What do superintendents say about breakfast-in-the-classroom? Here’s a round-up of some of our favorite quotes from the blog–and links to the original articles, of course.
“I wanted to explore breakfast-in-the-classroom because I thought we were wasting time in the morning, and even though we were already serving universal breakfast district-wide, a lot of kids weren’t taking advantage of that. I knew—we all knew—that not every kid was coming to school having eaten breakfast, and I saw a lost opportunity there. I thought, ‘If we don’t do it, who will?’” Mark Joraanstad, Saddle Mountain USD #90, Arizona (Cycle 3) [Read more]
“When you walk into a classroom and everyone is eating together you are building a sense of community and family. There is something about sharing food that brings people together and I don’t think you can downplay that relationship is built in the classroom—it’s magical!” Amy Dennes, Assistant Superintendent, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky (Cycle 3) [Read more]
“We are a district that prides itself on academic improvement, and our principals guard their instructional time like bulldogs. I took principals to Tucson to see [breakfast-in-the-classroom] at work, and they really loved the Grab-n-Go ideas. We made decisions together, and everyone was happy.” Olivia Zepeda, Assistant Superintendent, Gadsden Elementary School District #32, Arizona (Cycle 3) [Read more]
“The overarching issue is that when kids are hungry they can’t focus on math, music, science, social studies, or art, if they are thinking about when they are going to eat. There’s not the ‘lost time’ people think there is [with BIC]; it’s not like breakfast starts, then ends, and then instruction starts. Teachers can begin talking about the day, or a debrief of the night before—those things overlap, and it doesn’t have to mean the loss of instructional time.” Dr. Kevin Maxwell, CEO, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland (Cycle 1) [Read more]