Press Release Details
Students Bolster Brainpower with School Breakfast
Big Increase in Number of SFUSD Students
Eating School Breakfast
March 5, 2015 (San Francisco) – With the recent expansion of flexible eating options, SFUSD is seeing a big leap in the number of students eating breakfast at school this year.
Last year, only a small fraction of students were taking advantage of the early morning school meal. This year, with new approaches, 24 percent more students are eating breakfast at school; an average of 7,300 breakfasts are served each day.
“It’s not enough to just offer students a nutritious breakfast, we must also work together to remove obstacles that prevent students from eating this important meal,” says SFUSD Superintendent Richard A. Carranza. “With more options for when and where they can eat at school, such as breakfast in the classroom, more of our students are well fed and able to focus on learning.”
For example, at Thurgood Marshall, the first SFUSD high school to offer a program called Breakfast for All, the number of students eating school breakfast has nearly doubled since the program began this year. With the Breakfast for All program, every child can receive a breakfast for free and eat it in class while the teacher starts the day with taking attendance, collecting homework or teaching a short lesson. In about 10 minutes, the students have usually finished their meal, and the school day continues -- and so do the benefits of the breakfast, which can include improved academic performance, better behavior and higher attendance rates.
Wayne and Richard are both on Marshall High’s basketball team and have practice before school almost every day.
“I’m hungriest in the morning, and having breakfast brought in to class really helps,” says Richard.
Wayne says he rarely has enough time to eat before school and that food at home was often just cereal. “I really like the food here, especially the yogurt and the bagels. Here I get enough to eat.”
Every school breakfast meets federal nutrition standards limiting fat, calories and sodium. Organic Stonyfield yogurt, sustainably-raised Diestel Family turkey on whole-wheat English muffins, whole-wheat bagels, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit, and other nutritious foods are served daily.
SFUSD breakfast is offered free of charge for all students, regardless of income, at 21 schools with high concentrations of poverty. At all other district schools, the cost is $2.00 for those who do not qualify for free meals.
The week of March 2, 2015 is National School Breakfast Week.
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Students Bolster Brainpower
with School Breakfast
Big Increase in Number of SFUSD Students
Eating School Breakfast
Page updated on 03/05/15