Lancaster County Public Schools will celebrate National School Breakfast Week March 6 through 10.
This celebration will bring attention to the importance of starting each morning with breakfast, reported director of food services Stephanie Carter.
During National School Breakfast Week, the public is invited to come out and purchase a good, healthy Grab-N-Go breakfast for the low cost of $1.20, said Carter. As the schools promote Grab-N-Go breakfast in the classroom, folks are urged to purchase a Grab-N-Go breakfast and take it to work, or home.
Since 1989, National School Breakfast Week has offered schools a chance to highlight their school breakfast programs and celebrate the staff who ensure that students have the fuel they need to succeed each day, she said. By participating in National School Breakfast Week celebrations, students, parents and staff have an opportunity to learn more about the healthy choices offered each morning. Through the federally funded School Breakfast Program, schools are required to serve foods that meet the federal nutrition guidelines, therefore encouraging more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
“We have two schools participating in the Grab-N-Go breakfast program, Lancaster Primary and Lancaster Middle schools,” said Carter. “Lancaster Middle school, since participating in the program has doubled the breakfast participation.”
Virginia has made great progress, expanding school breakfast participation through alternative breakfast models such as Grab & Go Breakfast, Breakfast in the Classroom and Second Chance Breakfast, she continued.
By bringing breakfast out of the cafeteria and making it a part of the school day, these programs increase student access to school breakfast which, in turn, increases participation.
Due, in large part to these changes, Virginia schools served nearly 5 million more breakfasts during the 2015-16 school year, compared to the 2014-15 school year. On average, 15,900 more students participated in school breakfast each day in October of 2016, compared to October of 2015.
