In recognition of all the hard work she put into making Christmas a festive and memorable occasion (and the fact that she was completely spent from the effort), my girlfriend’s husband and children rewarded her with breakfast in bed the next day.
Having a meal delivered to you while you lounge in the comfort of your comforter, is a rare and special treat as an adult. Which is probably why, the idea of serving breakfast in the classroom has taken off as a way to make sure students are well nourished and ready to learn.
Research on the importance of breakfast to boost performance, mental and physical, is voluminous and undisputed. And if you read my cover story in the January edition of ASBJ, you’ll learn that school districts are increasingly implementing a universal breakfast program to boost participation rates.
But offering a free breakfast to every child, which is what the program does, doesn’t necessarily mean every student will take it. There are logistical details like bus schedules, adequate staffing, and, of course, increased food prep to be worked out.
Most importantly, however, the breakfast offerings have to appeal and work for its young consumers, who sometimes can’t get to school earlier and if they can, want to spend time with their friends.
Serving breakfast in the classroom can address all of these issues, making it a popular strategy for many districts, like San Diego Unified School District, which has integrated desktop dining in some 40 of its 200 schools since last year.
“We’re just trying to get more kids to eat breakfast,” explains Gene Robinson, the district’s assistant director of food services. “Prior to this, we had maybe about 25 percent of enrollment who actually did eat breakfast at school.”
One of the top reasons, the district discovered, was because students didn’t and weren’t going to arrive more than five minutes before school started. But bringing the meal to them wasn’t just a simple fix. The food services division needed to coordinate with building principals and teachers, and study things like delivery times, food choices and even what bag to use.
“When we first started we bought a bag that could reasonably hold 30 meals,” Robinson says. ”But now with class sizes increasing because of budget cuts, we had to decide whether to get a bigger bag or choose menu items with fewer components.”
Naturally, sticky items like syrup and jelly, have always been off the menu, though district food service officials have listened to students and added an additional day of hot food since they first began the program.
And that’s not the only way they get the kids to buy-in. Students are selected, and indeed jump at the chance to be a “breakfast sheriff,” ensuring everything is cleaned up after the meal.
“They take it seriously,” Robinson says. “Some teachers says, it’s even brought some students out of their shell.”
Full tummies. Primed Minds. And boost of self-confidence. Hmm, breakfast in the classroom serves up more than just food.
