Studies have shown feeding children a nutritious breakfast increases their school performance, nutrition intake and overall health while decreasing obesity, discipline problems and illnesses. Financially, adding a school breakfast program creates an additional revenue stream, increases jobs and brings outside capital into a community.
Expanding Breakfast Options – 100 Percent Participation
100 percent participation can be reached by changing expectations. Instead of assuming children will eat breakfast at home, some schools expect and encourage children to eat together at school, just as they do for lunch. Options include:
- Breakfast in the Classroom – All students eat together in the classroom, eliminating the stigma of breakfast. By expanding breakfast to encompass more students, districts also reap the benefits of additional federal dollars in reimbursement.
- Second Chance Breakfast – This option works best for middle and high schools. Breakfast lines can be opened during passing periods or schools can set aside homeroom time for breakfast service to the classrooms.
- Grab 'n' Go Breakfast – Provides convenient meal option in single, attractive packaging. Students can take their meals to eat in the classroom or throughout the campus.
- Universal Free Breakfast – A universally free breakfast program offers breakfast to all students at no cost, assuming that federal and state reimbursements will cover every student’s meal expense. Schools with a high free and reduced population may benefit financially from serving a universally free breakfast.
How to get started
Dairy MAX has a variety of resources available to schools to implement new breakfast options. Our school nutrition experts are available to assist your district in developing these new programs and providing seed money in the form of grants to get the program off the ground. If you are interested in expanding breakfast at your school in Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico, click here to complete an information request form.