Breakfast in The Classroom

Overview

Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) is a great idea and works very well in elementary schools! At the beginning of each school day all students are offered the opportunity to eat breakfast in their classroom -- at "No Charge" -- regardless of family income. Student participation is optional. However, only breakfast provided by the school is allowed. (No food from home may be eaten in the classroom during breakfast.)

The advantages of BIC are many, but two key benefits emerge:

1. Students begin their day nourished and ready to learn. Research shows that educational dollars are maximized when children begin their school day with breakfast. Breakfast improves academic scores while reducing absenteeism, classroom disruptions, and trips to the school nurse.
2. Feeding more students breakfast can improve the financial bottom line of the school food service program.

How it works (generally)

1. Food service prepares simple yet healthy menu items and puts the food in plastic tubs for each classroom.
2. Each classroom assigns students to collect the BIC breakfast tubs from the cafeteria at the morning bell.
3. In the classroom, students pick-up their food items and a paper napkin. On a BIC meal roster, the teacher marks the students who took a reimbursable breakfast. All students who want breakfast receive the meal at "No Charge."
4. Students eat at their desk, using their napkin as a place mat, while the teacher takes attendance and does other morning activities.
5. After 10 -15 minutes, students clean up their desk and put the trash into a plastic trash bag (that comes in the tub). The bag is then put into the plastic tub and is set outside the classroom to be picked up by custodial or foodservice staff.
6. Food service personnel collect classroom BIC rosters and tally breakfast counts by the eligibility category of the students (paid, reduced price, or free). A very important point to remember is that even though all students eat at "No Charge," the breakfast meals are NOT ALL CLAIMED AS "FREE" BREAKFASTS, BUT ARE CLAIMED IN THE ELIGIBLITY CATEGORY OF THE STUDENT WHO RECEIVED THE REIMBURSABLE BREAKFAST MEAL.

BIC success stories

Financial rewards: Pilot Rock School District in Eastern Oregon was thousands of dollars in the red in their food service program account. After three months of BIC at the elementary school, the district was able to bring the food service fund into a very positive plus balance. For more information, contact Cathy Stelk at 541-443-8291, or email: cstelk@pilotrock.k12.or.us 

Increased Breakfast Participation: Rhonda Hoffine, food service director for North Bend School District, implemented BIC in North Bend, Coquille and Myrtle Point school districts. The breakfast participation at these school districts increased 49%, 52%, and 55%, respectively. Teachers were initially reluctant about the program, but after several weeks saw the benefits and became very supportive. For more information, contact Ronda Hoffine at 541-756-8305, or email: rhoffine@nbend.k12.or.us 

Perceived barriers

Breakfast in the classroom will cut into instructional time.
Reality: The first 10-15 minutes of class time is spent in activities that accommodate the eating of breakfast.

Meals in the classroom will be messy.
Reality: Menus are simple and planned to reduce messiness (see menu ideas, below). Menus include items that are hand-held and easily eaten by students. Surveyed schools with BIC report that trash and messes were easily handled and were not the problem for teachers that they thought it might be. Each classroom can have its own disinfectant spray bottle, paper towels, and a broom/dustpan for spills, but these items are rarely needed. In most schools, students are responsible for keeping their own areas clean and tend to be careful when eating their meals.

Teachers will resist the idea
Reality: Teachers who are now doing BIC are the strongest advocates of the program. They see the benefits of well-fed students and improved academic and classroom behavior. Some schools also give their teachers a breakfast at no charge as a "thank-you" for their participation and to model correct eating behaviors to the students. Note: Teachers can receive a breakfast at no charge, as they are now considered part of the food service program.

Supporting materials

Financial worksheets: Contact your nutrition specialist at the Oregon Department of Education, or Heidi Dupuis at (503) 378-3600, Ext. 2623, for BIC financial spreadsheets that will help you project additional revenues from the BIC program.

Breakfast Promotion Curriculum: Start Smart Eating and Reading: A fun-filled breakfast, nutrition & reading program for grades K-2, is a new nutrition education breakfast promotion curriculum for K-2 classrooms. Teachers can download this web-based publication from the following website:
http://eesc.oregonstate.edu/agcomwebfile/EdMat/html/4-H/4-H6830L/startsmart.html 

Breakfast Websites

• Great site (MA DOE) for breakfast importance and promotion supported by research
  http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/news01/symp/clips.asp 
• Maryland's Breakfast Research fact sheets:
  http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/sfs/expanding-masters.asp 
• Discover School Breakfast Toolkit
  http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/breakfast/toolkit/Default.htm 
• SNA news story on promoting breakfast
  http://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/sfsnews/promotemeals.asp 
• School Breakfast Case Studies (real schools increasing breakfast participation)
  http://www.childrenshungeralliance.org/NEWS/0412/0412-casestudies.html 
• For Marketing Breakfast: Breakfast Boosts Brain Power brochure and Start Your Head poster (Washington Dairy Council) - these resources are listed with a bunch of others at
  http://www.eatsmart.org/sitemap.asp#cat1130 

Breakfast in the Classroom menu ideas

Many of these menu ideas include whole grain and high fiber foods that are low in sugar and moderate in protein. Quantities meet the food based menu pattern for a USDA reimbursable school breakfast.

Quick & Easy BIC Menus

More complex breakfast in the classroom menu ideas