As I walked off an airplane yesterday in Denver, the large Food Network–No Kid Hungry sign was straight in front of me. The only thing that would have made it a more appropriate greeting would have been my other mantra: Breakfast. Every Student. Every Day. 

Denver International Airport, December 1, 2014

Breakfast does change everything for children. Breakfast changes their ability to focus, concentrate and learn – to listen to their teachers rather than their stomachs. Breakfast changes behavior too. Hungry children are often anxious, distracted and attention seeking. Breakfast changes school attendance patterns as well. A November 24, 2014, article in JAMA Pediatrics confirmed that a Breakfast in the Classroom program can dramatically increase breakfast participation and improve school attendance as well.

The accompanying editorial “Continued Promise of School Breakfast Programs for Improving Academic Outcomes: Breakfast Is Still the Most Important Meal of the Day” summarizes the research to date. The authors conclude with the powerful statement that … “innovative breakfast programs, with their wide reach and high implementation rates, have the potential to address the achievement gap in the United States.” A 2013 report, Ending childhood hunger: A social impact analysis prepared by Deloitte for No Kid Hungry reached basically the same conclusion: Breakfast Changes Lives

Breakfast Changes Lives, 2013 No Kid Hungry Report

The good news for hungry students and their families is that #RealSchoolFood is not just for lunch it’s for breakfast too! School nutrition directors are meeting the challenge of the new Breakfast Meal Pattern with all whole grain-rich cereals, breads, bagels and more – and additional servings of fruit available to every child. Read all about how districts are managing – with limited budgets – to provide brain fuel for students in my article on School Breakfast 2014: Can Cafeterias Rise and Shine? in the November 2014 issue of the School Nutrition Magazine (page 72).

Rise and Shine with School Breakfast article begins on page 72

While a simple grab-and-go breakfast of whole grain cereal, milk and fruit offers nutrient-rich fuel for learning, many schools go way beyond the basics. Such programs are regularly featured on the School Nutrition Foundation’s Beyond Breakfast blog and the American Association of School Administrator’s Courageous Conversations with superintendents. You can also find more than a hundred photos, tips and recipes ideas on the School Breakfasts That Rock Pinterest board. Breakfast changes everything by putting a smile on a child’s face!

Breakfast in the Classroom, Goddard Elementary Worcester, Massachusetts