New Teacher Survey: Hunger A Problem In Arkansas Classrooms

A new national survey shows that Arkansas teachers see a higher percentage of hungry children in the classroom than the U.S. average.

The No Kid Hungry campaign, conducted by hunger nonprofit Share Our Strength, reports that 60% of children in K-8th grade public schools regularly come to class hungry.

In Arkansas, statistics show that 73% of teachers said they have students who regularly come to school hungry.

Key findings from the research include:

• Among teachers surveyed, 80% say kids come to school hungry at least once a week. Three out of four teachers (77%) say addressing childhood hunger must be a national priority.
• A majority of teachers both nationally and in Arkansas (56%) who witness childhood hunger say the problem is getting worse.
• In the survey, a majority of teachers (56%) say “a lot” or “most” of their students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. In Arkansas, 71% of teachers say “a lot” or “most” of their students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition.
• Teachers site timing and stigma as two barriers to participation. Some kids miss out on the meals because of they get to school too late to eat (74%). Others are embarrassed and don’t want to be singled out as the low-income kids eating in the cafeteria (33%). Teachers say that sometimes the problem simply is that parents aren’t aware the program exists (35%).

“I have had students who come to school and haven’t eaten since lunch the day before,” said Kim Wilson, a teacher at Monticello High School. “Hungry students simply can’t focus and learn.”

Research shows that hungry students lack concentration and struggle with poor academic performance, behavior problems, and health issues.

“Access to healthy food is the number one school supply students need to succeed in the classroom this fall,” said Tom Nelson, President of Share Our Strength. “Kids can’t concentrate on reading and math when they’re focused on their growling stomachs. If we want our youngest generation to grow up smarter, healthier and stronger, we need to make sure they get the healthy food they need every day.”

The report stressed that school meals play an important role in making sure that kids always get the healthy food they need. Nine out of 10 teachers surveyed said that school breakfast is especially important for academic achievement.

In Arkansas, only 53.7% of children who receive a free or reduced-price lunch currently participate in the School Breakfast Program. A recent initiative, the Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign, is working to supply nutritious food to kids in need through increased participation in the School Breakfast Program by implementing innovative service models that make breakfast part of a school’s morning routine.

“We are working with principals, teachers, local nutrition directors, parents and students to make certain school breakfast programs are accessible to all students by bringing breakfast into the classroom and making it easy for students to get a morning meal,” said Kathy Webb, Executive Director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. Webb is also a term-limited state legislator.

“We’re also working with Share Our Strength to increase school breakfast participation in the state by nearly 4,000 children and a minimum of 50 schools through the expansion of innovative breakfast delivery models such as Breakfast in the Classroom,” Webb added.

The full survey is available at NoKidHungry.org/Teachers.