School Breakfast Programs in Action
Posted by Katie Dooley on Friday, April 15, 2011
I have been lucky to be a part of the Share Our Strength family since last October and have no shortage of motivation for the work that we do here. There are 17 million kids (that’s one in four) in our country who face hunger. I spend a lot of time talking about the sobering statistics and how the work of No Kid Hungry state and city-wide campaigns can help change them. Most days I do this from an office in Washington, D.C., but on March 15 I had the great opportunity as part of the Los Angeles No Kid Hungry Campaign launch to visit Rosecrans Elementary School in Compton, CA to observe an innovative Breakfast in the Classroom program.
During this visit, I saw firsthand how Rosecrans has overcome the hurdles of accessibility that often come with School Breakfast Programs. To do this, they implemented the Breakfast in the Classroom model to ensure that its students are starting the day with the nutrition they need, while incorporating it into their classroom routine. Seeing this program work is all the motivation that one needs to be truly committed to the cause of ending childhood hunger. Nationwide, this is one of the models that has significantly increased participation in the School Breakfast Program. Walking around Rosecrans Elementary, I was so inspired by how everyone in the school community— the principal, food service staff, teachers, students, and parents – worked together seamlessly. We started by getting a sneak peek at how the breakfasts are packed into coolers, then taken outside the kitchen where students who were designated as “sheriffs” patiently waited to take their red and blue coolers (and garbage cans!) to their classrooms. It was clear that this job is a privilege that the kids take very seriously. When it was time, they all found the coolers that had their teachers’ name on it and rolled them off to their classrooms.
Our first stop was a kindergarten class where we were met by students and a number of parent volunteers who rotate each day to help the kids during breakfast time. As we helped pass out the milk cartons and cereal boxes, the kids ate their breakfasts, chatted and laughed with their peers and their teacher commented on how much she enjoys the opportunity for informal interaction. In addition to our visit with the kindergarten class, we visited second and fourth grade classrooms.
I was particularly impressed with how effectively the teachers were able to integrate the breakfast time into their teaching. The fourth grade teacher had established a system where students would file into the classroom, turn in their homework and ask any questions, and then get their breakfasts from the coolers. The kids also worked on multiplication tables and throughout the breakfast time the multiplication table was up on the projector and educational music was playing (a multiplication table rap song to be exact!).
I left Rosecrans Elementary with a renewed sense of confidence that we can conquer childhood hunger in America. Rosecrans is a great reminder that working together with key partners like California Food Policy Advocates, schools, elected officials, and corporate funders, there are people and communities all over the country who are making real and significant changes to ensure that kids are getting the food and nutrition they need to achieve their goals.
Here are some photos from my visit:
Three Rosecrans kindergarteners chat while enjoying their breakfasts.
Two fourth grade students prepare for their day with their breakfast and books open.
California Secretary of Health and Human Services, Diana Dooley, greets “Sheriffs” as they pick up their coolers.
Excited second graders wait to be called on as their teacher engages them during breakfast.
Related News: “Nutrition is elementary in No Kid Hungry campaign” in the Los Angeles Times
April 15, 2011 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: california, classroom, No Kid Hungry, school breakfast, schools
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