Significance of food in an educational setting

This is a literature review that focuses on understanding the significance of providing food in educational settings. It focuses on the current school meal programs available in Canada and compares these programs to programs in school food programs in the United States, Finland, and Japan. I discovered that many countries have federal government funding for school meal programs. Canada does not. I researched global and world food programs; government and nongovernment and corporate sponsored. I also studied grassroots school food programs operated by volunteers who see a need for school meal programs and must fundraise and submit successful grant applications to be able to operate. I explore the various reasons for implementing school feeding programs, what makes them effective and what is problematic. I then highlight what I theorize is a significant factor that is overlooked or underexplored in the literature, the potential for school feeding programs to increase school connectedness. School connectedness is defined as “an academic environment in which students believe that adults in the school care about their learning and about them as individuals” (Blum, 2005, n.p.). This leads to higher levels of emotional wellbeing and accelerated academic success (McNeely, Nonnemaker, & Blum, 2002; Klinger, Mills, & Chapman, 2007). I argue that providing students with food during the school day contribute to an environment of caring that enhances connectedness.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofUnreviewedGraduat