April 1968. Excerpts from "Their Daily Bread"-A study of the School Lunch Program THEIR DAILY BREAD Florence Robin, Director COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL LUNCH PARTICIPATION Sponsoring Organizations: Church Women United National Board of the Y. W. C. A. National Council of Jewish Women (97) CONTENTS There are six million school-age children in this country from families at the rock-bottom of poverty. But fewer than two million children receive free or reduced price lunches in the The lack of guidelines together with the present system of financing results in a crazy-quilt pattern for determining need. A child eligible in one school district for a free lunch would not necessarily receive one in the neighboring town. Indeed eligibility standards may vary from school to school and it is Contrary to USDA Regulations, children receiving free or reduced price lunches are often identified and are made to feel the stigma of proverty. Poor children are denied both privacy FINANCING THE SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM The financing of the School Lunch Program is totally in- adequate. Most states and communities do not contribute to the program out of taxes. Thus, schools where the children cannot fully support the program either have to leave the pro- gram or cannot supply the needed number of free and reduced price lunches. Increasing cost means an increasing number of schools dropping out. The provisions of the School Lunch Act designed to help such schools are not used consistently and CHAPTER V. "TOO POOR TO SUPPORT A CAFETERIA" One of the causes of low participation in the School Lunch Program is that slum schools often do not have facilities. Thus, the children who need lunch the most are denied it. Parents of these children as well as those who speak for the whole community are expressing their resentment about this more and more. VI. HIGH PRICE EQUALS LOW PARTICIPATION Adolescent eating habits, often cited as causing a decline in participation, are not a major factor. But some schools, by instituting a la carte service or vending machines, are encouraging teenagers to buy more expensive and less nutritious meals. VIII. EFFORTS TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION Some states and communities are making commendable efforts to increase participation. But lack of long-range planning and research handicaps their efforts. IX. X. XI. DONATED COMMODITIES Donated commodities play an important role in the School Lunch Program and deserve praise for their high nutritional content. But their unpredictability and their decreasing dollar value raise questions about how much the program should depend on them. ESEA TO THE RESCUE Funds from Title I of ESEA and other Federal programs provide substantial assistance for meals for needy children. But lack of coordination and some hostility between administrators of these programs and Schools Lunch Directors often undermine the effectiveness of these efforts. BREAKFAST AT SCHOOL Most educators welcome breakfast programs, but a few have resisted them. Only half of the funds allocated for breakfasts under the Child Nutrition Act were used during the first year. CHAPTER XII. ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM USDA's Regulations concerning personnel standards and program supervision and review are too permissive. As a result, administrative practices among the states are arbitrary and differ to a wide extent. XIII. LOS ANGELES: OUT OF IT After 21 years of growth, the National School Lunch Program is developing its own drop-out problem because of the financial squeeze. Few school districts have dropped out as yet but the Los Angeles story may be a harbinger of the future. XIV. RECOMMENDATIONS |