1. Hungry children can’t learn.

2. TOO MANY CHILDREN IN OUR ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE SCHOOLS COME TO SCHOOL HUNGRY

3. The results are stunning: Attention spans shorten Energy levels plummet Productivity wanes Learning suffers Lives suffer

4. The solution?

6. During an annual teachers’ convention in Wisconsin more than 500 teachers in attendance were surveyed about their opinions of school breakfast.

7. Ninety four percent (94%) of teachers surveyed stated that they had observed students coming to school hungry.

8. Teachers who were serving breakfast in the classroom added that they had observed the following since they started serving breakfast in their classroom:

9. improved academic performance improved health better behavior

10. These same teachers indicated that breakfast in the classroom resulted in little or no loss of instructional time.

11. Teachers who served breakfast in their classroom reported that their workload did not change as a result of having breakfast.

12. FACT: EATING BREAKFAST AT SCHOOL HELPS CHILDREN LEARN

13. Studies show that children who eat breakfast at the start of their school day:

14. have higher math and reading scores

15. have sharper memory and show faster speed on cognitive tests

16. have broader vocabularies

17. do better on standardized tests

18. focus better and behave better

19. “Right away I noticed an increase in my students’ attention span. There was also an immediate decrease in the amount of discipline issues dealt with during the morning hours of school.”

20. EATING BREAKFAST AT SCHOOL HAS HEALTH BENEFITS, TOO

21. Children are less likely to be absent.

22. “Since we implemented breakfast in the Classroom, our absenteeism rate has dropped by 70%! Having students in school on a consistent basis contributes to their academic success.”

23. They’re less likely to see the school nurse

24. “It is sad the number of children who come to school hungry, some with hunger from the previous evening.”

25. less likely to be overweight

26. “The breakfast we provide allows students to concentrate on learning rather than concentrating on when lunch will be served.”

27. They eat more fruit, drink more milk and consume a wider variety of foods

28. “They literally rush into their classrooms in the morning so they can get their nourishment.”

29. IT’S FREE AND IT WORKS

30. The Breakfast in the Classroom initiative takes the traditional school breakfast approach and improves it with one key ingredient: the classroom.

31. Breakfast becomes available to everyone AT NO CHARGE – no matter what their income level

32. “When we served breakfast in the cafeteria, we found that students just couldn’t get up in time to get to the cafeteria for breakfast and then go back to the playground to line up for class. Now when students and teachers walk into the classroom, breakfast is there.”

33. It’s served after the opening bell. This makes it easier for all children to easily participate Photo provided by the got breakfast? foundation

34. EASY FOR TEACHERS WITH NO CLASSROOM TIME LOST

35. Some teachers even reported an improvement in their workload since adopting breakfast in the classroom.

36. Children eat together in the classroom, usually the homeroom, at the start of the school day. Photo by Trent Campbell

37. “It helps begin our day with a sense of community. The students enjoy it quite a bit and hate it if they miss it if they are late.”

38. They enjoy nutritionally well- balanced foods like breakfast wraps, yogurt, or fruit served directly in their classroom or grabbed from a cart in the hallway.

39. Students then eat breakfast while the teacher takes attendance, collects homework or teaches a short lesson plan.

40. In about 10 minutes, the meal is over and the school day continues.

41. “Our students begin their day with full stomachs, in good moods, ready to tackle a day’s learning.”

42. Clean up is easy and the cost to the school is absolutely nothing!

43. Encourage all students to participate in Breakfast in the Classroom. 100%

44. “The students nag their parents about being on time in the morning so that they won’t miss this essential time of day for our classroom.”

45. This initiative was developed by the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom: Food Research and Action Center National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation National Education Association Health Information Network School Nutrition Foundation

46. …in response to their shared passion for childhood nutrition and its potential for improving educational outcomes and child health.

47. Breakfast in the Classroom is an initiative funded by the Walmart Foundation