Health and Grades: Nutrition Programs for Kids in Canada

• Published in: Commentary - C.D. Howe Institute 2019-02 (532), p.0_1-26
• Main Authors: Wyonch, Rosalie, Sullivan, Abby
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Allergens; Charitable foundations; Children & youth; Cognitive ability; Conflicts of interest; Design; Diet; Food programs; Food security; Health care; Households; Hunger; Industrialized nations; Information services; Learning; Meals; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Objectives; Public health; Quality; School breakfast programs; Socioeconomic factors; Students; Studies; Success; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0824-8001; 1703-0765

[...]schools that increased caloric levels more had relatively larger gains in test scores, although the authors suggest the results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size. Alberta's school districts vary significantly, however, in number of schools, students and demographics - for example, the Calgary Board of Education has roughly 121,000 students, while the Calgary Catholic School District has about 56,000. [...]as each board received the same lump sum funding for school nutrition programs, the latter school board received more than twice as much funding per student as the former during the pilot. If, however, the nutrition program were funded with the intent of providing a benefit to all students, the program would cost about $1.4 billion annually. Since total federal spending on education amounted to about $5 billion in 2016, a federally funded universal national student breakfast program would increase federal education expenditures by about 28 percent.27 To put this spending in perspective, in fiscal year 2013/14 the average salary for a new elementary school teacher was $51,046, while teachers with 15 years of experience earned $84,677.28 Policy implications Issues of food insecurity, poverty and mental and physical health are strong reasons to give healthy meals to children who would not otherwise have them. [...]increasing the percentage of teachers with formal math training in elementary grades would be a similar option specifically targeted at improving math education and skills accumulation in early years. 32 In this Commentary, we do not engage in a formal cost-benefit analysis. Since 85 percent of households with children are food secure and would likely only marginally benefit from a nutrition program, from the perspective of food security the benefits that would accrue to 15 percent of households would have to be sufficient to offset all the costs of the program. 33 Toronto provides an example of community-driven programs at the school board or municipal level targeted to schools in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods.