The study shows that more low-income students are being served a nutritious breakfast at school compared to the previous year, but there's room for improvement with the state being ranked 25th overall for effectiveness in reaching low-income kids.
John Charlton with the Ohio Department of Education says they hold trainings with districts every year to explore ways to get more children involved.
About 45 percent of low-income students receiving lunch at schools also get breakfast. The goal is to bump that to 70 percent – which would also bring several million dollars to the state in federal funding.
Crystal FitzSimons, director of school programs at FRAC, says the healthy breakfasts are usually served in classrooms, or available as a grab-and-go option to take to a desk. She notes that the most successful programs offer breakfast to any student who wants one, and they don’t have to go to the cafeteria to get it.
Charlton says studies show that children who get a nutritious breakfast do better in school, and good nutrition is also important for young children's brain development.
Over 300-thousand Ohio children receive school breakfast.
