Helping More Kids Eat Breakfast

This school year Action for Healthy Kids is providing $55,000 in grants, along with technical assistance, to 41 schools to expand breakfast programs that will help more kids start the day with a healthy meal so they can do better in school. Early results are very encouraging. Grant projects include alternatives to traditional breakfast served in the cafeteria before school; marketing programs to promote the benefits of school breakfast to parents, students and teachers; and enrichment activities that enhance the school breakfast program.

Below is a sample of highlights from mid-year reports of the grant projects, made possible with support from Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund.

Larry C. Kennedy Elementary (Phoenix, AZ)
237% increase in school breakfast participation
Kennedy Elementary is part of Creighton School District, which has 84 percent of students receiving free or reduced lunch. The district used Action for Healthy Kids grant money to purchase equipment that now provides daily breakfast for hundreds of students in the district.

Cedar Heights Elementary (Cedar Heights, OH)
68% increase in school breakfast participation
Grant funds were used to buy equipment to serve breakfast to classrooms on the upper level of the school, and keep food and milk cold.

Brian Piccolo Elementary Specialty School (Chicago, IL)
39% increase in school breakfast participation
As students enter the building each morning, they receive a healthy, pre-packaged or “grab-n-go” meal to take to class.

Ogilvie Elementary (Ogilvie, MN)
90% increase in school breakfast participation
Ogilvie used a $1,500 grant from Action for Healthy Kids to purchase carts that allow staff to deliver breakfast to classrooms. Seventy-five percent of Ogilvie students now eat a nutritious breakfast during their classroom’s ‘morning meeting’ time before classes begin, a 90 percent increase over last year. 

Cold Springs Elementary (Gloucester City, NJ)
20% increase in school breakfast participation
School breakfast has been promoted to students, parents and staff, with activities and incentives for those who participate. Promotions include themed breakfast day, teddy bear day and story time day.

Bunnell Elementary School (Bunnell, FL)
13% increase in school breakfast participation
Universal Free Breakfast is available to all students and includes a “grab-n-go” meal that allows kids to eat breakfast in the classroom. School administrators are reporting fewer student absences and late arrivals to school.