With good nutrition, kids are healthier, happier, and better learners. But in a classroom of 24 students, four, on average, may not get enough to eat. The NEA Foundation, working with Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, supports public school districts working to ensure that all students start their day nourished and ready to learn.
Some 12.9 million American children – about one in six – lived in households that struggled to put food on the table in 2016, according to USDA research. These children come to school hungry, and it’s a long time before lunch.
Though many students can get breakfast through federally funded school programs, on average only about half of the children who are eligible for the free or reduced-price breakfast actually take part in it.
The Importance of Partnerships
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“It adds to the family feel of the classroom. We all sit down; we eat together, the kids help clean up. They take care of each other.”
Debra Hufschmitt
Sedgefield Elementary School, Guilford, NC -
“Breakfast makes me think better.”
Daniel
Student at Cochran Elementary School, Louisville, KY -
“I can’t say enough about how the Breakfast in the Classroom program has positively impacted student and school climate. ”
Michael Diggins
Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Alexandria, VA
Benefits
There are many academic benefits of Breakfast in the Classroom:
- improved classroom performance
- reduced tardiness and absenteeism
- fewer visits to the nurse or principal’s office
Studies show that children who do not eat breakfast are at an academic disadvantage. They have slower memory recall, make more errors, and are more likely to repeat a grade. But most importantly, through breakfast in the classroom programs, children who were hungry now have fresh, healthy food to eat.
Partners
The NEA Foundation is proud to work with the Food Research & Action Center, the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, and the School Nutrition Foundation as Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom. Together, the Partners ensure that more public school districts across the country can serve breakfast in their classrooms.
For more information and to apply for a Breakfast in the Classroom grant visit: www.breakfastintheclassroom.org.
Breakfast in the Classroom News
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The Livingstone Parish News | October 26, 2017
Breakfast participation skyrockets at North Corbin Junior High, Walker Elementary as students enjoy “Breakfast in the Classroom”MOVE PEOPLE Podcast | October 24, 2017
Ep. 60: MOVE PEOPLE with NutritionThe Advocate | October 22, 2017
Livingston Parish doubles participation in school breakfast by moving food out of the cafeteriaKXAN-TV | September 26, 2017
AISD Expands Free Breakfast for StudentsBeyond Breakfast | September 20, 2017
Building Community at Langford Elementary with Breakfast-in-the-ClassroomAmy Harrison | PBS Teachers Lounge | Aug. 28, 2017
Food for Thought: Breakfast from Cafeteria to ClassroomBeyond Breakfast | June 16, 2017
Increase school breakfast participation in Nebraska with a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grantBeyond Breakfast | June 16, 2017
Increase access to school breakfast in North Carolina with a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grantBeyond Breakfast | June 13, 2017
Increase access to school breakfast in Missouri with a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grantBeyond Breakfast | May 30, 2017
Scratch cooking, banana bread, and Breakfast-in-the-Classroom: Charleston County School District, South CarolinaBeyond Breakfast | May 7, 2017
Bringing breakfast to the classroom in IdahoAndrea Honaker | Macon Telegraph | Apr. 27, 2017
This ‘essential ingredient’ helps fuel students’ learning, even during the summerBeyond Breakfast | Apr. 26, 2017
Make school breakfast work in Utah with a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grantBeyond Breakfast | Apr. 11, 2017
Increase school breakfast participation in Mississippi with a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grantEllen Ciurczak | Hattiesburg Amercian | Apr. 4, 2017
Efforts underway to get kids to eat school breakfastBeyond Breakfast | Apr. 4, 2017
Increase school breakfast participation in Louisiana with a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grantJeff Smith | Scottsbluff Star Herald | Nov. 29, 2016
New option available for Nebraska schools in breakfast programSupport The NEA Foundation
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