Children of today are the future of tomorrow. The quote by statesman Frederick Douglass, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”, fully supports the necessity of well-equipped children in our society. No matter the stability of the society in the United States at this moment, today’s children will dictate what will become of our country’s future. With that sense of necessity in raising children to be knowledgeable, respectful citizens comes the question of the role of children’s health in determining the future of an individual child and in return, the future of society. Nutrition and health contribute greatly to the mental and intellectual aspects of a child’s growth, as well as the physical. Unfortunately, over the years, children’s health has been declining as obesity and starvation rates alike have been drastically increasing. To overcome such issues, school lunch programs have been designed to alleviate some outstanding issues. With the development and modifications of these programs, schools in the United States are striving to allow students to obtain the necessary building blocks for the growth and development that will ultimately lead to a better tomorrow. 

Numerous studies have been done to present the connection between nutrition and the academic success of young students. Through extensive research, many institutions, including the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, have determined the negative affects of poor nutrition and hunger on a child’s learning ability. Some things to expect from a child without the proper nutrition include slower memory recall, attention problems, lower test scores, and a higher likelihood to repeat a grade level. Unfortunately, malnutrition does not only come from students not getting enough to eat at home. Rather, the quality of the food they are eating matters as much, if not more, than the quantity of food available to them. In fact, according to the Michigan Nutrition Standards, “American children ages 2-18 are eating 40% of their daily calories from “empty calories,” like sugar sweetened beverages and desserts.” After much research, the Michigan Nutrition Standards was made to ensure that the proper nutritious food and drinks were being offered to children in school. By adopting the Michigan Nutrition Standards, schools can expect students to attain higher test scores, maintain higher academic performance, and develop better behavioral skills (“The Link Between Nutrition and Academic Achievement”). Michigan is just one of the many states beginning to discover the connection between academic success and food consumption. Schools all throughout the United States have been developing their own standards and modifications regarding meals being served in schools.  In addition, people at all levels of government also recognize the need for change. 

“Increasing access to nutrition assistance for our most vulnerable populations is a top priority of the Obama administration and essential if we are going to win the future," said Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. "Our partners at the federal, state and local levels are key to our efforts to reduce hunger, promote program access, and improve the overall health and nutrition of families across the country” (USDA Office of Communications).

With the link between academic success and nutritional health becoming so blatantly obvious over the years, school boards along with the government have realized the need for improving school lunch programs. How can one expect a student to be engaged and participating in learning if they are starving? How can they worry about finishing their homework when they are busy wondering if they will receive food at home? With that being said, offering nutritious meals to students can greatly increase the outcome of learning within a school. Luckily, children’s well-being has become a pressing passion among our society and government, allowing politicians and other powerful members of society to make lasting changes within schools. 

Improving child nutrition is also the focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signed into law by President Obama in December 2010. The legislation reauthorized the National School Lunch Program and USDA's other child nutrition programs. The Act allows USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to school meals and increase access to these critical programs (USDA Office of Communications).

In an attempt to make further positive impacts on children’s health and, as a result, positive changes within schools, numerous initiatives have been made by politicians, including First Lady Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama has made great changes regarding the nutritional value of school lunches by increasing whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and restricting calories, fat, and sodium. These changes have led to the development of a new vision for how food is prepared and served and its influence on the health and performance of the children (McKnelly).

Closely linked to nutrition, obesity is a great problem being faced by millions of United States men, women, and especially children. Michelle Obama’s passion to eliminate childhood obesity has been reflected within schools, both directly and indirectly. In addition to her suggested improvements to the meals being served, Michelle Obama is very supportive of the efforts being made within our schools. 

Educators see firsthand the impact that childhood obesity has on our children's lives -not just on their physical and emotional health, but on their academic success as well. That's why our nation's educators have been leaders in this movement to end the epidemic ofchildhood obesity in America," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "Today, we're not just thanking these educators, but encouraging them to continue that leadership, to reach out and help other schools by sharing good ideas and best practices, and encouraging and inspiring each other. The HealthierUS Schools Competition is a competition every school in America can win. And when our schools win, our kids win and our country wins (USDA Office of Communications). 

The First Lady has also supported general healthy lifestyles for children by developing “Let’s Move!”, a powerful initiative to encourage active lives for children around the world. Although Michelle Obama’s power within school systems resides mostly in the nutritional value of meals being served to children, her “Let’s Move!” initiative is just as easily spread by the children themselves. “Let’s Move!” is presented to children in a fun, energetic manner that makes the children want to be active and move around with friends while enjoying some healthy competition (USDA Office of Communications).

In addition to direct academic benefits resulting from proper nutrition, child behavior is also significantly impacted by the nutrition of the child. A child’s behavior in their early years is crucial in the development of a future citizen of this society. Students with behavioral issues in elementary school are much more likely to develop long-term behavioral issues that can greatly affect their future self. Enforcing the consumption of the proper nutrients is the first step in ensuring good behavior for children. In fact, many specific vitamins and minerals found in nutrient-rich foods are crucial in the development of the young brain. 

Nutritional deficiencies in zinc, B vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids and protein have been shown to affect the cognitive development of children. There is also evidence to suggest that diets with high amounts of trans and saturated fats can have a negative impact on cognition. This will harm the ability of students to learn at a pace necessary for school success. Scientists have also established a link between student behavior and nutrition. Access to proper nutrition can help students maintain psychosocial well-being and reduce aggression. This can have a positive effect on students by avoiding discipline and school suspension (Duverge).

With all the statistics and studies presenting the positive affects of healthy school lunches,  an obvious question is “What has been keeping schools from improving meals thus far?”. Unfortunately, there are numerous factors inhibiting school lunch programs from developing into the most beneficial programs they could be. Financial status, uninterested students, and disagreeable parents all contribute greatly to the relative success of school lunch programs around the world. The cost of healthy food is generally much higher than most processed, high-calorie snacks in the United States therefore making the purchasing of healthy foods in mass quantities extremely difficult for schools that are lacking in funds. It is generally known that many schools around the world are in a tight financial situation and have been forced to make various cutbacks over the years. This economic decline has made it very challenging for school boards to be one hundred percent on board with increasing the budget used for providing school meals. With this important impediment, even though they have made progress, schools are still struggling to improve their lunch programs as well as they should.

Researchers agree that the nutritional value of subsidized school meals has improved over the last decade; in fact, school lunches are often more nutritious than those brought from home or from private vendors, primarily because they serve milk instead of sugared drinks (Gordon et al., 2007). Still, these meals are too high in saturated fat and too low in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—all products that are relatively expensive to provide (Ascd).

In addition to not being able to provide the proper nutrition to students, some schools have had to cut back on the number of meals being provided. The reality is that although most public schools provide lunch for their students, fewer and fewer schools are offering breakfast and snacks for students in after school programs. This has a huge impact on the lives of children around the United States due to the previously stated economic decline affecting not only the schools finances, but also families’ incomes. Children in today’s society are at high risk for missing meals at home, making school meals fundamental to their growth and development (Ascd). 

Another key factor contributing to the resistance of improving school lunches is the general uninterested attitudes of the children within schools. Schools and the government find it extremely frustrating to revise budgets and pay more money for nutrient-rich food to later find the trash cans piling up with uneaten food. The Student Nutrition Association stated that seventy percent of school meal programs have taken a significant financial hit since the new rules went into effect and cafeteria operators from across the United States have reported an increasing amount of food waste and declining participation in school funded meals (Stier). While many schools use these negative factors as justification to return to their old ways of serving junk food and processed snacks, some schools have begun to develop their own structure and plans that, hopefully, will soon be replicated around the world. One school in Minneapolis, for example, did not give up the fight for healthy meals. The school is phasing out processed food all together, in favor of meals made from scratch, prepared in a full kitchen. Also, in order to add some creative fun into the mix, the school created a competition for developing cafeteria recipes to allow the students to be actively involved in the meals they are eating. Having a sense of control regarding the food the students are eating allows them to want to participate and eat the nutritious food being served. Additionally, this competition allows students to become more educated about nutrition. One of the main causes of eating disorders and obesity is the relative cluelessness that millions of people in the United States have about what they are consuming (Murphy).

A final area of restriction in the development of school lunches is parent involvement. Just as many children are clueless about the food they are consuming, adults can be just as unaware of the negative aspects of certain foods. Parents who feel the need to be in complete control of their child’s life may be unsupportive of the changes being made to children’s diets within schools. Similarly, many parents allow children to determine what is put in their lunch boxes, usually being a variety of processed snacks and sugary drinks. This is not to blame the parents because many people are still completely in the dark about what is being put into the food they are consuming. Studies are constantly being done to determine health-deteriorating elements in food and drinks including the recent discovery of the link between aspartame, a common artificial sweetener, and disease (“Aspartame”). Also, very few parents have actually eaten a school lunch within the past year and receive their information solely from their child. As you may or may not know, children have the tendency to exaggerate their information, therefore making the information parents receive about what their children are eating very inaccurate. In fact, Buzz Feed created a video of a few parents being able to see and taste the food that children once ate in school before the recent changes were made. Their reactions supported the claim that parents are unaware of the food provided to their children. Each parent presented their utter disgust in the food being served to them at that time and were appalled that their children have been forced to eat such poorly made meals (BuzzFeedVideo).

Although there are many impeding factors that makes improving school lunches more difficult, still, educators and other members of the community can take action. Teachers and principals can urge their district leaders to press for higher national reimbursement rates and work together to provide the best care for the students around them. 

School leaders can also arrange to serve school breakfast during the regular school day, identify students who may be receiving insufficient food and connect their families to local resources, help food service managers and cooks create meals that are both nutritious and appealing, reduce the number of or eliminate school vending machines, and encourage parents to sign up for meal programs (Ascd).

As the recession and further economic struggles further develop, help from society is a necessity in maintaining the best health and care for children in the United States.

In conclusion, with the recent research conducted across the United States over the past years, it is clearly presented that children’s nutrition can greatly affect the behavior and academic success of students. Young children, being at a crucial age for development, must be granted the best care and health so that they can develop learning habits and positive attitudes that will help determine their futures. Furthermore, if nutrition has such a great affect on school performance, schools should be extremely attentive to and ready to provide for students’ needs. Although many factors remain in play to slow the development and improvement of the school lunch programs in the United States, the desires of politicians, teachers, and other members of society to help our children, have shown to outweigh these negative aspects. Over the years, schools have begun implementing nutrient-rich food and beverages and have also encouraged activity as an important part of children’s lives. As children are now identifying the importance of their own health and wellness, eating healthy is becoming a positive, happy part of their lives. If these developments continue to follow the path they are currently on, childhood obesity rates will rapidly decrease and starvation rates will improve as well. Furthermore, as childhood obesity ceases to exist, adulthood obesity is likely to copy the trend. Ultimately, these improvements will prepare children to lead better lifestyles and give them a sense of responsibility that will allow them to serve as active, helpful members of society in the future. 
