This week is National School Breakfast Week! We are celebrating the schools and programs dedicated to helping students begin their day nourished and ready to learn. National School Breakfast Week is celebrated in March of each year and brings recognition to a program so important to our children’s health. The National School Breakfast program has deep ties to community food justice and has grown to support millions of children nationwide. More studies are finding that children who participate in these programs are doing better in school, and we celebrate our schools as they work to make these meals more nutritious.
Current day school breakfast programs are rooted in racial justice work. In 1969, before the government established a school breakfast program, the Black Panther Party started a free school breakfast program in cities across the country. The Black Panthers’ Free Breakfast for School Children Program fed tens of thousands of hungry kids from 1969 through the early 1970s. Their Free Breakfast for School Children Program had become such a success that it served as the foundation for the National School Breakfast Program formally established by the government in 1975.
Today, school is where more than 14.7 million children receive breakfast every day, and we know that a nourished child is fueled and ready to learn. This study’s findings draw a stronger connection between good nutrition and success in the classroom. Unfortunately, common breakfast items can be loaded with added sugar and not as beneficial for kids. Eat REAL schools are committed to making breakfast as nutritious as possible by removing items high in sugar and finding nutritious and delicious alternatives such as whole grain breakfast burritos and plain yogurt with fresh fruit.
Eat REAL is on track to help >600 more schools make changes likes these in 2021. We are so inspired by the incredible foodservice directors leading the way towards healthier standards for all children.
Looking to make some changes at home? Check out our quick guide to reducing added sugar at breakfast and throughout the day!
Share this post
Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on print
Share on email
