Federal investments in education are crucial to provide a health-literate populace, ensure student academic success, and strengthen the U.S. economy. The health and well-being of today's students is directly connected to their academic success, school completion, and their development into healthy, resilient, and productive citizens. Schools are…

Led by Advocates for Children of New Jersey and the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, the NJ Food For Thought School Breakfast Campaign is driven by a statewide steering committee that includes the New Jersey Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health, anti-hunger and health groups and New Jersey's major education associations. The…

Childhood hunger is one of the nation's most insidious problems and can have profound negative effects on children's health and development. Often the cause of hunger, food insecurity can limit a child's cognitive and socioemotional development, thereby impairing school achievement, and diminishing long-term productivity and economic potential.…

Studies have substantiated the link between proper nutrition and success in the classroom and beyond. Research has also found that eating breakfast is associated with improved classroom behavior and higher math, reading, and standardized test scores. Manatee County, Florida offers free breakfast to all students in 14 schools. Many students arrive…

Guam Department of Education (GDOE) is a single unified school district consisting of grades Kindergarten thru 12. Its 26 Elementary Schools, 8 Middle Schools, 6 High Schools, and 1 alternative school serves over 31,000 students, and is managed by the Superintendent who is the Executive Secretary of a 12-member Guam Education Board (GEB). In…

The numbers speak for themselves in terms of the crisis of hunger among kids in the United States: More than 16 million children--one in five--live in households that struggle to put food on the table. Nearly half of all food stamp recipients are children. But, argues Felling, the battle against childhood hunger can be won; the United States has…

Guam Department of Education (GDOE) is a single unified school district consisting of grades Kindergarten through 12. Its 26 Elementary Schools, 8 Middle Schools, 5 High Schools, and one alternative school serves over 31,000 students, and is managed by the Superintendent who is the Executive Secretary of a 9-member Guam Education Board (GEB).…

Background: The high prevalence of obesity puts children at risk for chronic diseases, increases health care costs, and threatens to reduce life expectancy. As part of the response to this epidemic, the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE)--the nation's largest school district--has worked to improve the appeal and nutritional quality…

Local school wellness policies (i.e., wellness policies) provide an opportunity to create and support a healthy school environment, promote student health, and reduce childhood obesity. Because they are required for all school districts participating in the federal Child Nutrition Programs including the National School Lunch Program and the School…

Guam Department of Education (GDOE) is a single unified school district consisting of grades Kindergarten through 12. Its 26 Elementary Schools, 8 Middle Schools, 5 High Schools, and one alternative school serves over 31,000 students, and is managed by the 9-member Guam Education Board (GEB). Despite the operational and financial challenges the…

"Paterson Kids Count" is a statistical profile of the well-being of Paterson children in critical areas, such as poverty, health and nutrition. This second edition also documents the success of a data-driven, collective local effort in three key areas that were targeted for sustained advocacy and attention: (1) low school breakfast…

This brief marks the start of "Advocates for Children of New Jersey's Food for Thought School Breakfast Campaign", which seeks to expand innovative approaches to serving school breakfast and significantly increase students' participation rates. This report provides a closer look at the data, including identifying districts that have high…

The author reports on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's plan to look closely at whether the food-service-management companies running many school cafeterias are passing along all the discounts and rebates they receive from their suppliers to the districts that hire them. The plan to probe companies will begin in August, said Alison Decker, a…

As with most things in life, managing student meal charges is all about balance. To be successful, the program needs to include a fair and reasonable policy, to serve nutritious and flavorful meals, and to include students as active stakeholders in the program. A plan that acknowledges simple forgetfulness, explains expectations of all…

Students need more than just "any" lunch or breakfast to do well in school--the "quality" of these meals counts also. Studies have demonstrated the role healthy diets can play in students' academic achievement. That's why President Obama signed into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in December 2010. This historic legislation provides free…