Hungry kids can’t learn.
According to a new survey of public school teachers released by Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, childhood hunger remains a serious obstacle to learning.
With nearly 1 in 5 U.S. kids facing the threat of hunger this year, teachers across America are seeing its effects.
Here's what you can do to connect kids with the food they need:
» View & share the infographic
» Help protect funding for effective nutrition programs
» Download the Hunger in Our Schools report
Here’s what more than 1,000 K-8 public school teachers have to say about childhood hunger in our schools:
- 3 out of 5 teachers say they have children in their classrooms who regularly come to school hungry.
- 4 out of 5 of those teachers say these children come to school hungry at least once a week.
- A majority of teachers who see hunger as a problem believe the problem is growing.
— Principal McElhaney, Old Mill Middle School North
There is a solution to childhood hunger.
As first-hand responders to hunger in our schools, teachers are active in trying to ensure kids are fed, and three out of four teachers (77%) say addressing childhood hunger must be a national priority.
- Teachers commonly help families enroll in free or reduced-price meal programs (71% of the time) or refer families to resources in the school (54% of the time).
- More than half of teachers (53%) say they purchase food for hungry kids in their classrooms. One in ten of these teachers buys food every week.
We need your help.
Here's what you can do to connect kids with the food they need:
» View & share the infographic | » Help protect funding for effective nutrition programs | » Download the Hunger in Our Schools report
Are you an educator?
We have resources dedicated to helping educators have an impact on hunger at school. You can also take the actions listed below, or if you have a story of hunger, you can tell us your story using the form on the right.
- Download the "What educators can do" PDF for quick-and-easy ideas
- Download the "Breakfast Boost" activity from Cooking Matters that you can share with your class.
Educators, tell us your story:
Download a copy of the full report | Contact us for media requests [email | 202-649-4340]
Methodology: APCO Insight, the opinion research consultancy of APCO Worldwide, designed and conducted the Hunger in the Classroom: Teachers Report 2012, in partnership with Share Our Strength and with sponsorship from C&S Grocers. The survey, conducted online, interviewed 1,095 K-8 public teachers in the United States from May 10-20, 2012. Respondents were members of MDR’s online panel, an education-focused marketing service provider who gathers information such as teacher email addresses from several sources, including the US. Department of Education and state departments of education. The margin of error for the total sample is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence interval. The data were weighted by teacher age, grade level taught, and Census region to align the sample’s demographics with the population under study; weighting estimates were taken from the U.S. Department of Education.
