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Survey Results From Federal Food Programs (continued)

School lunches are a well established tradition in most Sacramento schools, but the School Breakfast Program if in only a limited number of schools.

In Sacramento, 60,324 students participate in the school lunch program but only 16,806 receive breakfast.

Of the students receiving lunch, 40,077 (66%) receive free and reduced price meals. The proportion of low-income students in the breakfast program is much higher with 97% receiving breakfast free or at a reduced price.

According to the legislation itself, the National School Lunch Program was permanently authorized in 1946 as a "measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's children." In 1970, Congress established national guidelines for free and reduced-price school lunches for needy children participating in the program. The School Breakfast program was originally established in 1966 as a pilot program to provide funding for meals to children in 'poor areas and areas where children had to travel a great distance to school." In 1975 the program was expanded with the intention the program "be made available in all schools where it is needed to provide adequate nutrition for children in attendance. "

Numerous studies have documented the fact that a hungry child cannot learn. Good nutrition improves the chances for the child to have access to equal educational opportunity.

Children in day care or a pre-school program can receive better nutrition by participating in the Child Care Food Program but few caretakers use it.

Child care centers which participate in the CCFP serve more food and spend more on food per child. Seventy-six percent (76%) of the centers in the CCFP serve three meals and/or snacks, while only 29% of the non-participating centers serve three meals and/or snacks. Of the 201 identified child care centers, only 32 or about 16% participate in CCFP.

In Sacramento, there is one CCFP sponsor serving about 570 day care homes out of the approximately 2200 day care homes in Sacramento.

The CCFP was established in 1968 to provide the same nutritional benefits as the school meals programs to children in pre-school and day care programs. CCFP provides cash reimbursements to participating day care providers. The meals served must follow USDA guidelines for types and amounts of foods served. The level of reimbursement depends on how many meals and snacks are served by the provider and only cover part of the food cost. Day care homes may also be in the program but most do so through a sponsor. To be a sponsor, an organization must be a public or private non-profit agency.

Participation in the Summer Food Program has declined significantly in the last four years.

Over the last four years the number of meals and snacks has declined substantially while the number of feeding sites has decreased from 75 to 59.

Decline in Summer Food Program from 1985 to 1988

The Summer Food Program is intended for children who are eligible for free and reduced- price meals during the school year. In Sacramento the program is operated by the City Department of Parks and Community Services. To participate, sponsors must prove that the area they serve has a majority of children who would be eligible for free and reduced priced school meals, or they can sign up such children individually.

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