National School Breakfast Week

NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate National School Breakfast Week. For the past 30 years, the School Breakfast Program has provided nutritious morning meals to our Nation's neediest youth. Today, over 1 million children across the United States are malnourished, and the School Breakfast Program is a first line of defense against this growing epidemic.

The School Breakfast Program was established through the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Despite this law, many low-income children still go without breakfast each day. Every student eligible for a free or reduced-price school lunch is also eligible for a free or reduced-price breakfast.

In my home State of Illinois, during the 2003-2004 school year, over 1 million children from lower-income families participated in the National School Lunch Program, yet only about 200,000 children received a school breakfast on an average day through the National School Breakfast Program.

This disparity is not unique to Illinois. Nationally, 43 students receive a free or reduced-price school breakfast for every 100 students that receive a school lunch. To receive a free school breakfast or lunch, a family's income must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty line, and to receive a reduced-price school breakfast or lunch, the family income must be at or below 185 percent of the poverty line.

Students who are unable to eat breakfast experience negative physical, emotional and educational effects. Children who do not eat breakfast tend to produce low math and reading scores, have trouble recalling information, and are more likely to have disciplinary and psychological problems.

On the other hand, when children eat a nutritious breakfast, like the meals provided through the National School Breakfast Program, their standardized test scores tend to increase and their memory skills improve. They are less inclined to visit the school nurse complaining of headaches and stomach pangs throughout the school day. They are also less likely to become obese later in life and are more likely to eat more fruit, drink more milk, and consume less saturated fat than students who do not eat meals provided by the school.

From 1989 to today, the number of children participating in the School Breakfast Program has doubled from around 3 million to over 6 million, and if the breakfasts were available to more children, the numbers would likely increase.

In Illinois, the State legislature and the Governor recognized the need for this vital program. On February 15, 2005, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed the Childhood Hunger Relief Act, stipulating that all schools in which at least 40 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches must also provide a breakfast program. This action will hopefully increase the academic as well as physical and psychological well-being of Illinois school children.

Today, I ask that we recognize States like Illinois--States that are providing school breakfasts to their neediest children. I ask that we continue to push toward higher nutritional standards throughout the United States to ensure the well-being of our Nation's youth.

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