The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946. Since its inception, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has become an important part of the educational system. With the increase in research that provided a correlation between nutrition and student performance, the program was later expanded to include the School Breakfast Program. The programs offer meal reimbursement on an income-based sliding scale for public and non-public school students.
School Breakfast Program (SBP)
On October 11,
1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. The
Act established the School Breakfast Program (SBP). The SBP is a federally
assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free
breakfasts to children in public and nonprofit private schools and residential
child care institutions. President Johnson remarked during the signing of the
Child Nutrition Act of 1966, “good nutrition is essential to good learning.”
Appropriately, this Act was signed during National School Lunch Week. The SBP
is celebrated annually during National School Breakfast Week.
“In accordance with Federal Law and U.S.
Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from
discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or
disability. To file a complaint of discrimination,
write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W,