This year, we encouraged school districts to participate in the Arkansas School Breakfast Month Challenge in one or more of these award categories: Most innovative breakfast promotion, most popular or creative breakfast food, and largest breakfast participation increase. Participating schools were eligible to win dollars for their child nutrition programs. Prizes for winning districts’ child nutrition departments were provided by the VCC Cares Foundation. We appreciate our partners at the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Child Nutrition Unit and the Arkansas School Nutrition Association for their support. We also thank this year’s School Breakfast Challenge sponsor, VCC Cares Foundation, as we asked school districts across the state to “DIG IN-to School Breakfast.”

Winners of the 2023 School Breakfast Month Challenge are:

Largest Breakfast Participation Increase

First Prize: Van Buren School District

Second Prize: North Little Rock School District

Third Prize: Paris School District

For over a decade, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance has requested the support of the Governor’s office and key child health and education advocates to celebrate March as School Breakfast Month to highlight the role that the USDA’s School Breakfast Program plays in ensuring that all Arkansas students are healthy, active, and ready to learn every day so they can thrive.

We thank Governor Sarah Sanders for proclaiming March as School Breakfast Month and thank our partners at the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Child Nutrition Unit and the Arkansas School Nutrition Association for their support. We also thank this year’s School Breakfast Challenge sponsor, VCC Cares Foundation, as we encourage school districts across the state to “DIG IN-to School Breakfast” and participate in the Challenge in one or more of these award categories, with these prize amounts to go to the winning districts’ child nutrition departments: First-$1,500, Second-$1,000, Third-$500 in each of the 3 categories:

1. Most innovative breakfast promotion

2. Most popular or creative breakfast food (with recipe)

3. Largest breakfast participation increase (comparing February 2023 to March 2023)

Challenge winners to be announced in April, contact Vivian Nicholson, Vnicholson@arhungeralliance.org to participate.

Breakfast After the Bell programs, which make breakfast part of the school day, have been shown to be effective ways of ensuring more students realize the benefits of breakfast.  According to the AR Department of Education, since Breakfast After the Bell programs were introduced in Arkansas schools in the 2011-2012 school year, the number of breakfast meals served to students has increased by a whopping 7.3 million, more than 27 percent! And according to FRAC, during the 2020-2021 school year, the rate of low-income Arkansas students participating in school breakfast compared to lunch increased to 73.6 percent, exceeding the long-time goal of 70 percent breakfast/lunch participation, due in part to the implementation of school meal delivery best practices such as Breakfast in the Classroom, Second Chance Breakfast, and Grab and Go Breakfast.