Got Bracelets With Your Breakfast

For eight months, local elementary schools have offered free breakfast to all students regardless of income status.

Now eight of those schools are testing a new program aimed at feeding more children in a shorter period of time.

Considering that cafeteria officials at 28 elementary schools have only 20 minutes to feed breakfast to an estimated 20,000 students, the School District decided to launch Breakfast Breaks, a pilot prepackaged breakfast program.

Children call the boxed meals “breakfast lunchables.” Based on interviews with students, including College Park kindergartner Ricardo Gonzales, the program is a success.

“I like the animal crackers,” said Ricardo, 6, as he stood by his desk, munched on some crackers and pointed to his new blue rubber bracelet. The bracelet came with Monday’s meal. Ricardo recited the words imprinted on the rubber: “Got Breakfast?”

The program, offered at the eight schools on Monday and Friday only, began April 9 and will continue through the end of the school year.

Each prepackaged breakfast includes 100-percent juice, graham crackers and a reduced-sugar, whole-grain cereal. The school system also serves 8 ounces of whole milk to the children.

April Liles, the School District food service coordinator, said the trial program is a response to time concerns.

“We needed a way to serve more children, and to do it much faster,” Liles said.

Liles said that in the 2004-05 school year, before free breakfast was made available to all students, College Park Elementary served a daily average of 325 meals to 44 percent of the school’s students.

Last year, College Park was one of four schools selected for the initial free breakfast program. During that year, 375 meals, going to 48 percent of the students, were served on average each day.

Before the Breakfast Breaks program, College Park had increased its daily average participation to 450 meals, or 53 percent of the students.

Last Friday, during the second day of Breakfast Breaks, a school-record 500 prepackaged meals - going to 62 percent of students - were handed out in 15 minutes.

Schools participating in Breakfast Breaks fed 15 percent more students last Friday than they did on the same day the previous week.

“As you can see, the numbers are increasing,” said Liles, adding that 15 percent more students, or roughly 3,000, are eating breakfast throughout Marion County when compared with the 2004-05 school year.

Since most elementary school cafeterias can’t handle their entire student populations at one time, some schools send children to classrooms to eat. That means spills, and many teachers don’t like to start the day cleaning up messes.

At first, College Park, teacher Lisa Winstanley really didn’t like the idea of her students eating breakfast in the classroom. But now she figures there is no reason to cry over spilled milk.

The full article can be read here.