February 11, 2015

New Jersey achieved the greatest rise in the nation in the percent of low-income students eating breakfast at school, according to a new national report released yesterday.

The Food Research and Action Center found that New Jersey’s participation rate jumped nearly 13 percent from the 2012-13 to the 2013-14 school years. The state now ranks 28th in the nation for breakfast participation – up from 37th last year and 46th a few years ago. The average national increase was about 3 percent.

“This means that more children are beginning their school day with the nutrition they need to concentrate and learn,” said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, a leader of the NJ Food for Thought School Breakfast Campaign. “New Jersey’s school leaders should be commended for addressing childhood hunger – a major barrier to learning.”

Read the release.

Haven’t made the move to breakfast after the bell?
New grants are now available! AASA, The School Superintendents Association, has funding available and looking for districts to work with! Proposals are being accepted through March 13, 2015. The organization is interested in funding districts that want to bring alternative school breakfast to some or all of their schools for the first time or districts that already serve alternative school breakfast but are not seeing results.

For more information and to download the RFP, go to: http://tinyurl.com/p6nsqcu