Basic needs and school belonging

Breakfast Programs and School Food Security

Food programs can reduce immediate barriers to learning and reveal broader material hardship that may require school-community support.

Source: Breakfast Club of Canada

What it does

Provides food access in school settings and helps normalize support without singling out students.

Why it matters

Hunger can be connected to poverty, housing pressure, family instability, and stress.

School takeaway

Food support should connect to broader care pathways when staff notice recurring material hardship.

What remains

Breakfast programs should be treated as one part of a wider prevention ecosystem, not as a standalone homelessness solution.

Related research

Publications

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Teaching and training

Teaching Portfolio

Connect this model to pre-service teacher education and staff training.

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Community partners

Community Partnerships

Connect this model to school-community implementation partners.

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