March 2-6 is National School Breakfast Week

TOPEKA — Students at 21 schools will have better access to breakfast after a total of $55,965 in subgrants was awarded to 18 districts across the state.

This is the third year the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has provided the subgrants for innovative breakfast delivery models – and Kansas is seeing an increase in the number of breakfasts being served at schools.

The announcement comes just in time for National School Breakfast Week, which is March 2-6.

The grants boost innovative breakfast delivery models, such as Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go Breakfast and Second Chance Breakfast, which bring breakfast out of the cafeteria and into the classroom.

Grants were made possible by the Midwest Dairy Council, School Nutrition Association of Kansas and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, said Jill Ladd, assistant director of the Kansas State Department of Education’s Child Nutrition and Wellness team.

“This was the third round of breakfast subgrants that KSDE has been able to award since November 2018,” Ladd said. “The total funds distributed equals $305,557. Innovative breakfast models have helped school breakfast participation in Kansas soar. More schools are offering breakfast via innovative models, and as a result, during the 2018-2019 school year, 864,799 more breakfasts were served as compared to the 2017-2018 school year. This school year (August through November), Kansas schools have already served an additional 537,159 breakfasts as compared to the 2018-2019 school year.”

Students who eat breakfast reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math, score higher on standardized tests, have better concentration and memory, are more alert and are ready to start their day and learn while at school, according to the School Nutrition Association.

Kansas was named as one of the Top 10 states based on percentage of growth in the number of free and reduced-price breakfast participants (2017-2018 school year to 2018-2019 school year), according to the School Breakfast Scorecard released earlier this month. Kansas was ranked sixth with a 2.3% increase in participation.

The following Kansas schools received an Innovative Breakfast Delivery Grant from KSDE:

• Cimarron High School, Cimarron-Ensign Unified School District 102, $1,954.
• Jardine Technology Middle Magnet School, Wichita USD 259, $4,000.

• Maize Senior High School, Maize USD 266, $2,710.
• Wellsville High School, Wellsville USD 289, $3,814.
• Quinter Elementary School, Quinter USD 293, $1,087.
• Southeast of Saline Elementary School, Southeast of Saline USD 306, $2,500.
• Haven High School, Haven USD 312, $2,606.
• Wamego High School, Wamego USD 320, $2,100.
• Wamego Middle School, Wamego USD 320, $2,100.
• Royal Valley High School, Royal Valley USD 337, $3,000.
• Royal Valley Middle School, Royal Valley USD 337, $250.
• Kinsley Junior-Senior High School, Kinsley-Offerle USD 347, $243.76.
• Oxford Elementary School, Oxford USD 358, $3,500.
• Yates Center High School, Woodson USD 366, $4,000.
• Andover Central Middle School, Andover USD 385, $3,500.
• Ellis High School, Ellis USD 388, $4,000.
• Robinson Elementary School, Augusta USD 402, $1,500.
• Wilroads Garden Elementary School, Dodge City USD 443, $1,100.
• Lansing High School, Lansing USD 469, $4,000.
• Hillcrest Elementary School, Lawrence USD 497, $4,000.
• Lawrence High School, Lawrence USD 497, $4,000.

Schools across the country will be encouraging more families to take advantage of the healthy choices available for school breakfast during National School Breakfast Week. This year’s campaign theme is “Out of This World.” The week was launched in 1989 to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions since 1975.

For more information on National School Breakfast Week, visit https://schoolnutrition.org/meetings/events/nsbw/2020/.