School Breakfast Program
In Rhode Island, the School Breakfast Program provides balanced, low-cost or free breakfasts to an average of about 29,000 children daily. Program participants include public school districts, private schools, residential child care institutions, and state schools. Sponsors are reimbursed for meals served which meet USDA guidelines.
State law mandates that all public schools provide a breakfast program.
As in the lunch program, children from families with income:
- Up to 130% of poverty level are eligible for free meals program.
- Between 130 to 185% of poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals ($.30 or less).
- Over 185% of poverty pay a price determined by the school or institution for their subsidized meal.
- 85% of the breakfasts served in Rhode Island are served free or at a reduced price.
Providing ALL KIDS easy access to breakfast EACH SCHOOL DAY can be accomplished by using a number of creative and proven strategies to make breakfast more accessible and more appealing to students, whether served before or after the first bell or eaten in or outside of the cafeteria. The Healthy School Meals Breakfast Expansion Toolkit (developed by the RI Healthy Schools Coalition, in partnership with RIDE) details the research and many proven strategies to increase breakfast participation, provides a step by step guide and timeline for a successful breakfast after the bell (BAB) rollout, and presents best practices from schools/districts across Rhode Island.