 |
| Louis Escobar, Rhode
Island Dairy Farmer and President of Rhody Fresh Milk, speaking to students at Ferri Middle School in Johnston. |
By
Jane Q Vergnani, Nutrition Specialist for New England Dairy & Food Council
As
a transplant Rhode Islander – or as my 4-year-old daughter says, “Little
Rhody’er” – who has lived, gone to school and worked as a nutrition specialist
for the New England Dairy & Food Council in the state for over seven years,
I am passionate about helping students succeed.
Through
my work with Fuel Up to Play 60, an in-school nutrition and physical activity
program created by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League,
in cooperation with the USDA, I have the opportunity to visit and work with
many schools throughout Rhode Island.
Over
the past several years, it is hard not to notice the impact the Great Recession
has had on the population of Rhode Island. Between 2008-2012, 21 percent of
children under the age of six lived below the poverty threshold.
The
Rhode Island Department of Education is required to offer the School Breakfast
Program in all of its schools, yet data from the department reveals that,
during the 2012-2013 school year only 50 students who are eligible to receive
free or reduced price meals participated in school breakfast for every 100
students who participated in school lunch.
There
are several reasons why students may start their school day hungry. Mornings
are busy and sometimes, even though breakfast is available at school, it can be
difficult for students to have time to eat breakfast in the cafeteria and get
to class on time.
When
schools bring breakfast outside of the cafeteria to areas such as the front
foyer and offer ‘Grab and Go’ style or to the classroom as part of a Breakfast
in the Classroom program, many more students eat breakfast and are ready to
learn.
On
average, daily school breakfast participation can jump as much as 25 percent or
more simply by making it more accessible to students. Elementary schools in
Central Falls, Cranston and Providence have already implemented Breakfast in
the Classroom programs and have seen their participation jump dramatically.
This
year, more school districts from Woonsocket and Johnston to Foster-Glocester
and Narragansett have made it a priority to ensure that their students are
ready to learn each morning by implementing ‘Grab and Go’ style breakfast
programs in their schools.
Who
makes it happen in the school? It could be an administrator, classroom
teacher, or a school nurse who receives one too many visits from a hungry
student or even the students themselves. The key to making school
breakfast a success is teamwork and removing the stigma that there is something
wrong with eating breakfast at school.
The
best programs that I have seen implemented in Rhode Island schools are those started
by dedicated school wellness leaders working with a student team to create a
school-wide effort.
School
breakfast programs like the new ‘Grab and Go’ style offering at Nicolas A.
Ferri Middle School in Johnston or at Narragansett Elementary School in
Narragansett would not be possible without the support and Fuel Up to Play 60
funding from our dairy farmers of New England who are committed to the health
and wellness of our youth.
Louis
Escobar, Rhode Island Dairy Farmer and President of Rhody Fresh Milk, helped us
kick off our “It’s Starts with School Breakfast” Fuel Up to Play 60 Rhode
Island Campaign at Ferri last March to celebrate the new ‘Grab and Go’ style
breakfast program by speaking with the students about the importance of eating
breakfast.
The
students loved listening to a REAL dairy farmer. When students can make the
local farm-to-school connection and understand where healthy foods come from,
they are more likely to eat them.
Dairy
farmers from Ocean Breeze Farm in Westerly, Sylvia Panciera and her daughter,
Britney, understand the importance of students making this connection and that
hunger doesn’t end when school is out for the summer. That’s why they spoke to
students and families at the Cranston Summer Meal kick-off in July at Gladstone
Elementary School.
Curious
to learn more about alternative school breakfast programs such as a Grab and
Go, Breakfast in the Classroom or our other school wellness
initiatives? Visit NewEnglandDairyCouncil.org for
more information, funding opportunities and resources.