Promise the Children 2016: School Meals
By Grace Pires, volunteer at Promise the Children and Girl’s Inc.
An important part of increasing children’s success in school is making sure they come to school well-rested, in a good mood, and not hungry. The students’ comfort matters as much the content in their curriculum. So it makes sense that students who are coming in without eating breakfast are performing at a lower rate than other students.
Children who do not eat sufficiently are more likely to have weaker bodies, which will be prone to illness. If a child becomes ill and requires time out of school, their time away can severely impact their academics. As a child, the setbacks may not be prominent, but as time goes by and the child moves on to high school there can be a significant drop in their academic performance.
In a study conducted by Children’s HealthWatch, there are developmental issues that stem directly from food insecurity that effect children socially and mentally. Children whose families stress over the source of their next meal will have significant repercussions in the areas of the brain that relate to memory and other psychological functions.
As mentioned in the previous blog post, there are several programs and acts that are attempting to remedy the issue of hunger among American children. Also here is a bill in opposition. Tweet your choice of presidential candidate to confirm her/his position. For Example (use no more than 140 characters including spaces):
@HillaryClinton or @realDonaldTrump Do you support free school
meals for all U.S. hungry children? #WeR4PreK @Promisethechild
Here is a full list of presidential candidates, including those running 
third party. The list includes their Twitter and Email information. You can click here to find all your legislator’s contact information. To learn more, see our blog posts on U.S. child and hunger.
