H. Res. 210 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

March 9, 2009. 

Whereas breakfast program participants under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 include public, private, elementary, 

middle, and high schools, as well as rural, suburban, and 

urban schools; 

Whereas at least 16,000 schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program do not participate in the 

National School Breakfast Program; 

Whereas in fiscal year 2008, 8,520,000 students in the 

United States consumed free or reduced-price school 

breakfasts provided under the national school breakfast 

program established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition 

Act of 1966; 

Whereas less than half of the low-income students who participate in the National School Lunch Program also participate in the school breakfast program; 

Whereas in fiscal year 2008, 60 percent of school lunches 

served, and 80 percent of school breakfasts served, were 

served to students who qualified for free or reduced 

priced meals; 

Whereas the current economic situation, including the increase of nearly 3 percent in the national unemployment 
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rate in 2008, is causing more families to struggle to feed 

their children and to turn to schools for assistance; 

Whereas implementing or improving classroom breakfast programs have been shown to increase the participation of 

eligible students in breakfast consumption dramatically, 

doubling, and in some cases tripling, numbers, as evidenced by research in Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin; 

Whereas making breakfast widely available through different 

venues or a combination thereof, such as in the classroom, obtained as students exit their school bus, or outside the classroom, has been shown to lessen the stigma 

of receiving free or reduced-price breakfast, which often 

prevents eligible students from obtaining traditional 

breakfast in the cafeteria; 

Whereas providing free universal breakfast, especially in the 

classroom, has been shown to significantly increase school 

breakfast participation rates and decrease absences and 

tardiness; 

Whereas studies have shown that access to nutritious programs such as the National School Lunch Program and 

National School Breakfast Program helps to create a 

strong learning environment for children and helps to improve children’s concentration in the classroom; 

Whereas providing breakfast in the classroom has been shown 

in several instances to improve attentiveness and academic performance, while reducing tardiness and disciplinary referrals; 

Whereas students who eat a complete breakfast have been 

shown to make fewer mistakes and work faster in math 

exercises than those who eat a partial breakfast; 
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Whereas studies suggest that eating breakfast closer to classroom and test-taking time improves student performance 

on standardized tests relative to students who skip breakfast; 

Whereas studies show that students who skip breakfast are 

more likely to have difficulty distinguishing among similar images, show increased errors, and have slower memory recall; 

Whereas children who live in families that experience hunger 

have been shown to be more likely to have lower math 

scores, face an increased likelihood of repeating a grade, 

and receive more special education services; 

Whereas studies suggest that children who eat breakfast have 

more adequate nutrition and intake of nutrients, such as 

calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, E, D, and B–6; 

Whereas studies show that children who participate in school 

breakfast programs eat more fruits, drink more milk, and 

consume less saturated fat than those who do not eat 

breakfast; 

Whereas children who fail to eat breakfast, whether in school 

or at home, are more likely to be overweight than children who eat a healthy breakfast on a daily basis; and 

Whereas March 2 through March 6, 2009, is National School 

Breakfast Week: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) recognizes the importance of the National 

School Breakfast Program and its overall positive effect 

on the lives of low-income children and families, as well 
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as its effect on helping to improve a child’s overall classroom performance; 

(2) expresses support for States that have successfully implemented school breakfast programs in order to 

improve the test scores and grades of its participating 

students; 

(3) encourages States to strengthen their school 

breakfast programs by improving access for students, to 

promote improvements in the nutritional quality of 

breakfasts served, and to inform students and parents of 

healthy nutritional and lifestyle choices; 

(4) recognizes the need to provide States with resources to improve the availability of adequate and nutritious breakfasts; 

(5) recognizes the impact of nonprofit and community organizations that work to increase awareness of, 

and access to, breakfast programs for low-income children; and 

(6) recognizes that National School Breakfast Week 

helps draw attention to the need for, and success of, the 

National School Breakfast Program. 

Attest: 

Clerk.