In-class breakfast program

It's not breakfast in bed, but Bowie Junior High is piloting an in-class breakfast program at the secondary level, an idea that aims to make sure more students eat well before starting the school day.

"Data shows their attention span is much better without an empty, growling stomach," Food Services Director Terry Gooch said.

If successful, it's an idea Gooch said will continue and possibly spread.

He said ECISD has provided meals to elementary classrooms for several years due to smaller numbers of students and classrooms, a move that has made an impact.

"Kids don't go down to the nurses to complain of stomachaches only to get some food and juice," he said.

He said the cost won't be calculated until the pilot project ends, but he expects a big difference.

"Reimbursement for breakfast is not that great, and our food and labor costs go up," Gooch said.

He said at best the district will break even, but the district could lose money on the project. He said if the program works, the focus should be on how students benefit from having full stomachs at the start of the day.

He said preliminary data shows much of the student body is picking up the meals, much more than when breakfast was only offered in the cafeteria. He said he estimates about 800 of Bowie's roughly 900 students now get breakfast. Before starting the pilot program to serve breakfast in classrooms, only about 30 to 40 kids would take advantage of the program that has offered breakfast in junior high cafeterias for several years.

"They felt eating breakfast in the cafeteria was associated with qualifying for free lunches," Gooch said.

In addition, the bus schedule meant students often didn't have the time to eat in the cafeteria before class. But, serving in the classroom wasn't an easy solution to the problem. It wasn't until principal Denise Shetter requested lunch in class during TAKS testing that the department decided to try a daily pilot program.

"We felt we needed to do what we can to prepare students to succeed, including giving them a meal," she said. Gooch said he believed if it was important to do for TAKS, the program was worth trying the rest of the year.

"Our minds are so focused on these dad-gum TAKS scores, but eating breakfast is important every day," he said.

Gooch said student volunteers from each classroom pick up the food from the campus cafeteria and then deliver it to their rooms. That took out the difficulty of reaching the entire student population. The remaining issue concerns class scheduling, as students in the first period lose some instruction time to take time to eat breakfast.

"We are working to address that, and it's part of a master scheduling issue," Shetter said.

The campus and food service department will analyze results of teacher and student surveys to see what the campus thinks about the pilot. The study will include a look at actual use of the meals, whether students throw away the food and if so, what items get eaten the most. If enough eat the meals, it may continue into next year.

Shetter said it's important that students get nutrition each morning.

"Without breakfast, the body is not at optimum performance," she said.

BREAKFAST BENEFITS

>> A more complete diet.

>> Improved concentration and performance in the classroom or the boardroom.

>> More strength and endurance for physical activity.

>> Lower cholesterol levels.

>> Weight loss.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/cer4d7