Smarter Breakfast Choices Thinking out of the box to find the right service style for your district Dawn Fronius, CN Specialist The Core Group- Pittsburgh

Breakfast video Double click to view video

Is it time to move away from the traditional breakfast style? While schools typically serve breakfast before school starts, many students may miss this opportunity to eat breakfast for a variety of reasons, such as tight morning arrival times and the social stigma attached to the traditional school breakfast program. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as many as 12 percent of school-aged children skip breakfast. So why not consider going where the students are instead of them coming to you.

Why breakfast is important? The school breakfast program uniquely positions school districts to be an essential part of the solution to bolster student nutrition, alleviate hunger, and improve learning environments thereby supporting students’ health and academic achievement. Open discussion on why we should entice our students to eat breakfast Photo from Pinterest

Proven Fact on the importance of eating breakfast at school Children who eat breakfast are more likely to behave better in school and get along with their peers than those who don’t Breakfast helps children pay attention, perform problem-solving task, and improves memory Children who eat school breakfast are likely to have fewer absences and incidents or tardiness than those who do not Eating breakfast can help improve math, reading and standardized test scores Schools that provide breakfast in classroom to all students have shown decreases in tardiness and suspensions as well as improved student behavior and attentiveness

Nudges that will help students choose school breakfast Make it more convenient and accessible Make it look delicious Make it appealing to the age group being served Give them choices Create an appealing and inviting environment

Think out of the box- escape the cafeteria Any of the following models are great ways to make sure that all students start the day with a good meal BREAKFAST IN THE CLASSROOM Breakfast is delivered to each classroom before the bell rings and students eat at their desk in 10 – 12 minutes while attendance, announcements, or daily exercises are completed GRAB ‘N’ GO BREAKFAST Serving carts are located throughout the school or near entrances for easy student access to ‘Grab’ and take into the class room BREAKFAST ON THE BUS A grab ‘n’ go breakfast is offered to students as they load the bus. ( Check with the your State Agency to see if this is acceptable in your state BREAKFAST AFTER 1ST PERIOD OR SECOND CHANCE BREAKFAST These provide serving alternatives for secondary students who are more likely to eat later in the morning

Traditional ( We all know this style and why we are stuck ) School buses arrive in a timely fashion and early enough so that participating students can be served their breakfast and eat them without feeling rushed The cafeteria is available and conveniently located There is a high demand for hot foods at breakfast The school’s counting and claiming apparatus does not support alternative service methods

Traditional line

Breakfast after first period This model is also called a nutrition break or second chance breakfast, as the name implies students eat breakfast during a mid morning break. Reimbursable breakfast are individually packaged in “Grab “n” Go” bags. Grab “n” Go mobile carts are located in high traffic areas where there are many students. Can also be offered from the traditional serving line Breakfast can be hot or cold. Foods should be easy to eat, popular choices, and convenient

Second chance breakfast/ breakfast after first period Discussion on how to make this work in your district. Who needs to be involved Is Additional equipment needed Additional Labor required?

Breakfast in the classroom Just as the name implies, student eat breakfast in the classroom either at the beginning of the day or during morning break Breakfast can be hot or cold, depending on the school’s facilities. Students can stop by the cafeteria on their way to the classroom to pick up their Grab “n” Go style breakfast Breakfast can be delivered to the classroom on carts Student representatives can go and pick up the breakfast and take it back to the classroom If planned properly little instructional time would be lost. Teachers could use the time to take attendance, collect homework, deliver daily announcements or read to their class. Who needs to get on board to make this happen? What addition staff is required, if any How will these breakfast be distributed and by who Clean up requirement Counting procedures need to be developed

Breakfast in the classroom

Grab and go- mobile carts Grab “n” go breakfast brings breakfast to the students Meals are prepacked in paper bags, boxes or on trays. Students pick up the meals and eat when and where they want within school guidelines. This model works well for high and middle school who are not hungry first thing in the morning or they want to hang out with friends. Allows students the flexibility and choice to eat breakfast when and when they want Grab “n” Go breakfast are convenient for food service staff and prepackaged breakfast can take less time to prepare than traditional breakfast. Grab “n” Go method allows school to serve breakfast more quickly to students Who needs to be on board to make this happen Where will carts be situated How will trash be collected Develop counting procedures Develop marketing tools to help inform students

Grab and go rack Making Grab-n-Go breakfast easy for kids.

So what needs to be considered to make changes and move forward Special procedures and routines for your school should be developed that address all aspects of Breakfast in the Classroom, Second Chance Breakfast, and Grab and Go carts. Develop procedures for: Cleaning eating area – before and after meal service Food Allergies Delivery of meals to service areas Claiming procedures Trash removal Pest Control Management Recycling ( if your district recycles) Retrieval of service carts or delivery containers

Enlist others to help/ sale your program Get Staff on board Get your principal on board Recruit Teachers PTA Enlist students Advertise, Advertise

Create hype: offer free breakfast for everyone Offering FREE breakfast to all students 

Use resources Use the internet to research which type of breakfast programs will work for your district Use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest ( these sites contain so much information) https://schoolmealsthatrock.org/about/ http://www.chefannfoundation.org/ http://smarterlunchrooms.org/ http://breakfastintheclassroom.org/about-partners-for-breakfast-in-the-classroom/fact-sheet/

Let’s talk Community Eligibility What Does It Means For Your School What does it do Allows schools and local educational agencies (LEAS) located in low income areas to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students Eliminates the burden of collecting household applications to determine eligibility for the school meals program Open discussion

Who benefits? Everyone For Students: Free nutritious meals for all students, no stigma and less time spent in the cashier lines and more time to eat meal For Parents: No household applications means less paperwork and no worries about lunch accounts For School Staff: Streamlines meal service operation and more time for students to consume their meals For Administrators: Reduced paperwork and administrative cost. No need to track unpaid meal charges, improved program integrity, and more nourished students ready to learn and grow

Who can participate? Schools and LEAS with a minimum identified student percentage(>40 percent) in the prior school year identified students= those certified for free meals without the use of household applications ( for example those directly certified through SNAP) Available to: all schools in an LEA or group of schools in an LEA or an individual school in an LEA Magic number required to break even

What must interested schools and LEAs do? Determine if CEP is right for your district- meet eligibility requirements Do your research Determine if your district or schools within your district meet the criteria for eligibility Determine if non-federal funds are needed to cover cost above USDA reimbursement. Insure that this program will be a fiscally responsible program. Look for the magic number of 68% or greater Serve free breakfast and lunch to all students during a 4 year cycle Count total breakfast and lunches served to students daily Agree not to collect household applications for the school meals program Contact your state agency for more information Resource: http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision-resource-center

Good luck !!! http://www.breakfasteveryday.org/ http://www.simplykinder.com/breakfast-classroom/

Credits Thanks to Sandy Scheele, Murfreesboro SNP Director, and Phyllis Hodges, TN Child Nutrition, Dayle visited BIC served by an amazing staff led by Miss Robyn (shown here). 650+ students fed, focused and learning by 7:45 am thanks to room service delivery of balanced morning meals. School breakfast in Memorial Middle School, Fitchburg, MA USDA Saved from Twitter Pictures from pintrest Dayle Hays, school meals rock Smarter Lunchrooms ©2012 National Dairy Council®. Fuel Up is a service mark of National Dairy Council. • Ideas (Playbook Plays) • Funding for equipment, coolers, baskets • Resources & Tools • Student engagement strategies How can FUTP60 Help? Pintrest You Tube Breakfast in the classroom.org