Session Summary: School meals are proven to be critical in the fight against childhood hunger. Successful school breakfast and lunch programs improve children’s health and support academic achievement. Over recent years, significant strides have been made to increase equitable access to school meals, both to improve nutrition security and to eliminate stigma for students who rely on these meals. From school-level initiatives such as breakfast after the bell and the Community Eligibility Provision, to state policies that support Healthy School Meals for All, students, schools, partners, advocates, and policy makers are working tirelessly to increase children’s access to healthy school meals. But our work is far from over. Join this session to discover school meal participation trends, gaps in meal participation, and best practices for increasing equitable access to school breakfast and lunch. Learn about new research reflecting a nationally representative sample of students that quantifies their needs and experiences related to school meals. Hear directly from a panel of current high school students as they share their experiences, engagement, and aspirations related to their school meal experience.
Learning Objectives:
Following this session, attendees will be able to:
- discuss trends in school meal participation,
- identify best practices for increasing equitable access in school meals, such as the impact of breakfast after the bell strategies or the Community Eligibility Provision adoption, and
- relay the importance of Healthy School Meals for All in the fight for nutrition equity and against childhood hunger.
Following this session, attendees will understand youth's perspective on school meal programs and identify top drivers and detractors in students' participation in school breakfast and lunch.
Following this session, attendees will appreciate the importance of incorporating youth in school meal advocacy and better understand ways to engage youth in advocacy efforts.
