Welcome to the Resources Roundup! In this series, the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom take a look at some of the most powerful resources available to help school nutrition professionals make the case for breakfast-in-the-classroom in their school or district. Experts agree that a data-driven approach is the most effective; whether you’re trying to convince a reluctant principal, or a room full of skeptical classroom teachers, it pays to do your homework—and show your work!
Today is the third part in this continuing series at BeyondBreakfast.org. Don’t miss our first and second installments in the series: The Wellness Impact and FRAC’s Breakfast Scorecard and Large District Report.
In this third installment of our Resources Roundup series, we will take a look at the school breakfast information and resources available to school nutrition professionals through the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF). Leveraging your SNA membership means taking the opportunity to access and use all of the resources available to your food service program, so if you’ve been hoping to add school breakfast to the menu at your school, read on!
National School Breakfast Week Resources
Let’s start with SNA’s National School Breakfast Week celebration. Each year a new theme is revealed, and a new toolkit made available to members to help them promote and celebrate NSBW; the theme in 2014 was “It Starts with School Breakfast” and in 2015 the theme was “Make the Grade”. When the 2016 theme is announced we’ll be sure to let you know!
So, what exactly will you find when you visit SNA’s NSBW resource page? We’ll direct you first to the National School Breakfast Week toolkit, which is updated every year to reflect the current theme and best practices in school breakfast.
You’ll also find logos and artwork that will help you promote National School Breakfast Week prior to and during the weeklong event. The images can be used on menus, tray liners, newsletters, and fliers; images are also provided for use on social media and on the school or district website. Certificates of Recognition can be downloaded to help you thank your staff and recognize their hard work. No matter what you need—menus, tools, resources, handouts—SNA has your NSBW covered.
Finally, you’ll have access to the online Emporium, where you can purchase NSBW-branded merchandise like tote bags, t-shirts, posters and more.
SNA’s School Breakfast Program Resource Page
The School Nutrition Association Resources and Research page is organized by topic; click to navigate directly to SNA’s School Breakfast Program Resources. Here you will find SNA and external sources to help you understand, create, and administer a school breakfast program.
There are a lot of terrific gems in there, such as SNA’s 2013 Back to School Trends Report and the trendSETS Resources; both sources include information from fellow directors on everything from participation to meal patterns. Access to both resources is limited to SNA members, so have your username and password handy. SNA also lists some of our favorite external school breakfast resources: the Wellness Impact we covered in Resources Roundup Part One, FRAC’s school breakfast resources, and the NFSMI Resource Search Page.
SNF and Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom
We hope you’ll always stop by and check with us when you have questions about school breakfast. Whether you leave us a comment or message on the SNF Facebook page or the Partners for BIC Facebook page, send us a Tweet at @beyondbreakfast or @BreakfastClsrm, or drop us a line through the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom contact page, we’d love to help connect you to the school breakfast resources you need. And don’t forget, we regularly update the Breakfast-in-the-Classroom Resource Center linked right here at Beyond Breakfast.