Teachers increasingly worried about childhood hunger, survey finds
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Teachers across the country are growing increasingly worried about childhood hunger, with three-quarters reporting students come to school hungry, a nationally representative survey of U.S. teachers found.
Why it matters: Around 900,000 students in North Carolina were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023, or around 63% of students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Driving the news: Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal food assistance program serving more than 41 million Americans, could exacerbate an already dire issue, experts say.
- Around 40% of SNAP benefits go to children, per USDA data.
- The USDA has also cut funding for its Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which has impacted local schools and food banks, The News & Observer reported.
By the numbers: Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) of teachers said they were concerned about food insecurity in the communities where they teach, per a survey of 1,000 K-12 public school teachers.
- It was commissioned by meal kit provider HelloFresh in partnership with No Kid Hungry, a campaign focused on ending childhood hunger.
- About three-quarters (74%) of teachers said they see students come to school hungry at least monthly, per the survey.
- About six in 10 teachers (61%) reported knowing firsthand that their students are experiencing hunger.