Each day, families struggle with food security and the ability to provide their children with healthy meals that fuel their minds and bodies. Lack of nutrient-rich food impacts child development, overall health outcomes, mental and behavioral health and academic achievement, performance, and participation. Free school breakfast has been one initiative provided to Pennsylvania school-aged children to combat child hunger and ensure students succeed.

For the first time, all Pennsylvania public school students heading back to school this month will be eligible to receive a free breakfast regardless of income. The 2023-24 budget includes a $46.5 million increase to provide universal free breakfast to Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million public school students.

Our fact sheet shows the benefits of free school breakfast, including:

• Increasing access to nutritious meals and building healthy eating habits.
• Improving academic performance, including concentration, memory, comprehension, and learning, while reducing hunger-related behavioral problems.
• Reducing the stigma associated with students who access free or reduced meals compared to their peers.

The state budget also expands free lunch to 22,000 eligible students for reduced-price lunch. While universal free breakfast and expanded free lunch are a great first step for Pennsylvania students, PPC advocates for expanding free lunch to all students because no child should go hungry, and no parent should worry about feeding their child.

The post Universal Free Breakfast Helps School-Aged Children Succeed  appeared first on Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.