Posted on 01/20/2015 8:40:02 AM PST by Pelham
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Many of the students at Kingsley Elementary School in a low-income neighborhood of Los Angeles eat breakfast and lunch provided by the school. For the nearly 100 enrolled in the after-school program, another meal is served: supper.
The nation’s second largest school district is doubling the number of students served dinner, with an eye toward eventually offering it at every school. It’s a growing trend: Nationwide, the number of students served dinner or an after-school snack soared to nearly 1 million last year.
“When kids are hungry, they don’t pay attention,” said Bennett Kayser, a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District board, which was announcing the expansion Thursday. “This is something that should have started years ago.”
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia began offering students dinner as part of a pilot program expanded to all states after the 2010 passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Schools where at least half the students are low-income and qualify for free or reduced-price lunch are reimbursed for each supper by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at a rate often significantly higher than the cost of the meal.
In the 2014 fiscal year, 104 million suppers were served to students, up from about 19 million in 2009. Participation is still lower than in the nation’s long-running breakfast and lunch programs, which serve more than 12 million and 31 million students, respectively.
The introduction of dinner to school routines is unique in that it could take the place of what many consider a near-sacred ritual: The family dinner.
Proponents say that since many students stay on campus until the early evening hours, it makes sense to provide an additional meal. In the case of the neediest students, they might not get anything to eat after class other than what is offered at school.
Research on family dinners has shown a plethora of benefits: Greater academic achievement, less delinquency, and better family relations. Yet the research also presents a chicken-and-egg type question: Do children reap those benefits because they have dinner with their families, or do the same families that have dinner together display other traits that account for higher achievement?
More recent research indicates while family dinners can be linked to fewer symptoms of depression, most of the other benefits seem to decrease when demographic and other environmental factors are taken into account. At a time when many families have hectic schedules, dinner at school could provide some relief, said Rachel Dunifon, a policy professor at Cornell University.
“If these meals help alleviate stress, it could actually be good and open up more time for families,” she said.
LAUSD currently serves supper to 75,000 students and plans to expand the program to about 150,000 over the next two years. School officials estimate it will generate $16.6 million in revenue, which will go toward expanding the program.
Other large, urban districts with dinner programs include Philadelphia and District of Columbia public schools. Wayne Grasela, senior vice president for food services, said the School District of Philadelphia now serves 4,500 dinners each day.
At Kingsley Elementary School, several students said the roasted sunflower seeds, cheese sticks and, depending on the day, sandwiches, salads and chicken they are served function more like a snack than a meal. Some eat another meal at home.
But for others, it’s one of the few things they eat after class. Ten-year-old Evelyn Ruballos said she usually only eats crackers when she gets home.
“And then I just go to sleep,” she said.
Research on family dinners has shown a plethora of benefits: [...] Do children reap those benefits because they have dinner with their families, or do the same families that have dinner together display other traits that account for higher achievement?
It's because they actually HAVE families to have dinner with. A mother AND a father cannot be replaced by free meal.
More recent research indicates...
Ah yes, my money spent on "research" that determined more of my money should be taken and given to the leisure class - brilliant!
But if we ask questions such as you propose then the media and Democrats will claim that Republicans want kids to go hungry. Its like we are trapped on issues like this. Any changes or cutbacks will be spun by liberals as the GOP wanting to cut back social programs for no good reason.
LAUSD currently serves supper to 75,000 students and plans to expand the program to about 150,000 over the next two years. School officials estimate it will generate $16.6 million in revenue... *DING*DING*DING*DING*WE HAVE A WINNER!
“If these meals help alleviate stress, it could actually be good and open up more time for families,” she said.
WTF? Where in the h e ‘double hockey sticks’ is their families? Why aren’t they being fed? The parental units are either working or on welfare. There won’t be any family time give me a break.
Just recently stopped in a 7-11, big sign Our pizzas are EBT eligible. EBT money being spent on highly overpriced pizza.
An extra thigh and a biscuit, please. Oh, and can I get that to go? Momma’s waitin’ outside in her Mercedes...
Are these so-called “parents” too stupid to feed their own kids dinner?
Does anyone ever mention academics in a school story anymore?
Drives me nuts this crap.
They get their handouts from us, they get handouts form the likes of the Salvation army, free turkeys etc at thanksgiving, from churches etc. Yet they drive nice frigging cars, buy their soda, chips etc on our dime.
If Chewbacca wants kids to eat healthy then make the law for those who are on Govt handouts making them only being bale to buy fruit and veggies.
Saying that they also like you said sell their EBT , they lie to get it, and one can go in to where I used to live and tell the Indian or Paki who owns the store that you wants cigs but put the sake as a box of cereal.
I used to see that all the time from people who came in from the projects.
If you can’t afford kids then don’t damn have them in the first place. We waited years and made use we had some money to support ourselves. We are not rich , live in a small house and drive not fancy or new cars but we do pay for our kids and work.
Not so much in LAUSD. LA’s blacks have been migrating to Riverside and San Bernardino as their old neighborhoods are overrun by the citizens of Mexico and points farther south.
AGREED
I’m sick of going to Winn Dixie here and seeing them use their EBT buying sodas, chips and coming up for the super bowl they will have their barbecue food ready for the party.
Then they get in a nice vehicle and my kids have told me that they know the mothers kids and they get free food at school too..
The traditional proud family has nearly gone thanks to liberals, socialists, and communists.
How about two pieces of toast and jam for breakfast like I had. Not much money but then I would have a apple for a snack, not much money.
Lunch was a sandwich with either a piece of deli meat or a slice of cheese but never both because we could not afford it.
Dinner was sit down and have the bigger meal and then milk and cookies for supper.
Don’t have these kids if you can’t afford them or give them the time for them.
More schools become parents, film at 11.
The parents are probably working. No one is checking to see if they aren’t, that takes time and resources that the schools aren’t paid to worry about.
It’s very common for illegal aliens to have way more spending money than Americans working the same jobs.
Illegals can work off the books. And when you don’t pay taxes or insurance or license fees or a hundred other legal requirements you get to keep all your money. And now the schools will pick up your food bill.
Only in America. I think I’ll become an illegal.
” The whole school dinner thing is just one more step for the Open Borders lobby.”
EZ call.
About time! Mama needs to get a new weave and have her nails done.
One stop welfare check care.
“If Chewbacca wants kids to eat healthy then make the law for those who are on Govt handouts making them only being able to buy fruit and veggies.”
You’ll make the processed food industry very angry if you do that.
People have the mistaken idea that the push for food stamps comes from the poor. The money goes to corporations that supply it and they give big political donations to make sure that the free food program just gets bigger.
That’s why you won’t see the GOP establishment doing anything about it. They are on the side of their donors, not the average American. Just the same as the Democrats.
That’s a damn good question.
“All your bastards are belong to us.”
And sterilize these helpless people before their numbers quadruple.
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