February 28, 2014
Better Breakfast, Better Day
You've likely heard the adage, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." This is true for kids and adults alike, but a nutritious morning meal is especially important for busy, growing students.
As we celebrate National School Breakfast Week, Healthier Generation would like to recognize the many schools and school nutrition professionals across the country that are making breakfast a priority and delivering healthy and nutritious meals each morning so their students can start the day ready to learn. These school communities show us that when we work together, healthy changes are possible and the rewards are rich!
So, how do they do it?
-
An early school start time and a tight bell schedule resulted in low participation in the school breakfast program in Mingo County, WV. To ensure more kids started the day with breakfast, the nutrition staff decided to move breakfast from before school to after first period. As a result, more students participated in school breakfast, overall student attendance increased, and teachers reported fewer behavioral issues in the classroom.
- Florida’s Palm Beach County school district leaders made breakfast free for ALL students. Now, everyone can enjoy a morning meal, which means every student starts the day ready to learn.
- Wayne County High School in Monicello, KY created a Grab 'n Go express breakfast kiosk and added a “second chance” option for students who aren't ready to eat first thing in the morning. With these changes, school breakfast participation soared from 35 to 70 percent!