Breakfast at School
Eating breakfast can bolster academic achievement, reduce absenteeism and tardiness, and improve classroom behavior. Unfortunately, many students come to class without eating breakfast, either at home or at their school.
Many San Diego County schools offer the free and reduced-price breakfast program but it remains underutilized. To help ensure all students start their day well nourished, some schools are implementing Breakfast in the Classroom. Students eat breakfast at their desks in their classrooms during the first 10-15 minutes of class while teachers conduct administrative activities or begin the day’s lessons. To learn more about Breakfast in the Classroom, visit the San Diego Unified School District Food Services Department or BreakfastFirst.
The Food Research and Action Center report, School Breakfast in America’s Big Cities, examines the performance of school breakfast programs in 26 large urban school districts, including San Diego Unified School District, during the 2009-2010 school year. San Diego was one of several cities able to significantly increase daily low-income student breakfast participation (by 3,166 students, a 8.5% increase).
San Diego Hunger Coalition partnered with San Diego Unified School District to promote their Nutrition Break. This program gives students a second chance to eat breakfast helping to positively affect their behavior, cognitive, and school performance.
