Resources for Teachers
Educators know that students that are hungry for food cannot be hungry for knowledge. Many students across the country miss a morning meal at school because of when and how it is served. In schools where breakfast is offered in the cafeteria before the school day begins, students often face barriers to eating school breakfast including barriers such as parents and busses dropping students off too late, students not knowing about school breakfast, students choosing to socialize with friends, or stigma around school breakfast.
There is a sustainable solution. Schools that incorporate breakfast into the school day with Breakfast After the Bell models like Grab and Go to the Classroom, Breakfast In the Classroom, and Second Chance Breakfast, are able to provide more kids with the healthy food they need to learn. As a result, students demonstrate improved academic outcomes and attendance, and decreased school nurse visits and behavioral disruptions. [Deloitte & No Kid Hungry, 2015] When all students have the opportunity to access a nutritious meal in school, schools remove one of the obstacles to students’ learning—hunger. Providing access to school breakfast is providing access to an educational resource crucial to students’ reaching their full potential. Furthermore, teachers regularly note that when students start their day by eating in the classroom with their peers, a true community begins to form. This community fosters an environment for teaching and practicing social emotional skills.
The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federal school nutrition program, just like school lunch. Schools that participate in SBP must adhere to nutrition guidelines supported by science and provided by USDA. Even though food items offered to students at school sometimes look the same as breakfast foods found in grocery stores, convenience stores or fast food restaurants, school breakfast items often include whole grains and less sugar, sodium, fat, and calories. School breakfast is made affordable for all students through subsidies and reimbursements provided by the federal government. School breakfast expenses are not part of the school system’s education budget. Learn more about how school meals reach kids and the finances involved with How School Meals Reach Kids.
You can be part of the movement to ensure students start each day ready to learn. In this guide you will find resources on how to make breakfast part of the school day.
Resources for Teachers
Breakfast After the Bell 101 Videos: Geared towards teachers and principals, these short videos outline how Breakfast After the Bell benefits students and classrooms, and can be a seamless part of the instructional day in four easy steps.
Breakfast in the Classroom Myths: This easy-to-read document addresses common myths and concerns about Breakfast in the Classroom, and provides facts and testimony from teachers who have already implemented.
School Breakfast – Healthier Than You Think: This resource provides teachers with helpful nutritional information about school breakfast. School Breakfast often gets a bad rap for being unhealthy, when in reality the food options served at breakfast must adhere to strict nutritional guidelines, and are often much healthier than store-bought breakfast.
How School Meals Reach Students
This resource traces the path of the funding that supports school breakfast and lunch from Congress to cafeteria. It also answers common questions that educators have about how the programs work.
Classroom Activity Guide: The New York City Department of Education’s guide for teachers contains ideas for classroom activities, rules, structure and weekly schedules that you can adapt to your own school learning environment and state guidelines.
Classroom Set Up and Clean Up: This resource outlines how classrooms can be affected by Breakfast After the Bell, and shares best practices on how to create a plan for classroom set-up and clean up where breakfast is served or eaten.
Breakfast After the Bell Rollout Timelines: These Rollout Timelines outline action steps school stakeholders can take to help prepare for the launch of Breakfast After the Bell. The rollout timelines span both long-term action steps and short-term action steps — starting at 8 weeks before implementation and counting down each week until launch.
Get the Word Out in your School and Community: Using these communication materials like backpack flyers, posters, sample social media language, and more will help you build a network of champions in your school and community.
We Are Teachers Guide to Understanding Childhood Hunger: Read tools and resources from We Are Teachers, No Kid Hungry and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation on how to teach about hunger and provide opportunities to inspire the next generation to take a stand against hunger.
Hear from Teachers
Peoria Elementary School Erases the First Obstacle to Learning: Hear from a Peoria principal, teacher, cafeteria manager, food services manager and student on their success with breakfast in the classroom.
Classrooms as Communities: Hear from New Orleans principals and teachers who say that breakfast turned their classroom into a community, and brought them closer to their students.
Breakfast Success Story from Longfellow Elementary: Watch a Minnesota teacher, food service lead, principal and students share why giving every kid breakfast each morning matters.
School Breakfast Two Ways: Central Illinois Foodbank talks to principals and teachers about how two different school breakfast models work in their schools.