Breakfast may be considered the most important meal of the day by most people, but according to a new report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), there is a good chance that many students in Utah are not getting that meal to help jump start their day.
According to the report released by FRAC, Utah ranks last in the nation for the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and who also participated in the breakfast program. The study, based on data from the 2011-2012 school year, shows that only 33.9 percent of Utah students who qualified participated in the school breakfast program, compared to 70.2 percent in New Mexico, the state that had the highest participation rates. Utah was also the only state that did not see an increase in the number of students that participated.
FRAC is a non-profit organization that works to develop public and private policies “to eradicate domestic hunger and under-nutrition,” according to their website. According to the group’s report, higher numbers of students participating in the school breakfast program “supports health and academic achievement for low-income children.” FRAC’s data suggests that students who participate generally demonstrate better behavior, resulting in fewer classroom disruptions. They also experience fewer absences, and demonstrate fewer emotional and behavioral problems, according to FRAC. Times-Independent
