Release No. 0438.99

Jean Daniel (703) 305-2286
jean.daniel@fns.usda.gov 

USDA TO STUDY LINK BETWEEN BREAKFAST AND LEARNING

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 1999 - Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is following through on a Presidential initiative to determine whether free breakfasts for children at school improves academic performance, behavior, and attendance.

President Clinton said the initiative will provide an opportunity to document the critical link between nutrition and learning.

"Teachers have told us for many years that all students, regardless of their family income, do better and behave better in school if they eat a nutritious breakfast," Clinton said. "We think this can be a simple way to boost children's performance in school." 

The pilot projects will operate for three years in selected school districts across the country. Certain schools in those districts will offer free breakfasts to all children. An evaluation will assess the effect of the availability of free breakfast on such factors as academic achievement, attendance and tardiness, classroom behavior and discipline, and dietary intake over the course of a day. The study also will evaluate comparison schools not offering the free breakfast program.

"This initiative will allow a rigorous test of the nutrition-learning link," Glickman said. "It will also give kids in the pilot schools an
important nutritional boost so we can be sure they start the day ready to learn." 

President Clinton requested $13 million, and Congress provided $7 million in USDA's Fiscal Year 2000 budget for breakfast pilot projects.

USDA will invite school districts to compete for the pilot projects by submitting applications later this year, and will select the sites in the spring of 2000.

USDA operates the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for children, as well as a dozen other nutrition assistance programs.

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