How School Food Service Can Put Breakfast First

Principal

As a food services director, you are the nutrition leader in your school community. Your role is key to all aspects of student nutrition. Since no meal is as important as a healthy breakfast, consider making the School Breakfast Program your top priority—and the top nutrition priority for your district. With your leadership, your school district can successfully increase access, participation, and quality in the School Breakfast Program.

Here are some strategies we’ve seen work throughout the state:

one

Ensure each school offers breakfast. Every recent study clearly shows pockets of hunger – needy kids -- across the state, even in affluent areas. Every school, including those with small percentages of free and reduced price students, needs to offer breakfast.
two

Select from the range of strategies to increase participation:

  • Actively involve students, teachers and parents in tasting foods and assisting with menu development on a regular basis
  • Use Provision 2/3 to eliminate tickets, pricing, and long lines
  • Give Classroom Breakfast a try!
  • Consider offering Second Chance Breakfast
  • Consider offering Grab ‘n Go breakfasts on the run
  • Consider offering Breakfast on the Bus for those students with long morning commutes to school
three

Apply for a California Department of Education breakfast start-up or expansion grant to fund your innovative ideas. Grants of up to $15,000 are available for each school site and you only need 20% FRP! (click here)

four

Utilize creative procurement ideas to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to each breakfast tray. A variety of new collaborations might work: farm to school programs, the Department of Defense produce initiative, as well as co-ops to coordinate commodities with other districts in your county. All of these have proven successful at increasing fresh choices and variety.
five

Coordinate with California Nutrition Network staff at your schools to incorporate consistent breakfast messages into their classroom education programs and parent education materials.

six

Invite local leaders for breakfast. Contact your elected officials – school board members, state assembly and senate, congress - to invite them to eat school breakfast with your students at a local school. A site visit will help them understand the importance of breakfast and draw attention to your program among teachers, parents and principals. And, besides – it’s fun to see a big legislator trying to squeeze into a little cafeteria chair!

seven

Ask for assistance. Contact your California Department of Education Child Nutrition Consultant for examples of model programs in your area. Talk with other food services directors who have achieved tremendous success with innovative ideas.