School Breakfast and Lunch Program

How It Works

The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides breakfast to approximately 9.6 million children on an average school day. Approximately 29.5 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program. Household income determines if a child receives a free or reduced price meal, although any child at a school that participates in the SBP or NSLP may purchase a meal. To receive a free meal, household income must be at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), for a reduced price meal, income must be at or below 185% of the FPL. Some schools do provide a universal school breakfast or lunch program which offers breakfast or lunch to all students at no charge. Parents generally apply to their child’s school in order to participate in the SBP, although households that receive food stamps, TANF or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations are automatically eligible.

The SBP and NSLP provide per meal cash reimbursements to public and non-profit private schools and residential childcare institutions that provide free and reduced price breakfasts and lunches to eligible children. Meals must meet federal nutrition standards.

History

The School Lunch Program was enacted by Congress in 1946. In 1998, Congress expanded the NSLP to include cash reimbursement for snacks in certain after-school educational and enrichment programs.

The School Breakfast Program was established as a pilot program under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. It was initially targeted at areas where children had long bus rides to school or where many mothers were in the workforce. It became permanent in 1975.

Policy Update

The School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs were re-authorized in 2004 with significant improvements to make it easier for eligible children to be enrolled. For example, the re-authorization allows for children in families receiving food stamps to automatically receive free school meals without having to complete an application, and school districts will have to review a sample of applications more carefully to make sure families are eligible.

Though no new policy changes have been made recently to this public benefit, The Institute of Medicine is in the midst of conducting a study to “review and provide recommendations to update the nutrition standard and meal standards for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programs.” Phase 1 of the study has been completed, which determined exactly how and what the IOM will examine when making their revision recommendations, which will be described in Phase 2 of the project. The IOM’s recommendations are expected to be released in October of 2009.

Please visit the following site to learn more or provide our comments to the IOM regarding their efforts to improve nutrition in school meals: http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/54064.aspx.

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