2016 EDITION TEXAS SCHOOL BREAKFAST REPORT CARD Understanding the Program 6 Introduction 10 School Breakfast Program 14 Breakfast Benefits 16 Breakfast Service Models Making Breakfast Work 20 Success Strategies 28 State Participation 32 Resources Checking Participation Rates 36 Appendix Finding resources 58 Glossary 62 Endnotes and Credits ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Texas School Breakfast Report Card is a project of Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative. This third edition was prepared by Taylor McKinney and designed by Ashley Yeaman. Other contributors include Rebecca Fortson, Amy Jimenez, Benjamin Riley and Madyson Russell. We are thankful to the individuals, school districts and partner organizations that contributed to this report so that Texas schools may be better equipped to strengthen their school breakfast programs. The Texas Hunger Initiative would also like to thank Share Our Strength and the Walmart Foundation for their continued partnership that enables our work toward ending hunger in Texas. THANKS TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS On behalf of the Texas Hunger Initiative, we would like to thank the child nutrition departments, communication departments and other administrators from the following school districts who contributed to the 2016 School Breakfast Report Card. Amarillo ISD Dallas ISD Lubbock ISD Anthony ISD Fort Worth ISD McAllen ISD Arlington ISD Garland ISD North East ISD Austin ISD Irving ISD Round Rock ISD Brady ISD Karnack ISD San Angelo ISD Beaumont ISD La Vega ISD Socorro ISD Corsicana ISD Littlefield ISD Spring ISD VIEW THE REPORT ONLINE You can download a complete PDF file of this report online at www.tinyurl.com/SBRC2016. To learn more about the Texas Hunger Initiative’s efforts around school : breakfast visit: www.baylor.edu/texashunger/breakfast. 04 TEXAS SCHOOL BREAKFAST REPORT CARD JEREMY K. EVERETT KATHY J. KREY, PH.D. Director, Texas Hunger Initiative Director of Research, Texas Hunger Initiative COLLABORATING FOR CHANGE Welcome to the third edition of the Texas School Breakfast Report Card. We hope that as you read this report you are inspired to increase participation in school breakfast in your community and feel equipped with the knowledge and resources to do so. Many of us know how important breakfast can like Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab and be to a successful day. Yet, too many of our Go. Making breakfast part of the school day youngest Texans go without breakfast and miss creates healthy habits, improves academic out on its health and academic benefits. The performance, and helps Texas students focus on School Breakfast Program can be a significant learning instead of on an empty stomach. resource for families that sometimes need some extra help to provide their children with We are grateful to all of our partners who adequate food for a healthy lifestyle. diligently work alongside us to expand the reach and impact of the School Breakfast Program and The Texas Hunger Initiative works with school look forward to continuing this important work. districts and communities across the state Working together, we can end hunger in Texas. to improve participation in school breakfast through innovative alternative service models TEXAS SCHOOL BREAKFAST REPORT CARD 05 INTRODUCTION Families who experience food insecurity do not always have access to The Hallway adequate food for a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes, families that are food insecure must make difficult financial decisions—pay the electric bill or buy groceries?—and there may be little money left for food. Buffet Running a successful breakfast program can have its challenges, The annual Household Food Security survey from the United States one being the difficulty of counting Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service found that 14.0 and claiming meals in the morning. Irving ISD found an innovative percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2014. The percentage solution—the Hallway Buffet of Texans living in food-insecure households is even higher than the Cart. The Food and Nutrition Services department partnered national average with 17.2 percent of Texas with carpenters from the district’s families struggling to put food on the table. wood shop and modified a traditional breakfast cart to Although Texas’ food insecurity rate has not create a custom mobile unit to returned to pre-recession levels, the Lone use during breakfast service. The cart has transparent cardholders Star State has seen a decrease from a high of filled with color-coded ID cards. 18.8 percent in 2008.1 The ID cards help students and staff easily identify different classrooms and students. During Food insecurity These trends are similar for child food service, students form a line, grab is associated insecurity rates. According to Map the Meal their card and choose any, or all, Gap, the Texas child food insecurity rate components of the reimbursable with some meal. A food service employee (27.4%) is higher than the U.S. (21.4%). This then collects the ID cards from students and places them in a of the most means that almost 2 million (1,899,310) basket, confirming participation costly health Texas children live in households where and ensuring accountability. With 2 the cart, food cost has decreased access to food may be limited. due to the Offer Versus Serve problems in the model, food service staff members U.S., including Fortunately, there are several programs appreciate preparing meals in available in Texas to address food insecurity, bulk, and custodians are happier diabetes, heart with minimal trash. Teachers including the School Breakfast Program. also enjoy not having to count disease and Some studies show that eating breakfast participation, and students like 5 being able to create their own depression. can improve attendance, decrease tardiness meals with items they choose. 3 With its original prototype proving and result in better class participation. so successful, Irving ISD has now In school year 2014-2015, more than 1.8 million students (of 5.3 million contracted with a manufacturing company to construct a sleek, final students in Texas) started the school day with breakfast, and more than 1.5 version of the cart. million of these students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals.4 By encouraging all students to participate in school breakfast, schools play an important role in addressing child food insecurity in Texas. DID YOU KNOW? Texas is no longer among the five states with the 6 highest rate of childhood hunger. IRVING ISD DALLAS COUNTY TEXAS SCHOOL BREAKFAST REPORT CARD 07 U.S. FOOD-INSECURE HOUSEHOLDS7 14.0% TEXAS FOOD-INSECURE HOUSEHOLDS7 17.2% U.S. FOOD-INSECURE CHILDREN8 21.4% TEXAS FOOD-INSECURE CHILDREN8 27.4% SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM The School Breakfast Program gives students the to all students through the Community Eligibility opportunity to start their day full, focused and ready Provision (CEP). For more information on this to learn. For those families who struggle to regularly option, see page 12. access food, eating breakfast at school can assist them by providing nutritious food for their students. In Serving breakfast free to all students reduces the addition to addressing food insecurity, eating school stigma associated with eating breakfast at school breakfast can improve students’ overall nutrition and can increase participation in the program. and academic performance. Studies have shown that Some schools go the extra mile to ensure students students who eat breakfast consume more fruits and are prepared for the school day by using alternative milk and have a lower probability of obesity.9 Eating service models, like Breakfast in the Classroom, breakfast can also improve student performance, to make breakfast available to all students. More including increased attendance, better concentration information on non-traditional breakfast service and fewer behavioral problems.10 models can be found on page 18. Federal regulations require schools with 10 percent or more of students eligible for free or reduced-price DID YOU KNOW? meals to offer school breakfast, and these schools are The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is an innovative program that makes it easier for high- eligible for federal reimbursement for each breakfast need schools to serve free meals—both breakfast meal served. In Texas, schools with 80 percent or more and lunch—to all students by removing the need for schools to collect paper applications. of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals must offer breakfast free to all students. Offering breakfast free to all students is known as Universal School Breakfast (USB). Schools with 40 percent or FIND OUT MORE more of students eligible for free or reduced-price For more definitions on all terms appearing in meals are eligible to serve breakfast (and lunch!) free bold, see the Glossary beginning on page 58. 08 TEXAS SCHOOL BREAKFAST REPORT CARD PARTICIPATION ACROSS TEXAS More students are starting their school day fueled decrease stigma, increase participation and, as a for success, particularly students that may not have result, improve the financial reimbursements schools regular access to food at home. In school year 2014- receive. Additionally, serving breakfast after the bell, 2015, nearly 1.8 million students ate breakfast at school through alternative service models like Breakfast in the and more than 1.5 million of these students were Classroom or Grab and Go, can encourage students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Promoting to develop healthy eating habits and make breakfast a participation in school breakfast can support both the part of their regular school day. student and the school’s success by bringing academic, health and behavioral benefits. The map below indicates the percentage, by county, of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals that Schools across Texas have taken advantage of new are eating school breakfast—the darker the county strategies to increase participation in school breakfast color, the higher the level of participation.11 and provide financial sustainability for their nutrition programs.