More Indiana Students Could Receive Free Breakfast

School districts in Indiana can apply to receive meals through a national non-profit, Breakfast in the Classroom.

Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a non-profit which provides free breakfast for children in high need districts around the country, announced this week they are expanding into Indiana.

Breakfast in the Classroom is a separate service from the federal free/reduced meal program. As their name suggests, students eat the meal together in their classroom, while the teacher takes attendance, collects homework or completes other morning tasks.

The program does not stay in districts long-term, but provides breakfast for one school year in a way to encourage students who qualify to get breakfast through the free/reduced meal program to do so.

The Walmart Foundation funds the program, and a variety of education organizations work with the organization. They include Food Research and Action Center, the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, the National Education Association Health Information Network, and the School Nutrition Foundation.

Along with Indiana, states chosen to participate in the program are Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Districts with a high level of students on free/reduced lunch can apply to be part of the program, and applications are available through the organization’s website. As of right now, there is no set deadline.