School Breakfast And Student Behavior

The School Breakfast Program (SBP) is one of the largest nutrition assistance programs serving school‐aged children in the US. It provides reimbursement to states for the operation of breakfast programs in schools. Student participation in the SBP is, however, much lower than the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Because missing breakfast could result in hunger that could then influence children's interpersonal relations and classroom behavior (i.e., disciplinary infractions), some schools have implemented breakfast after the bell (BAB), which encompasses alternative breakfast delivery methods that make breakfast available to children after the school day commences. We use a difference‐in‐differences design with variation in BAB exposure across grades to study the effect on children's behavior. We find that infractions drop after schools adopted BAB. Moreover, the impact of BAB on behavior is more pronounced among minority children and those eligible for free and reduced‐price meals.

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