National School Breakfast Week campaign encourages students to try school breakfast

To encourage more families to take advantage of the healthy choices available with school breakfast, Newton Community School District will celebrate National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) during March 7-11.

Busy weekday mornings make it a challenge for many families to find time for a healthy breakfast. Fortunately, Newton schools offer nutritious school breakfasts, complete with fruit and low-fat or fat-free milk, to ensure students are fueled for learning every school day. This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowing all children to receive school breakfast and lunch for free, without an application, so it’s a great time for families to give school breakfast a try.

The NSBW campaign theme, “Take Off with School Breakfast,” reminds the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. Studies show that students who eat school breakfast are more likely to:

• Reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math

• Score higher on standardized tests

• Have better concentration and memory

• Be more alert

• Maintain a healthy weight

School nutrition professionals and students will be encouraged to show their enthusiasm for school breakfast from March 7-11 as the district celebrates NSBW with special menus, activities and more.

“A healthy breakfast at the start of the day is a great way to ensure students are nourished and ready to learn,” Cristy Croson, supervisor food service, said. “National School Breakfast Week helps us educate parents and students about all the nutritious and delicious choices we offer.”

The “Take Off with School Breakfast” campaign is made possible by the School Nutrition Association and Kellogg’s. Parents and students can follow the fun on Facebook.com/TrayTalk using the hashtag #NSBW22.

For more information about Newton School meals, visit www.newtoncsd.org www.schoolnutrition.org/SchoolMeals

National School Breakfast Week was launched in 1989 to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, a federally assisted meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions since 1975.