Toronto Foundation For Student Success: Free Breakfast

Catherine Parsonage Dept: A child isn t going to be focused on that math problem if he s hungry, said Catherine Parsonage, the executive director and CEO of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, the board s charitable arm. We know that as parents ... that s why we chase our kids to eat breakfast. And kids in priority neighbourhoods need that extra bit of help. , according to Globe and Mail. After participating in the program, 82 per cent of the children said having the breakfast kept them from feeling hungry, while 70 per cent said it boosted their energy levels and 66 per cent said it helped the family save money and the TDSB project followed 6,000 Toronto students in four middle schools and three secondary schools in 2008 and 2009 where a free breakfast was offered before or during first period and the results are positive. About 78 per cent of high school students who ate the breakfast on most days were on track for graduation, compared with 61 per cent of students who ate it only on a few days or not at all. Similar data have been collected in the United States, but this is the first Canadian study of its kind. The TDSB launched the program in 2008 in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood schools after an internal student census showed that 51 per cent of elementary students and 68 per cent of high school students came to school without eating breakfast. The neighbourhood has elevated rates of poverty, immigration and violence as well as several health challenges such as diabetes and poor nutrition. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.