The School Nutrition Foundation is excited to announce that we have released two new Breakfast-in-the-Classroom case studies. Each study details the implementation of universal breakfast-in-the-classroom pilot programs, one in Memphis City Schools and the other in Dallas Public Schools.
These pilot programs were funded through the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom; along with SNF, the partners include the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation (NAESPF), and National Education Association Health Information Network (NEAHIN), and funded by the Walmart Foundation.
We are incredibly excited to deliver these case studies to you, and hope they become an invaluable resource as you pursue school breakfast for your school. Whether you are just starting to pitch the idea to administrators, implementing a pilot program, or expanding an existing program, we know that the information contained in these reports will help you pursue your goal of feeding every child who needs one a healthy, nutritious school breakfast.
One thing that really struck us when reading these case studies is how very important collaboration and stakeholder engagement are to the success of a breakfast-in-the-classroom program. When the approach to school breakfast is taken with all of the players in mind—students, parents, school nutrition staff, teachers, administrators, custodians, and community partners—the results are impressive.
We also think you will find the financial planning and budget information particularly helpful. Before you can do anything—implement a new program, or expand an existing one—you need to “run the numbers” and determine whether a universal breakfast program makes sense for your school and/or district.
You can find both case studies online in both the Financial Planning and Feasibility Studies sections of our Breakfast in the Classroom Resource Center. A few highlights to look for as you read each case study are suggested below.
Breakfast in the Classroom: A Case Study (Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, TX)
Dallas ISD was one of the five original school districts with the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom pilot program, SY 2010-2011. In 2012, the Dallas School Board made breakfast-in-the-classroom mandatory, district-wide.
- Creative Marketing: Dallas ISD cites creative marketing as a key factor to the success of their BIC program.
- Communication: “Reach every student every day” is the ultimate goal for the Dallas ISD school nutrition staff. Convincing stakeholders that school breakfast is valuable depends on communicating the connection between student health and educational values with BIC.
- Funding/Budgets + Delivery Models: Each district—and each school within that district—has different needs. Assessing budgets, analyzing financial and other resources, and deciding on delivery methods should be customized to maximize success of BIC.
Breakfast in the Classroom: A Case Study (Memphis City Schools, Memphis, TN)
Memphis City Schools
- Expansion Success Story: When people tell us their BIC success story there are many common denominators, including: principal champions, creative stakeholder engagement, student health focus, and the importance of support at the administrator level.
- There is no “One Size Fits All” Solution: Staggered start-up schedules, targeted site analysis, and customized delivery models are some of the strategies that helped make implementation a success in Memphis City Schools.
- Marketing & Communication: Communication is important and marketing falls under that umbrella. Telling your program’s story authentically will help it succeed.
Mildred