By Jenny Bethel
Guest Writer
Busy weekday mornings make it a challenge for many families to find time for a healthy breakfast. Fortunately, Clay County Schools offer nutritious school breakfasts,
complete with fruit and low-fat or fat-free milk, to ensure students are fueled for learning every school day. At Clay County Schools, Pre-k students eat in the cafeteria and the rest of the grades have the opportunity of eating breakfast in their classroom! This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowing all children to receive school breakfast and lunch for free, without an application, so it’s a great time for families to give school breakfast a try. The National School Breakfast Week campaign theme, “Score Big with School Breakfast,” reminds the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. Studies show that students who eat school breakfast are more likely to:
• Reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math.
• Score higher on standardized tests.
• Have better concentration and memory.
• Be more alert.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
School nutrition professionals and students were encouraged to show their enthusiasm for school breakfast last week, March 8-12 as the district celebrated NSBW with special menus and a few prizes for those kids that participated.
“A healthy breakfast at the start of the day is a great way to ensure students get the best education they can,” said Jenny Bethel, Director of School Nutrition. “National School Breakfast Week helps us educate parents and students about all the healthy, great tasting and appealing choices we offer.”
For details visit: www.clayschools.org and click on the Child Nutrition department or: www.schoolnutrition.org/SchoolMeals.