School Dinner Program

Project Summary
Purpose
In the United States food-insecurity affects 15.3 million children. In Ohio alone 207,700
people receive food assistance in any given week with 35% of those being children under 18
years old.1 The National Lunch and Breakfast programs help to serve children by offering 19.2
million free and 2.5 million reduced prices while they are in school. Sadly many children leave
school for homes that cannot provide an adequate or consistent meal for dinner. This study
aims to implement a dinner program for elementary school students in Toledo, Ohio to
determine how an adequate dinner can affect behavior in the classroom.
Methods
Included in this study were approximately 200 students from 4 classrooms in 2
elementary schools in Toledo, Ohio with free and reduced lunch rates greater than 80%.
Researchers will meet with teachers to implement a behavior tracking system specific to their
classroom in order to track behavior for a two-week period along with a dinner menu that will be
planned, prepared, and implemented. During this time teachers will track student behavior. After
the two-week implementation, teachers will track behavior for another week.
Results and Conclusions
Expected results are that children in this population will experience better classroom
behavior and improved academic success than when they were not provided dinner on a
consistent basis. It is not known whether all children are in need of a dinner or if they eat all of
what was provided by the dinner program, which could promote further studies. Children who
are provided dinner regularly may not be given adequate nutrition, which also promotes a
further study.
Introduction
There are 15.3 million children in the United States who live in food-insecure households as of
2014.2 Ohio has a food insecurity rate that is higher than all of its surrounding states.3 In
Northwest, Ohio specifically, one third of people have to choose between paying for food or
paying for utilities including heat.1 Food insecurity is considered a lack of food availability as well
as having enough food to meet the basic needs due to financial situations.4 Nutrition is vital for
brain development and healthy growth of children. Nutrition can impact their growth but can
impact their behavior and success in a school setting throughout the educational process.
Studies showed that students from food insecure households, ages 6 years old to eleven years
old, had lower math scores, were more likely to have to repeat a grade, and had a more difficult
time getting along with other students.5 This also impacted children in the same manner, as they
got older.5
The National School Lunch program and the National Breakfast program are nationally funded
programs to provide children nutritionally balanced meals at low to no cost.6 Both of these
programs have impacted children in food insecure situations by providing meals two of their
meals a day. Unfortunately, many of these children leave school and are not provided dinner.
This prompted questioning if there is a relationship between a nutritious dinner and classroom
success and behavior.
A dinner program will help to fill the nutrition gap for children who are not able to have dinner
every night after they leave school and round out daily totals for children to reach the Dietary
Guidelines.4 By providing a nutritious dinner to elementary students who participate in the
program, students will display better behavior in the classroom, which includes staying on task,

not speaking out of turn, being respectful to classmates and teacher, and following
directions. The dinner provided will help to round out the daily
Research Question:
What is the relationship between a nutritious dinner and academic success?
Hypotheses:
We hypothesized that elementary school students who participate in a national school dinner
program will display better behavior, better listening skills, ability to retain more information,
more discipline, staying on task, and in overall academic success in the classroom.
Academic success will increase when students are provided a nutritious dinner daily as
compared to children who do not receive dinner on a regular basis.
There will be no difference in academic success when students are provided a nutritious dinner
compared to those who are not.
Study Rationale
In 2012, the National School Lunch Program served over 31 million children each day.6 Of the
children being served through the National School Lunch program, 46% of these children are
also participating in the School Breakfast program. As the School Breakfast program has been
implemented, there has been an increase in the number of students utilizing the program.6 As of
2014, of the students participating in the School Breakfast program, 84.9% were those on free
or reduced meal services.7 Children that belong to families at or below 130% poverty will receive
free lunches.6 Those coming from families with an income of 130-185% poverty will receive
reduced lunches no greater than 40 cents.6 This means that there are over 31 million children
that are in need of this type of program and that is why we believe further additions, such as a
dinner program, could benefit these children that are impoverished.6
Nutrition is a vital part of the growth and development of students especially in the younger
years of their life. Statistics show that children living in food insecure homes not only are at risk
for issues such as poor oral health, failure to thrive, chronic diseases, and a poor physical
quality of life.2 There are also many risks that can influence their behavior in and out of the
classroom. Children of these households tend to experience more behavioral problems, greater
risk of truancy, and school tardiness.2 Other noted issues include fighting, bullying, hyperactivity,
aggression, anxiety and mood swings. Lack of nutrition can have long-term consequences for
children in these food insecure homes.2
While doing these studies, we will look at a variety of elementary schools, grades K-3, in the
Toledo, Ohio area. Schools will be looked at based on the high percentage (>80%) of students
on free or reduced lunch. We hypothesized that the number of elementary school students (K-3)
who participate in a School Dinner Program will increase the likelihood of better behavior, which
will lead to academic success in the classroom. A study found that school lunch and dining room
interventions were succeeded by an increased amount of alertness and concentration of
students in the hour that followed.8
This could mean that children will have a better time concentrating on their homework after a
balanced dinner program. Behavior of students will increase when students are provided a
nutritious dinner daily as compared to students who do not receive dinner at home on a regular
basis. Classroom teachers will use a behavior system throughout the day to track behavior prior

and during implementation of a School Dinner Program. In the short-term, a school dinner
program will increase the likelihood of better behavior in the classroom on a day-to-day basis
and will increase overall academic success.
Study Design
We will recruit two elementary schools, grades K-3, in the Toledo, Ohio. The two elementary
schools will have a high percentage (>80%) of students on free or reduced lunch. In both
schools there are four classrooms with 24 students each. This amounts to 192 children total that
will be accessed. We will be granted permission by the principals at both schools as well as the
superintendents of each district to implement research tools, communicate with teachers, and
use the facility kitchen space to prepare meals. A newsletter and consent form will be sent home
to parents of students within the classrooms being tested to explain the that the dinner program
will provide students access to a free dinner meal. Children do not have to participate all days or
at all if they do not feel it is necessary. A consent form will also be sent home to the parents to
further explain that their child(ren) will be observed for research purposes. Students may
participate in the dinner program without having to be included in the research data.
Classroom teachers will be provided a behavior system to track students throughout the day.
Teachers will track behavior for a one week period prior to the dinner implementation and twoweeks during the implementation of a school dinner program and one week period post
implementation of behavior will be tracked. The behavior system will list a research participation
number that correlates with the name of a student in the class along with a chart to document
any misbehavior and if dinner was or was not picked up that day. Only the classroom teacher
will be given the list with each of the students names and their research participation number.
The behavior tracking system forms will be given back to researchers that include only the
research participation numbers to keep the names of these students anonymous and private.
Researchers will work with each of the teachers to come up with appropriate and inappropriate
behaviors specific to their classroom that correlate to a number 1-10. Lower numbers will
indicate small behavior issues such as talking out of turn or not staying on task. As the number
becomes larger the misbehavior becomes worse such as picking a fight with another student.
Teachers will jot down misbehaviors throughout the day on their chart for the week. The chart
will indicate five time ranges per day. These ranges will include morning/beginning of the day,
between the second hour of school and lunch, lunchtime, between coming back from lunch and
the last hour of the day, and the very end of the day. The teachers will be given strict instruction
on regularly recording misbehaviors during these times to collect the most accurate data. At the
end of the day, students can obtain a ticket with their research number if they would like to pick
up a dinner prior to leaving school for the day. Students who are not involved in data collection
will be given tickets with miscellaneous numbers. Students will drop tickets in a bucket provided
by researchers as they are collecting their dinner. After students have left for the day left over
dinners will be counted. Tickets will be matched with numbers on a dinner collection form to help
correspond dinners picked up with classroom behavior.
Researchers and assistants will meet with each of the teachers to pick-up classroom behavior
documentation at the end of each of the weeks. Meeting with teachers will also allow them to
explain their overall thoughts about the programs effects on student's behaviors in their
classrooms. Tracking behavior may be an extra task for teachers therefore rewarding teachers
who finish the study with gift cards for personal and/or classroom material may keep them more
interested and appreciated for the extra time.

The meals provided for the dinner program will be based off of the National School Lunch
Program requirements. This will help to ensure that all macronutrient and micronutrient needs of
the children are being met. School lunches must meet certain meal patterns as well as nutrition
standards based on the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The meal patterns are used to
increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in school menus. 9 While school
lunches much meet Federal meal requirements, decisions about what specific foods to serve
and how they are prepared are decided by local school food authorities.9An example meal plan
is detailed below:
Sample Menu Plan
Day 1:
Cheese Stuffed Pizza
Sweet Potato Fries

Serving Size
1 Each
2 oz

Green Beans

1/2 cup

Diced Pears
Fat Free Milk

1/2 cup
1 cup

Day 2:
Chicken Tenders
Choice of Condiment
Green Bell Peppers
Lite Ranch Dressing
Applesauce
Fat Free Milk
Day 3:
French Toast
Syrup
Hashbrown Stars
Sausage Links
Orange Wedges
Dragon Punch Juice
Fat Free Milk

3 Piece
1 Each
1 cup
1 Each
1/2 cup
1 cup

1 Piece
1 Each
4 Each
2 Each
1 Orange
4 Fl Oz
1 Cup

Day 4:
Mini Chicken Corn Dogs

6 Each

Broccoli
Baked Beans
Fruit Cocktail
Fat Free Milk

1 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1 cup

Day 5:
Cheese Breadstick
Marinara Sauce
Baby Carrots w/ Lite
Ranch Dressing
Banana
Fat Free Milk

Serving Size
1 Each
2 Tbsp
3/4 cup/ 2 Tbsp
1 Each
1 Cup

Day 6:
Deluxe Hamburger
Baked Beans
Cucumber Slices
Mandarin Oranges
Fat Free Milk

1 Each
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
3/4 cup
1 cup

Day 7:
Fish Stix
Dinner Roll
Margarine
Green Beans
Pineapple Tidbits
Strawberry Cookie
Fat Free Milk

4 Each
1 Each
1 Tbsp
3/4 cup
1 cup
1 Each
1 cup

Day 8:
Beef, Bean, & Cheese
Burrito
Salsa
Corn
Apple Slices
Fat Free Milk

1 Each
1/4 cup
1/2 cup
1 Apple
1 cup

Example Behavior Tracking System:

ID Number

First Hour

Lunch

Last Hour

Statistical Analysis
Analyses of the behavior system and implementation of a National School Dinner Program in
the two elementary schools will be completed using SPSS. Mann-Whitney tests will be used to
evaluate differences in nominal and quantitative discrete variables.
Conclusion
After implementation of a school dinner program we conclude that students involved the
program will benefit from improved nutrition consistency.

Works Cited
1. Toledofoodbank.org. Toledo Food Bank [Internet]. 2015 [cited 3 November 2015]. Available
from: http://www.toledofoodbank.org
2. Feeding America. Child Hunger Fact Sheet [Internet]. 2015 [cited 29 September 2015].
Available from: http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/childhunger/child-hunger-fact-sheet.html
3. [Internet]. 2015 [cited 3 November 2015]. Available from:
http://admin.ohiofoodbanks.org/uploads/news/Hunger_in_Ohio_association_and_promedica.pdf
4. Kidsfoodbasket.org. Kids' Food Basket [Internet]. 2015 [cited 3 November 2015]. Available
from: http://www.kidsfoodbasket.org
5. Jyoti DF, Frongillo EA, Jones SJ. Food insecurity affects school children's academic
performance, weight gain, and social skills. J Nutr 2005 Dec;135(12):2831-2839.
6. Usda.gov. [Online]. Available from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunchprogram-nslp [Accessed 29 September 2015].
7. [Internet]. 2015 [cited 29 September 2015]. Available from:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/pd/sbsummar.pdf
8. Golley R, Baines E, Bassett P, Wood L, Pearce J, Nelson M. School lunch and learning
behaviour in primary schools: an intervention study. European Journal Of Clinical Nutrition
[serial on the Internet]. (2010, Nov), [cited September 29, 2015]; 64(11): 1280-1288.
9. National School Lunch Program [Internet]. 1st ed. Alexandria; 2013 [cited 29 October 2015].
Available from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf

PERSONNEL
Faculty
member
Primary
Professor
Asst.
Professor
Asst.
Professor
Freddie Falcon Grad
Student

Full year
salary

%
effort

Cost

60000

0.15

$9,000.00

60000

0.1

$6,000.00

60000

0.1

18000

0.7

$6,000.00
$12,600.0
0

Total

$33,600.0
0

FRINGE BENEFITS
17% of total personnel

$5,712.00

SUPPLIES
4 cooks @ $240/2
weeks
Microwaveable take home containers w/lids
11@150 from amazon ($74 each)
Plastic cutlery (forks,spoons, knives) 16
@300 pcs - Amazon
Napkins - 4 @400
count - Amazon
Raffle Tickets @2000
count
Country fresh white milk - fat free @39
cases
Cheese Stuffed Pizza
Sweet Potato Fries
Green Beans
Diced Pears
Chicken
Fingers
Green Bell Peppers
Condiments
Lite Ranch Dressing
French Toast
Syrup

$1,920.00
$814.00
$148.64
$32.32
$8.35
$2,120.00
$179.25
$68.90
$81.80
$123.90
$236.00
$64.40
$15.20
$47.40
$97.65
$32.15

Hashbrown
Stars
Sausage
Links
Orange
Wedges
Dragon Punch Juice
Mini Chicken Corn
Dogs
Broccoli
Baked Beans
Fruit Cocktail
Applesauce
Week two menu Items

$171.00
$74.70
$68.40
$131.90
$81.15
$6,000.00

Total Supplies

$12,722.0
1

$42.90
$66.70
$37.10
$58.20

ADMIN
Participant payments (8 x $1,000)
Printing Consent forms, newsletters,
behavior charts

$8,000.00
$250.00

Total Admin

$8,250.00

TRAVEL
1 professor going to 1 conference
1 grad student going to 1
conference
Gas to travel to Toledo,
OH
Total Travel

$1,000.00
$1,000.00
$100.00
$2,100.00

Total Direct
Costs

$62,384.0
1

INDIRECT
COSTS
39% of Direct Costs

$24,329.7
6

Total Funds
Requested

$86,713.7
7

Budget Justification:
Personnel: Partial salaries for a primary professor and two assistant professors will be paid for
out of this grant. A graduate student will also be paid for his time spent evaluating the research.
We propose that 15% of the primary Professor and 10% of the assistant Professor's salaries will
be paid by this grant along with 70% of the graduate student salary. This will come out to a total
of $33,600.00.
Supplies: Our total supply costs comes out to a total of $12,722.01. This will include paying two
cooks at each of the two schools $240.00 per the two weeks that they will be working with
us (four days a week). The take-home containers, cutlery, and napkins will all be shipping from
Amazon.com, which includes free shipping on anything over $35.00. All food items will be
coming from Gordon Food Service for the amount of eights days that we will be serving the
dinners. There is no shipping cost due to us personally picking the items up. The schools we will
be working with have allowed us to use their facilities and equipment free of cost.
Admin: We will be paying each of the teachers of the eight classrooms we are working with
$1,000.00. This will bring us to a total of $8,000.00. We will also be printing off consent forms to
send to parents, newsletters, and behavior charts for the teachers to use. This will cost
$250.00. The overall cost of all admin will equal $8,250.00.
Travel: We will only be sending one Primary Professor and one Graduate Student to one
conference to present the research we have found. This will cost $1,000.00 for each person to
equal $2,000.00. We are also using $100.00 in gas to travel from Bowling Green to Toledo to
pick up the items from Gordon Food Service and also traveling to the schools in Toledo, Ohio
area. This will be a total of $2,100.00.