Alternative school breakfast in urban districts: What do students think?

In many urban school districts, there is a high rate of students that are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, but low participation in the school breakfast program. There are a myriad of reasons for this including stigma of using the program, bus schedules that get students to school too late to participate, and preferring to socialize with friends.

However, many urban school districts are changing when and where breakfast is served -- moving breakfast out of the cafeteria and into classrooms and hallways. With Breakfast in the Classroom, breakfast is incorporated into the elementary school day. With Grab’n’Go serving methods, breakfast can be available to older students up until one hour before lunch begins on kiosks or vending machines in school hallways. With these types of changes, districts have seen participation increase by leaps and bounds. In addition, teachers have seen a turnaround in behavior in their classrooms, and school nurses report fewer early-morning visits by children whose stomachs ache from hunger.

AASA, the School Superintendents Association, worked with 11 urban school districts to change how they serve breakfast. In conducting focus groups with key stakeholders in these districts – including students, cafeteria workers, custodians, teachers, and principals – we learned valuable lessons on the impact that alternative school breakfast can have on a community. This session will highlight the focus group discussion points from students and other key stakeholders, as well as the significant increases in in participation and how that impacts the food service budget.