Implementing a District-Wide

Alternative Breakfast Program

Nashua School District

Devin Williamson
KSC Dietetic Intern
2016-2017

1
INTRODUCTION

Out of all students in the Nashua School District (NSD), 42% of students are eligible
for free and reduced meals. Interestingly, only 14% of NSD students participate in
school breakfast. With such a large percentage of students that are eligible for free
and reduced meals, a higher breakfast participation rate is expected. Many of those
students are at risk of missing breakfast at home due to financial constraints, and
therefore skipping breakfast altogether. Research has shown that students that are
hungry are more likely to repeat a grade, have lower math scores, be absent or
tardy, and experience behavioral and emotional problems [1]. Foodservice funds
are also impacted by the low breakfast participation rate. Different reimbursements
rates are used for each group of students, but the three groups (free, reduced-price,
and paid) receive different levels of federal reimbursement. The more students who
take part in breakfast, the higher the reimbursement is that is provided by the
federal government [2].

Two likely barriers to students not eating breakfast at school are schedule and
stigma [3]. Students may arrive past service time, which leaves a small amount of
time to eat, and may deter the student from choosing breakfast. Perhaps the student
may choose to socialize with friends instead of traveling to the cafeteria to eat
breakfast. Additionally, there is a stigma that can be associated with school
breakfast. Students may feel that eating breakfast in the cafeteria makes their
poverty obvious to their peers. In order for school breakfast to be successful, it
needs to occur at a time that accommodates the students' schedule and at a location
where stigma is reduced. This proposal discusses alternative breakfast methods
that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual schools within the district.

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ALTERNATIVE BREAKFAST METHODS

Method #1: Breakfast in the Classroom

Participants:
Elementary school students

Definition:
Pre-packaged food is eaten in the classroom after the opening bell

Implementation:
Breakfast can be delivered via cart in the hallway or picked up in the
cafeteria by student volunteer and taken to the classroom
Serving time, cleanup, and eating should take 10-15 minutes; it is
recommended to set a timer to develop a routine
Teachers are able to use mealtime to take attendance, hand out and review
homework, or read aloud
Used trash bags are placed in the hallway outside of the classroom and are to
be picked up by custodial staff

Success Stories:
In Marietta City Schools in Georgia, teachers noticed better class
participation and attentiveness from their students. Breakfast participation
increased by 27% after implementing Breakfast in the Classroom [4].
A study found that Breakfast in the Classroom increases participation in the
School Breakfast Program. The participation rate for schools with Breakfast
in the Classroom was 73.7% versus the 42.9% in schools without Breakfast
in the Classroom [5].

3
Method #2: Grab and Go

Participants:
Middle school students
High school students

Definition:
Food is distributed via kiosks that are located in high traffic areas such as the
entrance to the school

Implementation:
Students grab a meal before class begins, and can eat in the hallway or in the
classroom
Students should have access to their school meal account via wireless POS
It is anticipated that offering students several food choices and having them
bag it themselves will be more successful than pre-bagging items

Success Stories:
The anonymity and increased access of grab-n-go breakfast has been found
to increase participation among economically disadvantaged children [6].
Seabrook School District in New Hampshire implemented a program where
students picked up breakfast near the bus entrance. Teachers set the rules
for eating at their desks. Breakfast participation rose from 50 breakfasts per
day to 230 breakfasts per day (a 44% breakfast participation rate) [4].

4
Method #3: Second Chance Breakfast

Participants:
Middle school students
High school students

Definition:
Breakfast is served between first and second class period during break

Implementation:
Pre-packaged reimbursable meals are offered from high traffic areas for
quick service OR can offer second breakfast service from cafeteria
Beneficial for students who were not hungry first thing in the morning and
skipped breakfast, or those who ate breakfast very early
Extra trash cans in the area where students are between classes helps to
reduce litter

Success Stories:
Jay School District in Jay, Maine saw breakfast participation rise from 15
students to 135 students per day. Students were given 13 minutes to eat
after their first class period and a self-service breakfast was held in the
cafeteria [4].
At Newark Unified School District in California, the breakfast participation
rate nearly doubled when the second chance breakfast program was
implemented in SY 2006-2007. In the same year, school lunch participation
increased concurrently [7].

5
WORKS CITED

1. American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. "Breakfast Blueprint." 2017,

https://www.aft.org/breakfast-blueprint?page=1
2. Hale, Barbara. "Attitudinal Barriers to School Breakfast Programs Identified."
PennState, 19 Mar. 2009, http://news.psu.edu/story/218375/2003/10
/28/attitudinal-barriers-school-breakfast-programs-identified
3. NEA Healthy Future & Share our Strength. "Start School with Breakfast: A Guide to
Increasing School Breakfast Participation." http://healthyfutures.nea.org/
wp-content/uploads/2015/05/hin-sos-for-web-final.pdf
4. Winters, Josh. "Expanding Breakfast Participation in your School."
https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/ExpandingBreakfast.pdf
5. Hunger Solutions New York. "Study: Breakfast In Classroom Program Linked To
Better Breakfast Participation, Attendance." http://hungersolutionsny.org/
information-resources/research-data/study-breakfast-classroom-program-
linked-better-breakfast
6. Conklin, Martha T. et al. "Grab 'n' Go Breakfast Increases Participation in the
School Breakfast Program." The Journal of Child Nutrition & Management, vol.
28, no. 1, 2004, https://schoolnutrition.org/uploadedFiles/5_News_and_
Publications/4_The_Journal_of_Child_Nutrition_and_Management/Spring_20
04/7-conklin.pdf
7. Shimada, Tia. "Evaluating School Breakfast and Implementing Second Chance
Breakfast." Newark Unified School District, Mar. 2009. http://cfpa.net/
ChildNutrition/SBP/CFPAPublications/NewarkUSD-Evaluation-FullReport-
2009.pdf