Also in attendance were, Commissioner David Driscoll, Administrator of Nutrition Programs and Services, Kathleen C. Millett, and other DOE staff. In 1966 the School Breakfast Program was established to ensure that all children have the opportunity to start every morning with a nutritious breakfast. Currently, approximately 7 million children in more than 71,000 schools receive school breakfast. In Massachusetts, approximately 98,815 children in 1046 schools get a healthy, smart start to their school day and their lives.
Scientific research confirms the correlation between hunger and academic performance.
A recent study published in the 1998 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, found that students who participate in school breakfast programs perform better academically, are absent less and have less behavior problems.