Report: County Schools Nearly Last in Breakfast Participation

Carroll County is second to last when it comes to the number of low-income students who were getting breakfast at school in the 2011-2012 school year, according to a recently released study.

Less than 40 percent of students who participated in reduced lunches also participate in a breakfast program, according to Serving Maryland’s Children: Measuring Access to the School Breakfast Program, released by Maryland Hunger Solutions (MHS).

MHS is an initiative of Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit “working to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States.” 

In Maryland, for the first time, according to MHS, just over half of all low-income students are getting breakfast at school.

While the 38.8 percent participation lands Carroll County in the second-to-last spot in the state, it is an improvement over the previous year, when 36 percent of low-income students were getting breakfast. And participation continues to grow, according to school officials. 

“Over the last decade we have worked to increase the number of schools offering the breakfast program,” Supervisor of Food Services for Carroll County Schools Karen R. Sarno told Patch. 

In 2011-2012, three of four eligible schools in the county were participating in the Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) program, a state-funded program that supports programs that provide breakfast in the classroom. To be eligible, 40 percent or more of the students must be eligible for free and reduced meals.

According to MHS, schools that participate in MMFA tend to have higher breakfast participation levels.

This year, according to Sarno, all four eligible schools will participate in MMFA: Gateway School; Crossroads Middle School; Taneytown Elementary School; and Robert Moton Elementary School. 

Additionally, she said, “Beginning the 2013-14 school year we are pleased to announce that we will have achieved our goal and will have a breakfast program available in all schools.”

Schools that do not qualify for MMFA offer different breakfast options, including "grab-and-go," where students can pick up breakfast items from kiosks or the cafeteria, or "second-chance" breakfast, an opportunity for students to eat after homeroom or first period.

“Expanding participation in breakfast is one of the best ways to ensure that Maryland’s children are healthy and ready to learn,” Cathy Demeroto, director of MHS, said in a statement.