Celebrate National School Breakfast Week
February 20, 2009 – Growing research shows that children who eat breakfast have improved memory, problem-solving skills, verbal fluency and creative abilities, and are better able to ward off obesity. National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) is March 2-6, 2009. The main goals of NSBW are to share important messages with students, parents and the media including: 1) The SBP is available in many schools, meets dietary guidelines and is a tasty and fun way to start the school day; 2) There is an established link between eating breakfast and academic success; and
3) Eating a nutritious breakfast can help kids maintain a healthy weight.
This year’s celebration, “Power Up with School Breakfast”, features a team of superheroes who introduce students to the importance of eating school breakfast every day.
The School Nutrition Association (SNA), the General Mills Bakeries and Foodservice, and the National Dairy Council (NDC) have made available tools and resources to promote the “Power Up with School Breakfast” Campaign, including:
- A handout for parents and teachers that relays the importance of school breakfast, show what is in a school breakfast menu, and provide school breakfast quick facts;
- Ideas for schools to participate in NSBW and publicize NSBW events and activities; and
- Activity sheets such as a breakfast word search.
In addition, SNA has put together a special NSBW menu of superhero themed breakfasts and an expanding breakfast online course – a 2-hour fully interactive course to teach school nutrition professionals how to start an alternative breakfast program or increase participation in their existing breakfast programs by expanding breakfast outside the cafeteria. The NSBW website also has a parent/student brochure; campaign merchandise; PR support materials; logos and character images; and a NSBW proclamation.
A highlight of this year’s campaign includes a “Design a school breakfast superhero” contest. Three national winners will receive a signed illustration of their school breakfast hero signed by a professional artist.
The Current Face of the SBP in the U.S.
Two new Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) publications show that, although participation rates on the SBP have recently increased, there are still many children who are eligible for the program, but are not currently participating. The first publication, “School Breakfast Scorecard (School Year 2007-2008),” shows that, in 2007-2008, 8.5 million low-income children participated in the SBP on an average day, an increase of four percent compared to the prior school year. Also, if the school breakfast to lunch ratio had reached the goal of 60:100 nationally, 2.5 million more children would have been eating a healthy school breakfast every day, and states would have received an additional $561 million in federal child nutrition funding in school year 2007-2008.
The second publication, “School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities (School Year 2006-2007),” reveals, for instance, that districts with breakfast in the classroom have the highest participation rates.
To learn more about the importance of the SBP, check out a School Health Programs update on a recent Harvard School of Public Health publication related to the issue. For more information on how to participate in the NSBW, click here.