MP2: Food Service funding in Washington State Elementary Schools
Former President of the United States John F. Kennedy once said, “Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” However, what happens when we don’t nurture the future of America? When we let boys and girls fall trap to believing that coming from a low income area means their futures are bleak? In order to cultivate inspiring and change-seeking innovators for our future, we must care for their development. 1 in 5 children in Washington State suffer from malnutrition, a lack of proper nutrition proven to cause disease, mental health problems, stunted development (Unknown. Unicef. Undernutrition. data.unicef.org). 71% of elementary school students …show more content…
The most rapid period of development in the brain occurs between the ages of 3 and 8, the years students are enrolled in elementary school. A proper balance of nutrients during this time is essential to normal brain development. As stated previously, if malnourished, students may suffer from many consequences including mental health disorders, chronic disease, and cognitive difficulties leading to limited learning potential. Food insecurity is described as the state of being without reliable access to enough food. The Urban Child Institute reports children that experience food insecurity are 76% more likely to experience cognitive, language, and behavioral development issues (Unknown. The Urban Child Institute. Nutrition and Early Brain Development. Theurbanchildinstitute.org). The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reports the mean test scores per school district each year. Mercer Island tested 81.96% better in math, 86.84% better in science, and a whopping 142.08% better in reading and writing than Othello school district. We come from a country that tells children that just because you come from a low-income area doesn’t mean you stay in that environment if you don’t want to. We claim to help children break out of the pattern of poverty that may plague their family by providing government programs and financial aid to those who need it. If that is true, how do we explain the utter lack of acknowledgement of the oxymoronic nature of the disbursement of funds throughout Washington Public Schools? Students from poverty struck areas should receive further financial support but in reality are receiving significantly less than those who don’t need it. We set students from low-income areas up for failure when we don’t provide them with enough nutrition to nourish their brains to the point of even “normal” development. What the funding deficit between
Former President of the United States John F. Kennedy once said, “Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” However, what happens when we don’t nurture the future of America? When we let boys and girls fall trap to believing that coming from a low income area means their futures are bleak? In order to cultivate inspiring and change-seeking innovators for our future, we must care for their development. 1 in 5 children in Washington State suffer from malnutrition, a lack of proper nutrition proven to cause disease, mental health problems, stunted development (Unknown. Unicef. Undernutrition. data.unicef.org). 71% of elementary school students …show more content…
The most rapid period of development in the brain occurs between the ages of 3 and 8, the years students are enrolled in elementary school. A proper balance of nutrients during this time is essential to normal brain development. As stated previously, if malnourished, students may suffer from many consequences including mental health disorders, chronic disease, and cognitive difficulties leading to limited learning potential. Food insecurity is described as the state of being without reliable access to enough food. The Urban Child Institute reports children that experience food insecurity are 76% more likely to experience cognitive, language, and behavioral development issues (Unknown. The Urban Child Institute. Nutrition and Early Brain Development. Theurbanchildinstitute.org). The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reports the mean test scores per school district each year. Mercer Island tested 81.96% better in math, 86.84% better in science, and a whopping 142.08% better in reading and writing than Othello school district. We come from a country that tells children that just because you come from a low-income area doesn’t mean you stay in that environment if you don’t want to. We claim to help children break out of the pattern of poverty that may plague their family by providing government programs and financial aid to those who need it. If that is true, how do we explain the utter lack of acknowledgement of the oxymoronic nature of the disbursement of funds throughout Washington Public Schools? Students from poverty struck areas should receive further financial support but in reality are receiving significantly less than those who don’t need it. We set students from low-income areas up for failure when we don’t provide them with enough nutrition to nourish their brains to the point of even “normal” development. What the funding deficit between