Did you know that the simple act of eating school breakfast can play a
significant role in determining student success?
Evidence shows that children, especially low income children, will enjoy
better health and will perform better in school if they have access to a healthy
breakfast. Research shows that breakfast plays a significant role in shaping the
learning environment, and can lead to improved academic achievement in math,
vocabulary and standardized tests. Children who eat breakfast at school also
have lower rates of absence and tardiness and exhibit decreased behavioral and
psychological problems. Eating breakfast regularly can also improve a child’s
diet and may reduce the risk of obesity. Bottom line: more kids eating breakfast
equals a better learning environment for kids and a better teaching environment
for educators and school staff.
NEA HIN has learned that the most reliable way to increase participation in
breakfast at school is through a service model called breakfast in the
classroom. In this model, food is delivered directly to the classroom each
morning, and students eat with their peers in the classroom after the start of
the school day. This model is proven to increase participation in the School
Breakfast Program because it helps reduce barriers to breakfast participation
such as bus/carpool schedules, pressure to go directly to the classroom upon
arrival at school and the social stigma that “only poor kids” eat breakfast in
the cafeteria.
With this knowledge in mind, earlier this year NEA HIN participated in a one
year pilot project to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program by
helping five school districts implement breakfast in the classroom programs. The
project was carried out by Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a consortium
of four national partners including NEA Health Information Network, Food
Research and Action Center, School Nutrition Foundation, and National
Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, and was funded by a
$3.15 million grant from the Walmart Foundation. As part of the project, the
Partners chose five school districts based on need and potential for success to
participate in Breakfast in the Classroom, including: Dallas Independent School
District, Texas; Little Rock School District, Arkansas; Memphis City Schools,
Tennessee; Orange County Public Schools, Florida (including Orlando); and Prince
George’s County Public Schools, Maryland (outside of Washington, DC).
After a lot of hard work from the school districts and local stakeholders,
the project turned out to be a great success! A total of 64 schools implemented
breakfast in the classroom, leading to an additional 10,463 students eating
breakfast each day in the five participating school districts. In Fall 2011,
that number increased even more, with an additional 19 schools rolling out the
breakfast in the classroom program. For more information about the project,
visit www.breakfastintheclassroom.org.
To build on the success of the pilot project, over the past few months NEA
HIN staff have been working to spread the word about the success of the Partners
for Breakfast in the Classroom pilot project and encourage more local and state
NEA leaders to support of the breakfast in the classroom in their districts. So
far we’ve received a great response from our state and local leaders, and are
hoping to get even more NEA members and leaders involved. If you think your NEA
local or state leader might be interested in supporting breakfast in the
classroom at your school, visit the breakfast in the classroom
section of the NEA HIN website for more information, and then contact me directly for more information. We
look forward to hearing from you!
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