In early 1994, Central Falls, Rhode Island's Kids First, a collaborative partnership between the Central Falls School Department and local community leaders, launched a pilot universally-free school breakfast program (UF-SBP) called "Operation Breakfast." One of the goals of Operation Breakfast was to improve SBP participation; school breakfast was made available to all children in the school district free of charge. A "rapid assessment" evaluation was conducted. The evaluation was designed to determine within a short period of time, using limited resources, and with minimum disruption of school activities and routines, how Operation Breakfast affected program participation and children's preparedness for school. Major findings of this evaluation were: (1) UF-SBP leads to significant increases in breakfast program participation; (2) UF-SBP increases participation most among nutritionally vulnerable and impoverished students; (3) UF-SBP led to significantly lower rates of tardiness and absence among participants; (4) fewer children entered their classrooms without having eaten any breakfast; (5) the breakfasts eaten by children who participate in the SBP consist of more nutritious foods and foods that are lower in fat and sugar content than breakfast foods eaten by non-participants; and (6) nutrient intakes of children in Central Falls schools who participate in the SBP are significantly better than the nutrient intakes of children who do not participate in the SBP. (An appendix details the study's methodology.) (EV)