The health of the nation’s youngsters is in a state of decline. The number of kids who are overweight or obese is soaring. One in three is now classified as overweight. It’s hardly a surprise, then, that number of youngsters with problems often related to excess weight — diabetes, abnormal cholesterol readings, for example — is on the rise, as well. The best remedy is a combination of healthy eating habits and regular exercise, but that prescription is not always available.
Parents aren’t always able to supervise their children’s meals or provide safe outlets for regular exercise. Some families are hard-pressed to provide the fresh foods that should be the staple of youngster’s diets. Consequently, though it is not a traditional part of their job description, schools now regularly assume responsibility for children’s nutrition. Indeed, in far too many instances, they now provide the only nutritious meal of the day for many of their charges.
The national school lunch program helps them do so. The federal program subsidizes, directly or indirectly, lunch for around 30 million kids every day. More than 11 million children are helped by a related, federally funded breakfast program. Many more students could benefit from the programs if additional funding was available. It should be.
Congress has a chance to increase funding for the lunch program in coming months, and there are plans in the works to expand the breakfast program as well. Legislators should approve additional funds for both programs.
Hungry kids are poor learners. Providing lunch and breakfast to them increases their ability to learn. Besides, youngsters who eat — and exercise — properly are less likely to become obese, unhealthy adults who consume a big share of the nation’s health-care dollars. Clearly, spending a relatively modest sum now to improve kids’ diets will produce a significant return on investment in the future.