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Grants to Help Fund Breakfast Expansion

The Irving ISD Food Service Department received three $1,000.00 grants which will help to fund “Breakfast in the Classroom” programs at Townsell, John Haley, and Lively elementary schools in 2006-2007.  The grants, awarded by DairyMax, are aimed at covering the significant start-up costs of this program, such as expenses for delivery carts, insulated food and beverage containers, etc.

Under the “Breakfast in the Classroom” program, all students and teachers eat breakfast at no charge.  The breakfasts are delivered in insulated containers to the classrooms before the start of the school day.  When the teacher and students arrive in the classroom, breakfast is there, waiting for them.  Generally, classes spend the first ten minutes of the day eating breakfast and receiving health and nutrition-related instruction.

When breakfast is over, the insulated containers, which contain any untouched “extra” or leftover foods and drinks, are placed into the hallway, to be picked up by staff.  Trash bags are also placed in the hallway for pick-up.

Numerous studies indicate that children who eat healthy breakfasts perform better in school, in a variety of areas.  The “Breakfast in the Classroom” program, already in place in five elementary schools, dramatically increases the number of students who eat breakfast.  The normal increase is three or four times the previous level of breakfast participation.