Prevent the hunger that hinders students’ learning

A back-to-school pop-quiz: Who’s hungry? The correct answer: Delaware’s children. Too often students throughout the state start their school days with grumbling stomachs and empty lunchboxes.

As children head back to the classroom this month, more than half of Delaware’s schoolchildren will receive free or reduced-priced meals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch program. This number has increased about 46 percent over the last decade, according to the 2014 Kids Count Study.

Still, on average, only slightly less than one-third of children who partake in free or reduced-price lunch also eat breakfast through the school breakfast program. Delaware needs to do more to ensure that all children, regardless of income level, are eating a nutritious meal before the school bell rings.

We all can agree that every child deserves the chance to excel. Students who eat breakfast begin their days capable of focusing on their schoolwork instead of wondering how long they must wait for lunch. Maximizing participation in school breakfast, through programs such as Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab and Go, enables the greatest number of students to start their days ready to learn and capable of concentrating.

The long-term health benefits of starting the day with breakfast are great. Students who eat breakfast at school are more likely to take in fruit and milk than those who do not. This increases consumption of vitamins and nutrients that promote healthy physical development. Further, federal statistics demonstrate that consuming a nutritious, balanced breakfast at school decreases the risk of childhood obesity.

Our neighboring state, Maryland, shows that breakfast in the classroom works. According to Share Our Strength, Maryland schools serving in-class breakfasts have 2.9 percent to 7.2 percent lower rates of chronic absenteeism and 2.2 percent to 12.5 percent more students achieving math proficiency.

Guided by innovative and compassionate superintendents, principals, teachers, custodians and nutrition staff, many schools throughout Delaware are rising to the challenge to ensure that every child eats breakfast by moving it into the classroom.

At Seaford Middle School alone, breakfast participation increased by 481 percent just by moving breakfast into the classroom.

Grab and Go formats allow students to grab a meal of their choice in the cafeteria and head back to their classroom for consumption and enrichment activities. Wilbur Elementary School in the Colonial School District saw a 60 percent increase last year by modifying the way breakfast is served.

While many schools show success, we must to do more to ensure all Delaware children start the day with a nutritious meal.

The growing number of children at risk of going hungry and the proven benefits of breakfast ought to compel all Delaware school districts to enact and expand on school breakfast programs.

To support efforts to increase breakfast participation, the Food Bank of Delaware launched a 2014 statewide School Breakfast Challenge that offers school districts, charter schools and private schools the opportunity to increase students’ participation in school breakfast programs, while raising money for their schools. Monetary awards totaling $20,000 will be divided among the three school districts and one charter or private school with the highest total participation and the three districts and one charter or private school with the most-improved participation. Winners will be determined later in 2015 based on data from the Delaware Department of Education.

School breakfast participation helps teachers, students and parents alike. We all must be advocates to ensure our children start the day right. No child should start the day hungry.

Where does your local school stand when it comes to school breakfast? Review our school breakfast report to see school-by-school participation data.

Does your school have a low participation rate? Contact your local school officials to find out what they are doing to increase school breakfast participation. Encourage them to implement alternative breakfast models to ensure the greatest number of children start the day with a full stomach. Learn more by visiting www.fbd.org/school -breakfast-challenge/.

Mark Murphy is the secretary of Delaware Department of Education. Patricia Beebe is the president and CEO, Food Bank of Delaware. Paula Angelucci is the president, Delaware School Nutrition Association.