It's not easy in an already jam-packed school day, but a new survey finds
more schools in New Jersey are taking time to serve breakfast to hungry
students.
 

Only about 30 percent of schools in the Garden state participate in the
federal school breakfast program. Most of those that do serve it before
the start of classes because they’ve been worried about cleanup and
interfering with classroom instruction.

Cecilia Zalkind is executive director of Advocates for Children of New
Jersey. She says a survey shows the majority of the districts that provide
breakfast in classrooms after school begins have dealt with those
challenges.
 

“We¹ve talked to teachers, we’ve seen it in the survey, where teachers
make it part of the lesson. It’s quick. The food is there. Kids serve it.
It¹s cleaned up very quickly.”

Zalkind says a school breakfast reduces childhood hunger and increases
student participation so they can succeed in school.

Adele LaTourette is director of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition. She
says school breakfast programs should be as accessible as possible.
 

“Hunger is an increasing problem in this state as well as in many others,
and federal feeding programs are the first line of defense against hunger.
We can not count on the fact that families have breakfast to feed kids at
home.”