Issued Quarterly

December 2003

Stillwater-- Students use the words “awesome” to describe almost anything – but the impact of school breakfast is truly awesome!  Its positive effects are being proven over and over again with principals, teachers, foodservice staff, parents, and even students.

Breakfast Counts

The undeniable benefits of school breakfast include:

• Children’s nutrition is improved – school breakfast provides one-fourth or more of the nutrients needed per day
• Test scores improve
• Readiness to learn is enhanced
• Behavior problems diminish
• Absenteeism and tardiness decrease

How to Grow Breakfast Participation

Serving more children breakfast significantly contributes to a healthy school environment and can help all children meet their nutritional requirements and enhance good health and learning.  But even though we know that school breakfast is important for the benefits it provides – how do we increase participation?  A key way is through alternative breakfast service.  Participation soars when breakfast is offered via Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab ‘N’ Go Breakfast or Breakfast After 1^st Period.  Here’s a peek at what those alternative methods are and some endorsements by schools that have implemented them.

Breakfast in the Classroom

Breakfast in the Classroom provides a nutritious meal to students who do not have time to eat breakfast before school.  Not only does this alternate serving method increase participation in the school breakfast program, children can look forward to a good, nutritious breakfast served in the comfort of the familiar surroundings of their classroom.

Durant Public Schools started a Breakfast in the Classroom program this fall, and immediately witnessed a 71 percent decrease in tardiness.  According to Bobby Green, Child Nutrition Director of Durant Public Schools/Aramark, when the class eats together, more kids are willing to eat breakfast, and everyone gets milk and either fruit or juice with their meal.

“The most important thing a district can do before starting a Breakfast in the Classroom program is to get everyone (administrators, school board members, teachers, parents and students) involved in the process,” he said.  “The kids help plan the menus and learn responsibility from picking up after themselves after they eat; and the parents have been 100 percent supportive of our program.”

Another success story is Muskogee Public Schools, where Breakfast In the Classroom was also implemented this fall.  Before starting the program, Kim Shelton, the School Food Service Director for the district, was concerned that a number of children were not eating a nutritious breakfast at home or school, and that these children spent each morning trying to learn on an empty stomach.  Since instituting Breakfast in the Classroom, breakfast participation jumped to nearly 92 percent at one school and to 95 percent at the other.

Children are drinking more milk as well.  Every child receives milk with breakfast, and since more children are eating school breakfast, that means more of them are getting the calcium and other nutrients milk provides.

Grab ‘n’ Go Breakfast

Grab ‘n’ Go Breakfast offers students a convenient and flexible way to enjoy the most important meal of the day.  A bagged breakfast can be enjoyed on the go, during break or during first period.  Secondary students especially like Grab ‘n’ Go for the flexibility and choices it provides.  In addition to the benefits the students receive, this serving method takes less time for school foodservice personnel to prepare when compared to traditional breakfast meals and also decreases long lines.

Sharon McCulloch of the Lebanon, Missouri school district started a Grab ‘n’ Go breakfast at the high school last fall. Prior to that time, there was no school breakfast available to high school students, and many of them went immediately to the soda vending machines upon arriving at school. Since students gathered in the commons area before the first bell rang, McCulloch decided to take breakfast to them where they congregated and arranged to have the soda vending machines turned off before school. Students can now pick up a nutritious and good-tasting packaged breakfast on their way into the commons area, and McCulloch keeps them interested by providing several choices every day. 

Breakfast After 1^st Period

Breakfast served following the first instructional period provides students a nutrition break as they move through the hall to their next class.   A mid-morning breakfast gives students a nutritious choice versus vending machine items and encourages them to make breakfast part of their daily routine. A number of schools have surveyed high school students and found that many say they are not hungry until about 8:30 or 9:00; breakfast at this time provides them with the energy they need to make it until lunch time.

Expanding Breakfast = Success

There’s no greater teacher than experience. Programs expanding breakfast through alternative serving methods have been successful for administrators, teachers, foodservice, parents and students.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern throughout the nation as well as Oklahoma. The Action for Healthy Oklahoma Kids (AHOK) state team is working to create change in the state of Oklahoma. AHOK seeks to promote healthy students by supporting good nutrition and physical activity in Oklahoma schools as part of a total learning environment. Members represent a variety of health, education, fitness and nutrition organizations throughout the state. AHOK will address the fundamental need to incorporate nutrition and physical education within the school environment. The team supports a broad media campaign, public education, and the development of a pilot program among selected Oklahoma elementary schools. For more information on this national initiative, or to join your state team, visit http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/.

Submitted by:

Stephany Parker, Ph.D.
CNEP Nutrition Asst. Specialist

OSU, 104 HES, Room 333h

Stillwater, OK 74078 405-744-6283

405-744-6283   Email: spp@okstate.edu

Prepared by:

Action for Healthy Oklahoma Kids State Team