Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom Virginia School Breakfast Summit

On Wednesday, June 12, 2014, the School Nutrition Foundation attended the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom Virginia School Breakfast Summit to explore the need to connect more children in Virginia to breakfast. Among the more than fifty attendees was Virginia’s first lady Dorothy McAuliffe, who spoke on the importance of a healthy breakfast for students, and the impact it can have on their ability to learn. We have video from the Virginia School Breakfast Summit available for viewing online.

The event marks an exciting change in direction for the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom. In 2014-15, we will be expanding our project by working in partnership with state organizations in several states—including Virginia—to provide district and school-level technical assistance and support for breakfast-in-the-classroom. We will also be bringing in allies from local anti-hunger, education, nutrition, and health communities to enhance and support these efforts. The success achieved by the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom project between 2011 and today has taught us that when all stakeholders work together—administrators, school boards, parents, and school building staff—breakfast-in-the-classroom becomes a sustainable and successful endeavor for school nutrition programs. In Virginia, PBIC is partnering with the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Education Association, Virginia Hunger Solutions, and the School Nutrition Association of Virginia.

Sarah Murphy, Public Affairs Associate for the School Nutrition Foundation, moderated a panel discussion with LaTonya Reed (VA Hunger Solutions), Meg Gruber (VA Education Association), Debbie Shiflett (Virginia SNA), and Catherine Grimes (VA Department of Education); other speakers included Eyang Garrison and Madeleine Levin of FRAC, Liz Campbell, a registered dietitian and SNF consultant, and Annalise Cohen of NEA Health Information Network.

This was the first of several summits; one will be held in each state participating in this new phase of our Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom project. School nutrition programs in these states will be eligible for grant opportunities for start-up breakfast programs, with the ultimate goal of boosting breakfast participation state-wide.

Each summit will include a follow-up webinar led by Liz Campbell, RD, a food service consultant who is working with us on the project. The webinars will include a recap of the summit, as well as interactive technical assistance for filling out the RFP.

During these webinars, the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom will recap the summit that proceeded it, and provide interactive technical assistance on filling-out the RFP. The webinars will be led by Liz Campbell, a Food Service Consultant working with us on the project. Specific questions can be submitted ahead of time; the RSVP includes a field for submitting any questions you would like addressed during the webinar, which will also be archived for your convenience. The webinar for the Virginia Breakfast Summit will be held on Monday, June 30, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. Check back with us regularly at Beyond Breakfast to receive updates on our progress and reports from each summit as we embark upon this new phase of bringing breakfast-in-the-classroom to students across the country.

3 Comments

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elisssabeth

November 9, 2015

Really? These people have nothing better to do than campaign to endanger the lives of kids with life-threatening food allergies by violating the safe place they have in their own food-free classroom? My dairy-anaphylactic child now has to spend her entire day in the same place where other kids have eaten POISON? Maybe spilled that POISON on her classroom rug, or touched buttery sugary POISON rolls and then touched my child’s desk? This is not a touchy-feely issue, this is a life-and-death issue. Ridiculous.
- Christina
  
  November 10, 2015
  
  Thanks for visiting, and for your comment, elisssabeth. We take food allergies very seriously, and you can read more about how Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom addresses food allergies on our What Does Breakfast in the Classroom Mean to Me resource page:
  
  Food Allergies: When establishing Breakfast in the Classroom routines, schools need to consider how they
  will prevent food allergic reactions and accommodate students with life- threatening food allergies. Routines and strategies should be consistent with your school’s Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan. Strategies may include designating a seating area as allergy-friendly; establishing and enforcing a no-food sharing rule; and implementing effective hand washing procedures for students. Having well communicated procedures in place will pave the way for conducting Breakfast in the Classroom with ease.
  
  Just like any other aspect of BIC, the program is easily customized to accommodate the needs of all students, teachers, and staff, and students safety is always our first concern.

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