COLUMBUS, Ohio – Beginning this fall, any student enrolled in a Columbus City school can have breakfast and lunch at no charge, regardless of their family’s income.
The district announced Friday morning that is has met the federal government’s requirements for providing free breakfast and lunch to all of its 50,000-plus students.
“Ensuring students get the nutrition they need is a big step in helping them achieve their full potential,” said superintendent Dr. Daniel Good.
Eligibility requirements for the federal School Lunch Program, which has been administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 1946, were expanded to include community standards as a way to expand the program into low-income areas, Good said.
Meals served as part of the “Power Up with Free Meals – Feeding Healthy Bodies and Minds” program are required to meet the USDA requirements by including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk, district Food Services director Joe Brown said.
Under the program, which is expanding nationwide during the 2014-15 school year, parents will not have to fil out applications. The district will be reimbursed for its costs based on the results of a half million comparisons to different lists of criteria, Good said.
Experts say children who go to school without the proper nourishment have more problems fighting infections, so they may be sick more often and miss more school. They also have decreased activity levels, social interactions, decreased curiosity and cognitive functioning.
“Let’s face it, if your stomach is growling, and you’re feeling sluggish and tired, how well are you going to be able to focus on learning how to divide fractions, understand how the brain transmits signals to the parts of our body, or how letters work together to create different sounds,” said Good.
Last year, Columbus City Schools provided nearly 10 million meals to students at 113 different locations.