating environments for school children in the US.  The report concludes that “federally-reimbursable school nutrition programs should be the main source of nutrition at schools and opportunities for competitive foods should be limited.”  If a school chooses to make competitive foods available, they recommend fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nonfat or low-fat milk and dairy products.

Using Social Marketing to Promote Universal Fee Breakfast Program (  ) is a publication from the University of California-Davis.  December 2006.

Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions is a publication from the Institute of Medicine, which has undertaken a study to review and provide recommendations to update the nutrition standard and the meal standards for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programs.  To read and purchase this publication please visit http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/54064/60521.aspx

The School Lunch and Breakfast Cost Study (  ) provides a detailed examination of the cost of producing reimbursable meals in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) during school year (SY) 2005-06.