In just a couple of weeks, school nutrition professionals from around the country will gather in San Antonio for the School Nutrition Association’s 70th Annual National Conference. The Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom will be there, presenting an education session on breakfast-in-the-classroom on Tuesday, July 12; please join us for “A CN Director, A Teacher, and a Principal Walk Into a Bar: A Discussion with the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom” at 8:45 a.m.
Are you interested in hearing from other stakeholders about the benefits of breakfast-in-the-classroom? Have you approached administrators and teachers about BIC and received a lukewarm reaction? Do you have questions about how to determine the financial viability of the program for your district? Our one-hour roundtable discussion is for you!
Join us as we strategize ways to engage education and administration stakeholders as our panel shares tips and best practices learned from experience. We will also give a short update on the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grant opportunity, available in the following states: Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
You’ll hear from representatives from the individual partners—School Nutrition Foundation, FRAC, and NEA Healthy—as well as our RD consultant, Elizabeth Campbell. Our panel also includes educators and administrators with experience planning, implementing, and running a breakfast-in-the-classroom program:
- Michael Diggins: Dean, Francis C. Hammond Middle, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Pierrette Hall: Principal, Francis C. Hammond Middle, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Cindy Hormel: Director, School Nutrition Services, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Betsy Kinkade: Principal, Joe Mathias Elementary, Rogers Public Schools
- Kara Davis: Grade 4 Teacher, Rogers Public Schools
- Jason Carter: Director, Siloam Springs School District
This is a unique opportunity to hear from educators, as well as school nutrition professionals, and to get different perspectives on BIC from a variety of stakeholders. After a short introduction, we will conduct an interactive roundtable discussion, and give you the opportunity to interact one-on-one with our panel of experts. We will also be showing a short instructional video at the end of the hour, to further help you understand some of the complexities of breakfast-in-the-classroom.
We’re grateful that our panelists are taking the time out of their very busy schedules to join us in Texas for ANC 2016. When we asked Jason Carter why he’s such a passionate advocate for the program, he said that the challenge is worth the results.
“I saw how well—and how immediately—BIC worked,” said Carter. “In fact, it’s the only program I’ve done where I’ve seen the impact immediately. We’re in education, where you don’t turn things around quickly, but BIC was different. It immediately began to change the students’ behavior; we saw it in the classroom, the teachers reported that their performance was [improving], their attention improved, the nurse’s visits went down, the tardies went down. When you have everyone engaged, implementation is easier, and the change is immediate.”
Fourth grade teacher Kara Davis says that not only were her fears about “a big ol’ mess” were not borne out, and in fact the program has had benefits she could not even begin to anticipate.
“One thing I noticed was that breakfast-in-the-classroom brought things to my classroom that I wasn’t expecting, like independence,” said Davis. “As a teacher I’m really looking to help these kids develop their social skills. We didn’t anticipate things like [discussions about] how to have a conversation during a meal—sitting down and talking while we eat—and helping them develop a lifelong skill that not all kids have the opportunity to learn.”
For principal Betsy Kinkade, breakfast-in-the-classroom is quite simply a “no-brainer”—it’s right for the kids, which means it’s right for everyone.
“The impact on our children, our school, and on the relationship between teachers and students—BIC has done so much for my kids,” she shared. “It makes my heart hurt to think there are still classrooms out there that don’t have this opportunity for their children. BIC has been a game-changer for us, and if there is someone out there who will listen to what I have to say, I don’t mind speaking my voice and doing my part.”
Can’t make our Tuesday, July 12, education session? No problem! You can still connect with the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom at our booth in the Exhibit Hall. You can find us in the Partner Pavillion—look for the Partners for BIC logo and come say hello!