One of the busiest times of any given school day is the morning arrival. During the week from about 7 to 10 a.m., staff at Charles County’s 36 elementary, middle and high schools are busy welcoming students to school. It is part of a daily routine for more than 26,300 students in Charles County Public Schools (CCPS).
Missing for some as part of that daily routine is a jump start to their school day: a healthy and nutritional breakfast. To encourage healthy habits and a positive start to the school day for children, CCPS is offering free breakfast for all students next month, from Oct. 3 through Oct. 28. Offerings will include items featured in breakfast kits such as cereal, milk, juice and fruit.
Since the start of the school year, CCPS food nutrition staff has served more than 100,000 healthy breakfasts to students. The goal of the free breakfast initiative is to ensure all students have a healthy start to the school day.
“We understand the important role a nutritious breakfast plays in the start of the school day for all kids, from our youngest learners to our older students. Children can’t focus on learning if they are hungry and eating a healthy breakfast helps our students listen better, learn and participate. It is important that we demonstrate healthy habits our students can model outside of the classroom and learn to incorporate into their daily routines,” Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Hill said.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, when children eat breakfast they exhibit better memorization skills, a higher attention span, healthier body weights and demonstrate an overall improvement in nutrition choices. This in turn can help to support the personal and academic success of children at school.
Last school year, CCPS food and nutrition services served 2.4 million lunches and 1.7 million breakfasts to students. According to William Kreuter, supervisor of food and nutrition services for CCPS, the school system has grown from serving 3,000 breakfasts per day in 2010 to about 10,500 a day in 2016.
The free breakfast does not apply to a la carte items at the middle and high school levels. Additionally, breakfast offerings for students that attend schools enrolled in the Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) program will not change next month. Fourteen schools are MMFA schools, at which free breakfast is served all school year to all students.
Menu options and offerings for both breakfast and lunch choices is posted on the CCPS website at http://ccboe.nutrislice.com/.
