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Ozarks Technical Community College will provide free breakfast for all students regardless of financial need starting this fall.
The Missouri college piloted “Eagle Breakfast” at its Springfield campus in January 2021 but will now expand the initiative to all six of its campuses. During the 2021 spring semester, 635 students participated in Eagle Breakfast, including 231 Pell Grant recipients and 45 military veterans.
The institution found that students who took advantage of the program received better grades on midterm and final exams. About 89 percent of Eagle Breakfast participants finished their spring classes, compared to 83 percent of their peers who did not participate in the free breakfast program, and 78 percent of Eagle Breakfast participants got a C or higher in all of their courses, compared to 73 percent of their classmates who did not participate.
“Many of our students are awake before the sun to make it to class, and they don’t have time to eat anything,” Joan Barrett, vice chancellor for student affairs, said in a news release. “If something as simple as a breakfast sandwich and a bottle of juice can help our students succeed, I’d say that’s a program worth keeping.”
Ozarks Technical Community College will use leftover funds from events canceled because of the pandemic and federal COVID-19 relief funding to launch the new breakfast offerings, KY3 reported.
