FRAC’s Back-to-School Reading List

Home > Blog Posts > FRAC’s Back-to-School Reading List

By Cherise Bathersfield, Senior Content Writer/Editor

August 30, 2023

A new school year brings with it the excitement of new beginnings and the potential for positive change, not only for students but for the school administrators, educators, and parents around the country who are charged with ensuring children have what they need to succeed in school. School meals are fundamental and critical to that success — just as important as text books and other essential school supplies.

The School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program have fed millions of children from households with low incomes for decades. Research has linked school meals participation to improved academic achievement and attendance, lower food insecurity, and a higher consumption of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. School meals also help to reduce overall food costs for families. Nearly every school district surveyed in Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) recent Large School District Report noted numerous benefits to offering school meals to all students at no charge, regardless of household income, including decreasing child hunger (88 percent). And support for Healthy School Meals for All, offering free school breakfast and lunch to every student, continues to gain momentum nationwide, as more and more states are passing legislation for permanent free school meals policies.

Now is the time to get your school meals advocacy gear ready to support schools, school meals, and students by helping to expand free school meals for all. Use these FRAC resources to learn the school meals basics and spread the word in your community about Healthy School Meals for All, so that every school year all children have the nutrients they need to thrive and make it their best school year ever.

School Meals Reading List

Learn From Our Research On Ending Hunger In America

FRAC Plan of Action to End Hunger in America

Recent Articles

Apr 26, 2024

Elisabet Eppes, Deputy Director, Maryland Hunger Solutions

Small Victories for Anti-Hunger Advocates in Maryland’s 2024 Legislative Session

Given the increased need, the 2024 Maryland legislative session presented crucial opportunities to strengthen and expand hunger programs at the state level. Maryland has a particularly short session, compared to other states with only 90 days from early January to early April. The 500+ bills that passed this year are currently being signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore.
The two key priorities for Maryland Hunger Solutions this year were:
(1) increasing the Maryland SNAP minimum benefit to $95 per month, and
(2) implementing universal school meals in Maryland.
Unfortunately, anti-hunger advocates in Maryland faced an uphill battle in passing any significant legislation in light of a grim state budget outlook. Advocates made the case that, even in tough budget years, it is important to make investments in anti-hunger programs that provide resources to our most vulnerable residents and lead to long-term positive economic impacts, improved educational outcomes, and health care cost savings.

Apr 15, 2024

Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., GENYOUTH CEO

Youth Insights — Cultivating Healthy Eating for the Future: An Interview With GENYOUth CEO Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D.

GENYOUth’s newest Youth Insights report, Fostering Wellness in Youth: Cultivating Healthy Eating for the Future, offers a comprehensive overview of how schools and key stakeholders can foster healthy eating among youth and provides insights directly from students. Today’s students have a strong sense of responsibility for their health and wellness. We know because we ask them. GENYOUth Insights elevates youth voice through original, timely research on topics that matter to students and their schools.

Apr 10, 2024

Kelsey Boone

USDA Releases Reports Evaluating 11 Years of the Summer EBT Demonstration Project

In early March 2024, USDA released their final two reports on the Summer EBT demonstration projects. The reports evaluated the last seven years of the program: the first report covered 2015 to 2018, and the second covered 2019 to 2022. These reports differed from the previous evaluations of the demonstration projects in that they did not include an experimental design to evaluate the impact of the Summer EBT benefit. Instead, these reports evaluated the implementation and administration of the grants and examined patterns in household usage.
These reports found that parents and caregivers appreciated Summer EBT and saw the program as a critical resource that helped fill nutritional gaps. They felt the program provided flexibility in where they could purchase food and allowed families to purchase more nutritious foods.

All Blogs

FRAC Chat