SCR 26: School Breakfast Week.

WHEREAS, Nearly one in six California children live in food insecure households, meaning they do not have consistent access to adequate food; and

WHEREAS, California ranks 39th in the nation in school breakfast participation, and only 34 percent of pupils who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals are eating school breakfast; and

WHEREAS, More than 65 percent of California public school pupils qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, yet many of those low-income pupils are not eating the nutritious school breakfast offered due to barriers such as social stigma, late buses or carpools, long cafeteria lines, and tight class schedules; and

WHEREAS, Eating breakfast as part of the schoolday is associated with positive pupil behavioral health and academic performances, such as better test score results, improved concentration in class, lower rates of chronic absenteeism, fewer classroom disruptions, and less frequent visits to the school nurse; and

WHEREAS, Breakfast After the Bell programs, such as breakfast in the classroom, grab and go breakfast, and second chance breakfast, are proven meal delivery methods that boost school breakfast participation and related positive outcomes; and

WHEREAS, School breakfast participation is associated with a lower body mass index, which is an indicator of sustainable body fat, lower probability of being overweight, and lower probability of obesity; and

WHEREAS, In times of crisis, adequate nutrition supports children’s immune systems, helping them stay healthier and better able to cope with the physical and emotional stress of a crisis; and

WHEREAS, School meals are critical to communities as they rebuild and create long-term food security and economic recovery and mobility for families in California; and

WHEREAS, States across the nation have introduced legislation to require that schools with a high percentage of pupils who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals implement a Breakfast After the Bell program; and

WHEREAS, If California schools increased school breakfast participation such that 50 percent of the pupils who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals participated in their school’s breakfast program, an additional 598,081 pupils would receive breakfast every day and school districts would receive more than $280,000,000 in federal meal reimbursements for their school nutrition budgets; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims March 3, 2025, to March 7, 2025, inclusive, as School Breakfast Week; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.