BREAKFAST PROGRAM

BREAKFAST PROGRAM. Due to a variety of reasons, all children entering school do not begin on an equal footing nutritionally. The lack of breakfast led teachers at the elementary to schedule reading early in the morning while their students were at least rested. Classes like mathematics were scheduled after lunch when students had perhaps had their first nutritious meal.

In the 2010-11 academic year, the DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT experimented with providing a breakfast to students before school. Between then and 2013 the program enrollment soared. In 2010-11 there were 102,733 meals served in elementary schools. This number rose to 120,393 in 2011-12 and reached 126,004 in 2012-13. Beginning with cold cereal, the district switched in 2012-13 to serving hot breakfast on certain days at some schools including five days a week at Irving. In 2013-14 hot breakfast was served three days each week at Bryant, and five days per week at Sageville. Hot breakfasts were served five days per week at Carver and Prescott, three days at Audubon, Fulton, and Marshall and one day at Lincoln. The remaining schools continued the cold breakfast throughout the week. In 2013-14 the district also served hot breakfasts at the middle and high schools.

Operating like the lunch program, students paid full price for the meals unless they qualified for free or reduced prices. The intention was to expand the hot breakfasts as spaces were remodeled to accommodate them.

Breakfasts could include some cold items like cereal with hot items like waffles, French toast sticks, breakfast bagels or pancakes. Occasionally breakfast bars were given to students who did not participate in the breakfast and did not eat breakfast at home.

---

Source:

Becker, Stacey, "Breakfast Championed at Dubuque Schools," Telegraph Herald, March 8, 2014, p. 1A