Policy Implications Related to Free/Reduced Price School Meals

School breakfast and lunch provide key opportunities for low-income children to eat nutritious and affordable meals, but many eligible children do not participate in the subsidized school meal programs. Paperwork issues and stigma can prevent enrollment. Participation in free or reduced-price school breakfast programs is particularly low, since breakfast is often not provided in a way that encourages participation. For example, providing meals in the traditional before-the-bell, cafeteria approach is associated with lower participation. (4)

An increased focus on health in school meal programs has led to new legislation on providing free and fresh water at school mealtimes, to discourage children from drinking sugary, unhealthful beverages. The drinking water requirements are not widely known or fully implemented.

Policies to influence the use and content of free and reduced-price school meals include:

• Utilizing authority under state law and the newly reauthorized federal child nutrition law to make it simpler and less stigmatizing for students to access free and reduced-price school meals, while streamlining administration at the school level (1, 2, 3)
• Increasing access, participation, and nutritional quality in school breakfasts (4)
• Educating local school districts about new state and federal law requiring provision of free drinking water to students during school meals (5)

Sources:

1. Report to Congress, Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program: State Implementation Progress, US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (2009). http://www.fns.usda.gov/ORA/menu/Published/CNP/FILES/NSLPDirectCertification2009.pdf
2. Cathy Hsu, There is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch: Effective direct certification and direct verification to ensure adequate nutrition for California’s children, California Food Policy Advocates (2009). http://www.cfpa.net/School_Food/Free%20Lunch%20-%20Effective%20DC%20and%20DV%20in%20California.pdf
3. Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010, http://ag.senate.gov/site/ComLeg/s3307.pdf; Committee report at http://ag.senate.gov/site/ComLeg/s%203307_report.pdf
4. Breakfast First, http://www.breakfastfirst.org
5. California Food Policy Advocates, Water in Schools, http://waterinschools.org