The School Breakfast Program in New York City Public Schools: Results From a Parent Survey

Published May, 2012

While New York City offers free breakfasts to all public school children, and almost 75% of public school children are eligible for free or reduced price lunch due to household income, New York City has one of the lowest rates of children participating in the School Breakfast Program nationwide.

To understand more about New York City’s low school breakfast participation rates, New York City School breakfasts in general, and the Breakfast in the Classroom Program, CCC surveyed New York City parents about their children’s school breakfasts.

To increase New York City school children’s participation in the School Breakfast Program, CCC recommends the expansion of the Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) program. BIC provides in-classroom breakfast to children at the start of the school day, rather than the traditional school breakfast that is served in the school cafeteria early in the morning before the school day commences.

Key findings in CCC’s report include:

• Parents recognize the importance of breakfast, and were pleased that their children can receive a free breakfast at school.
• Despite their positive views regarding breakfast and the free distribution of breakfast in school, about a quarter of those surveyed reported that their children had not eaten breakfast every day the previous school week.
• Almost all survey participants whose children had experience with the Breakfast in the Classroom Program thought that the program was advantageous for their children.
• More than half of survey participants reported that their children had never eaten breakfast at home and at school on the same day.