September is Better Breakfast Month, and around here we love to celebrate breakfast! Not only does missing breakfast mean starting the day without essential nutrients and calories for fuel, many students who miss breakfast never make up those lost calories, or nutrients. How can we expect children to grow, learn, and thrive without proper nutrition? When students have access to a healthy school breakfast they have access to the nutrition they need to achieve.
Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom
We’re very excited to announce that the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom will be funding grants in the following states: Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, Idaho, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and Mississippi. Make sure to partner the PBIC website, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter, for the application announcement, and updates from our previously funded districts.
If you do not live in one of the ten states we are funding in our next grant cycle, we still have resources to help you create or grow your own breakfast-in-the-classroom program. Download our Best Practices and Success Stories Toolkit, as well as the NEA Healthy Futures School Breakfast Toolkit. You will also find a handy list of instructional school breakfast activities for K-8 students.
Food Research and Action Center
The folks over at FRAC have some of our favorite school breakfast resources, including infographics and an excellent “Breakfast Matters” webinar series.
Further, FRAC publishes two important school breakfast reports annually: School Breakfast Scorecard and their large district report. These reports provide crucial information; not just data, but trends and best practices from around the country.
School Nutrition Association
In addition to frequent school breakfast-themed Webinar Wednesday and Talk Tuesday presentations, SNA has an excellent online resources library. Some resources are limited to members-only, however many resources and links are all-access, so browse away!
USDA Food & Nutrition Service
If you’re really beginning at the beginning, make sure you review USDA FNS School Breakfast Program resources. You’ll find everything you need to get started with your school breakfast program, including information on delivery models, implementation, and marketing and promotion materials. Don’t forget to check out USDA’s information on Community Eligibility Provision, too!