It’s National School Breakfast Week
A week-long celebration that occurs the week of March 2nd-6th, however, The School Nutrition Association encourages schools to celebrate anytime. The National School Breakfast Program was made permanent in 1975 by Congress and assists with meal preparation and operation in public and nonprofit private schools serving over 14 million children every day.
This program operates in the same federal manner as the National School Lunch Program. Schools that choose to take part in these programs receive funding subsidies for offering this kind of service. In return, schools across the country MUST offer both free and reduced-priced breakfast for eligible children, whose families’ income falls at or below the poverty line.
As with any other program governed by the federal government, there are nutritional requirements that must be met in order to continue to receive funding. The meal plans follow MyPlate, a program introduced by Michelle Obama, which supports building lifelong healthy eating patterns. Guidelines for this new food program monitor sodium levels, calories, saturated fats, and trans fats. One important goal is to look ahead and be proactive in preventing childhood diabetes.
Why should kids participate in NSBW?
According to the School Nutrition Association, their conclusive studies show that children who eat breakfast at school are much more likely to:
- Score higher on academic and standardized testing
- Be more alert and have longer periods of focus and concentration
- Maintain a healthy weight and snack less
- Reach higher levels of achievement in both reading and math
Simply just recognizing National School Breakfast Week in your own school has been shown to:
- Dramatically increase student participation at breakfast
- Raise awareness to parents and the community that you are serving a healthy and nutritionally dense meal at school, and that many children will receive this benefit at a free or reduced rate
- Earn media coverage for raising awareness of the importance of nutrition in schools and equitable access to it
This year’s space theme is School Breakfast Out of This World, and their mission continues to get more children involved in eating breakfast at school, getting to eat with a community of their peers, and recommended nutrition. With a current number of 14 million children being served breakfast at school every day, the ambitious goal of the School Nutrition Association continues to be to strive to get more children fed during National School Breakfast Week and continue their enrollment in this high-importance initiative. Click this link to find out how the Round Rock School district is celebrating this important week.
No child should ever be left behind, nor should they go hungry!
