March is Arkansas School Breakfast Month, and the Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign is focusing attention on the importance of schools making breakfast part of the school day so all of our kids start the day focused and ready to learn. Many students have a hard time getting to school early enough to eat breakfast in the cafeteria, others try to avoid the “low income” stigma, and still others just don’t want to eat before school starts. Breakfast-After-the-Bell programs remove these barriers to eating a nutritious breakfast and help students succeed.

There’s little doubt among educators that when students start their days with a nutritious breakfast as part of the school day, they are able to focus on learning and not their growling tummies. That’s not just wishful thinking. According to many principals, teachers and nurses in schools that have adopted Breakfast-After-the-Bell programs, they are seeing a number of tangible results from their Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab & Go and Second Chance Breakfast programs.

“By the time noon comes around, if the kids have had nothing, they’re hungry. They’re cranky. Their heads hurt. They’re fidgety. They can’t concentrate. So, if they have breakfast in their stomachs, then overall they have a better day.”

– Nurse, Westside School, Jonesboro

“Since we started Breakfast in the Classroom, we’ve had fewer absences and fewer behavior problems.”

-Principal, Daisy Bates Elementary School, Little Rock

“There’s nothing about this program that doesn’t work for our kids. The last year that breakfast was served in the cafeteria, the line wrapped around the halls, created delays in the start of class time, and students who were late missed breakfast.  This resulted in the counselor’s office being swamped with students who were hungry and wanted something to eat. So she would give those students a breakfast snack.  Now that breakfast is served in the classrooms, she no longer becomes the second string cafeteria.”

-Principal, Taylor Elementary School, Jacksonville

These are representative of the comments we get all the time from educators, but parents are also pleased and grateful for Breakfast-After-the-Bell programs.

“My daughters are in Kindergarten and 4th Grade at Owl Creek School. The free breakfast at school has helped us have less stress in the morning because we do not have to force the kids to eat something before we leave for school. What a great thing! I just wanted you to know that it has made a positive impact for our family.”

-Parent, Owl Creek School, Fayetteville

Committed to Breakfast-After-the-Bell

These innovative breakfast programs are making a difference in the lives of Arkansas children. When asked what she likes best about Breakfast in the Classroom, a 5^th grade girl at Taylor Elementary School said, “I get to eat breakfast with my friends.” A boy told us, “There’s nothing for breakfast at home, so eating here is great. I like coming to school.” A bright-eyed kindergartener smiled and said, “Because it’s fun!”

With everything we know about the value of making breakfast part of the school day, there are still schools in Arkansas that have not adopted Breakfast-After-the-Bell programs. During Arkansas School Breakfast Month, we’re offering special incentives to help schools get started. We’re calling it the Arkansas Breakfast Challenge, and schools can apply for grants and bonuses through March 31, 2015.

If your child’s school isn’t offering Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab & Go or Second Chance Breakfast, let them know about the benefits to students and the incentives available to them to offer an alternative breakfast program.  Want to know more about Breakfast-After-the-Bell programs? Watch our “Breakfast=Success in Arkansas” video and see for yourself. Contact Vivian Nicholson, Breakfast Program Director, at vnicholson@arhungeralliance.org for information about starting a Breakfast-After-the-Bell program.