“I wouldn’t know what to do if we didn’t have breakfast for students,” shared a teacher from Adams 14 School District, located in Commerce City, just north of Denver. With over 80% of its student population on free and reduced lunch, the district realized that access to a healthy meal at the start of the day was critically important to its students’ ability to simply function at school.
It was a challenge with over 7,500 mouths to feed. But the district wasn’t daunted. Before Adams 14 began theUniversal Breakfast in the Classroom program, just 25% of students participated in school breakfast. Now that breakfast is out of the cafeteria, and in the classroom, 88% are choosing breakfast. “Breakfast in the Classroom” has not only been good for the Adams 14 students, it has also added revenue to the school’s coffers and supported a school lunch transformation too. Now, over 85% of school lunches are made from fresh whole ingredients, supported in part, by the success of the breakfast program.
“Breakfast in the Classroom” is a collaborative effort between teachers, custodial staff, administration, parents, and students. Students arrive early before school starts for the day, roll coolers with breakfast items to classrooms, and leave them at the doors. In return for their service, students raise money for their school clubs. This helps out nutrition services and everyone benefits. The school is seeing a “ripple effect” from offering a healthy meal at the start of the day. Before implementing the district-wide breakfast program, many school nurses began their day facing lines of students who had “tummy aches” and were feeling ill. After one week of the breakfast program, lines were virtually gone, and nurses and teachers were able to remove the breakfast products they stored in their desks to feed hungry students.
“Fewer kids are sick, fewer are needing diabetes checks, discipline issues are down, behavior is better; and the kids are quieter and calmer at lunch,” stated one principal. Principal support of the program was critically important to ensure the success of the program. “It was a challenge,” but one that Adams 14 Nutrition Services Director, says, “Was the right thing to do for our kids; we are feeding the next generation.” No matter the free and reduced lunch percentage of a school, Adams 14 Nutrition Services Director shared that any program can be successful, “It is the work that you put into it.” Students and staff are “customers,” and like any business, there is a need to market, advertise and recognize supply and demand.
The district was also able to start a catering program for healthy snacks, classroom birthday parties and celebrations and staff meetings. Adams 14 has a catering menu that includes healthy and low cost options, such as a fruit tray for $7, which is available to any parent or staff member, and they are taking advantage of it. From the revenue of the catering program, the food services department has been able to hire a district wellness coordinator and has revamped their high school cafeteria so that it is a hip and welcoming school spot.
The Silverton School District, located in southwest Colorado in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, consists of one historic school and 60 students enrolled K-12, 69% of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch. But until recently, Silverton School District was the only district in Colorado that could not offer a hot breakfast or lunch program because the school lacked a kitchen and was told a small community cannot self-sustain a school meal program. Committed to healthy kids and academic achievement, the district began a brown bag lunch program, and students either went home for lunch or brought their own. However, staff were horrified at what the students brought into the school for “lunch.” And then, in the midst of disaster, when the school’s central heating went out for two years, unexpected opportunity appeared. The District received a BEST grant and as part of the school renovation, was able to build a kitchen and cafeteria.
The school kept the momentum going; they were awarded a $20,000 grant from The Colorado Education Initiative and through observations of other local school districts and aid from the town’s policy writer and the Colorado Department of Education’s Office of Nutrition, Silverton developed menus, policies and procedures that meet the new USDA Meal Patterns to offer hot lunches to all students, Pre-K-12, and staff. Silverton leaders hired one of their school board members as the chef and started serving meals a few months later. Partnering with a local grocery store, they make 100% of their meals from scratch, a salad bar is offered daily, all meals meet the standards for healthy lunches, and all meals are served for free to students.
So far, participation is high. The school serves approximately 25 breakfasts and 50 lunches each day, which reaches a little over 75% of the student population in the first few months. Students created norms for behavior in the cafeteria, and they provide input into the meal selections. The school also serves healthy snacks to the students who attend homework club after school, and teachers no longer have to store food in their classrooms for hungry students. The overall district schedule was also changed to allow a full 30 minutes for each lunch period and the school partnered with the county to offer a special lunch period, where it opens its doors, in a true community model, for seniors from the community to eat school lunch, many for the first time.
There were many bumps in the road, but Silverton knew that although this was hard work, it was the right work. Teachers report fewer tardies and absences, and because students are fed nutritious food, they are engaged and focused in class.Furthermore, the Silverton Board of Education approved a portion of general funds to sustain the meal program, making this a real success story.
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