The first meal of the day is one of the biggest changes for local students in the past decade, especially for children of low-income families. About 20,000 breakfasts are served daily in Fresno Unified School District, in addition to about 45,000 lunches. Nationally, participation in breakfast programs has nearly doubled at public schools since 1990. According to a report released by the Food Research and Action Center, 3.4 million poor children ate free or reduced-price breakfasts at schools. About 6.4 million poor children are doing so this year.
Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day.
We're preparing them to learn. They perform better if they've eaten. Walker sees the early morning meal as a necessity, and has no qualms about taking over the responsibility that traditionally belongs to a parent. At Burroughs Elementary School, more than 95 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. State regulations stipulate that in schools that reach that level, meals for all of the students are offered free of charge.