|2002 Legislative Agenda|

FACTS

• Schools participating in the In-Classroom Breakfast Pilot program in Maryland report a 50% reduction in disciplinary incidents and a 75% decrease in tardiness.
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  The additional cost to implement this effective program is on average, 42 cents per day, per child.

BACKGROUND

• The Maryland Meals for Achievement In-Classroom Breakfast Pilot Program was passed into law in the 1999 session, and in 2000 was funded at $964,000.
  

• The In-Classroom Breakfast Pilot Program provides breakfast to all students in selected schools with a minimum of 40% of the students eligible to participate in the federal free and reduced meals program.
  

• In-classroom breakfast programs have been proven to raise academic scores and improve the learning environment for all children.
  

• With current state funding, only 49 schools are able to participate in the program out of the 150 schools that applied. The additional funding allocated in the Governor’s FY 2002 budget, if passed by the General Assembly, will allow many more schools to participate in the program.
  

• Traditional school breakfast programs only reach a fraction of the children who are eligible to participate. On average, only 30% of the students eligible for free meals, and 11% of the students eligible for reduced-priced meals, participate in the traditional school breakfast program in Maryland. The reasons for the low participation rate include the stigma of being singled out as "poor," and the difficulty of arriving at school early in order to eat breakfast before the start of the school day.