‘Out of This World’ campaign encourages families to choose breakfast at school

To encourage more families to take advantage of the healthy choices available for school breakfast, Newton Community schools will celebrate National School Breakfast Week during March 2-6.

Busy weekday mornings make it a challenge for many families to find time for a healthy breakfast. However, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that more and more students are starting their day with a nutritious breakfast in their school cafeterias. The USDA School Breakfast Program currently serves more than 14 million students every day. 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

The National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) campaign theme, “Out of This World,” reminds the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. School nutrition professionals and students will be encouraged to show their enthusiasm for school breakfast during the week as the district celebrates with building principals serving breakfast and drawings for prizes during the week.

“A healthy breakfast at the start of the day is a great way to ensure students get the best education they can,” Cristy Croson, food service supervisor, said. “National School Breakfast Week helps us educate parents and students about all the healthy, great tasting, and appealing choices we offer.”

The district serves more than 700 breakfast meals daily through the federally funded School Breakfast Program. School nutrition professionals in Newton schools prepare breakfast and lunches every day that meet federal nutrition standards — limiting fat, calories and sodium — while encouraging students to choose from the fruits, vegetables and whole grains offered with school meals.

Grab and Go Breakfast and Second Chance Breakfast are offered at the Newton High School to give students more opportunities to eat breakfast during extended serving times.

The “Out of This World” campaign is made possible by the School Nutrition Association and Kellogg’s.

Parents and students can follow the fun on Facebook.com/TrayTalk using the hashtag #NSBW20.

For more information about Newton School meals, visit newtoncsd.org or schoolnutrition.org/SchoolMeals.