Programs that provide economically disadvantaged children with food to take home and prepare on the weekends, often referred to as “BackPack” programs, have grown dramatically in recent years. In addition to providing children who are food insecure with nutritious meals, a new study for the first time shows these programs positively impact educational outcomes.
The study, “Weekend feeding (“BackPack”) programs and student outcomes,” provides the first evidence of the causal effects of weekend feeding programs on academic performance in the form of increased reading test scores and suggestive evidence that the programs also raise math scores. These effects appear strongest for the youngest and lowest performing students.
Published in the journal, Economics of Education Review, the study is authored by Mica Kurtz, assistant professor of economics at Lycoming College and a former Ph.D. student at Paul College, and Karen Smith Conway, John A. Hogan Distinguished Professor of Economics, and Robert Mohr, associate professor of economics.
Read the full news story at UNH Today: https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2021/04/weekend-feeding-programs-can-boost-childrens-educational-outcomes
View Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775720305264
