On Tuesday, March 7, Mayor-President Broome visited Jefferson Terrace Elementary School in East Baton Rouge as a part of No Kid Hungry Louisiana’s National School Breakfast Week celebrations. She was joined by representatives from USDA, the Louisiana Department of Education, East Baton Rouge Superintendent, and members of the school board. The group had the opportunity to learn a little more about the importance and impact of school breakfast as well as see Jefferson Terrace’s grab & go to the classroom operations in action to get over 500 kids fed in 20 minutes!
Following the visit, on Wednesday, Mayor-President Broome also recognized East Baton Rouge Superintendent, Dr. Sito Narcisse, and all of EBR Schools for National School Breakfast Week during a City Council meeting.
National School Breakfast Week is an annual week of celebration that highlights the most important meal of the day and is critical in ensuring kids have the nutrition they need to learn and grow.
By feeding kids a healthy school breakfast, schools are providing the foundation for kids to succeed. School breakfast is intertwined with student success. Studies show that kids who eat school breakfast are more likely to excel academically, be more alert, and have better concentration, memory and attendance and fewer behavior problems. School breakfast is a win for families too and can help lighten the load during busy weekday mornings.
The benefits of school breakfast are compounding and have the ability to affect children now and their futures. Check out these fast facts about school breakfast below, and for additional information and the research behind these facts, click here.
School Breakfast Facts
- Students with regular access to nutritious food tend to have significantly lower levels of behavioral, emotional and educational problems.
- Students who eat breakfast have significantly higher test scores in spelling, reading, and math.
- Providing students with breakfast in the classroom helps to reduce chronic absenteeism by 6%.
- Students who attend class more regularly are 20% more likely to graduate from high school.
- High school graduates on average earn $10,000 more annually and have a higher employment rate.
Feeding kids today is one of the smartest investments we can make to ensure they’re ready to face the challenges of tomorrow. As we celebrate the importance of school breakfast this week, we want to say THANK YOU to both Mayor-President Broome, for her dedication to ending hunger, and to all school nutrition professionals playing a critical role in helping children succeed in and out of the classroom.