“SCHOOL BREAKFAST DETECTIVES” NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK CAMPAIGN HELPS STUDENTS CLUE INTO THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY SCHOOL BREAKFASTS

“SCHOOL BREAKFAST DETECTIVES”
NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK CAMPAIGN HELPS STUDENTS CLUE INTO THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY SCHOOL BREAKFASTS

SCHOOLS FIND NEW WAYS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO BREAKFAST SERVICE

National Harbor, MD (March 3, 2011) – Next week, school districts across the nation will celebrate National School Breakfast Week (March 7-11) by hosting “School Breakfast Detectives,” a fun, private-eye themed campaign allowing students to clue into the importance of school breakfast and uncover how eating school breakfast sets you up for a busy day at school.

Created by the non-profit School Nutrition Association with support from General Mills Foodservice, National Dairy Council and The US Highbush Blueberry Council, “School Breakfast Detectives” will allow students to join characters Cassie Day and Marlowe Darrington on the Search for Super Energy! Student sleuths will be able to develop creative designs for the “School Breakfast Detectives” book cover contest and sharpen their investigative skills with a number of nutrition puzzles. Most importantly, “School Breakfast Detectives” will get kids excited about healthy breakfasts.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the link between breakfast and academic achievement – from students’ memory and test scores to school attendance. Yet too many children miss out on the most critical meal of the day. The Food Research Action Center has found that less than half (47.2 percent) of low-income children who received school lunch also participated in the breakfast program.

Fortunately, schools are finding new ways to reach children in need of a healthy breakfast. School Nutrition Association has found that since 2002, participation in the School Breakfast Program has increased by 43 percent as schools have begun overcoming the logistical and timing challenges to breakfast service. In SNA’s new “Growing School Breakfast Participation” report, research reveals that many schools are now offering breakfast in grab ‘n’ go bags or hallway kiosks, or they are serving breakfast in the classroom.

“Every school day, the School Breakfast Program fuels more than 11 million students for success. The program is crucial to children eligible for free and reduced price meals, but it also offers a helping hand to busy parents who struggle to convince their kids to make time for breakfast before leaving for school,” said SNA President Nancy Rice, M.Ed., RD, LD, SNS.

Every school breakfast is required to meet federal nutrition standards limiting fat and portion size and ensuring that each meal offers the necessary energy to start a day of learning. Breakfasts provide 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C and calories.

The National School Breakfast Program was established in 1966. Since 1989, National School Breakfast Week has been raising awareness of the program and the links between eating a good breakfast, academic achievement and healthy lifestyles.