School Breakfast Funding
Research has linked eating breakfast to improved academic performance,
an increase in attendance and better overall diet quality in school children.
Unfortunately, participation in Virginia's
School Breakfast Program has remained low, largely because the state
has never subsidized this important health initiative since its inception
in 1966.
Governor Tim Kaine supports
a per-breakfast reimbursement to schools as an incentive to expand their
breakfast programs, increase student participation, and decrease reliance
on the sale of non-nutritious a la carte foods. This
proposed funding — $1.2 million in FY 2006 — would pay 20
cents per meal for all breakfasts served beyond the baseline participation
rates set during the 2003-2004 school year. Increased participation
would also allow school divisions to
leverage additional federal dollars for local school nutrition programs.
Most importantly, an expanded Breakfast Program will help guarantee
that our students get a healthy start to their academic day.
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