Nebraska ranks 49th nationwide in the percentage of children eligible to receive a breakfast at school.
James Goddard is the Director of Economic Justice and Healthcare Access programs for Nebraska Appleseed.
He says the School Breakfast Scorecardis an annual report that is released by the Food Research and Action Center.
The report analyzes each state’s participation in the free School Breakfast Program. Goddard says studies have shown how important breakfast is for students.
"When a child starts out their day with a full stomach, they just perform better in their day. They ultimately perform better academically which is going to help them all the way through their school existence to get the education and skills they need to become successful adults and members of our society.”
The number of Nebraska children who participated in the School Breakfast Program in the 2011-12 school year increased by more than 3,600 compared to 2010-11.