THIS idea... it's a damn GOOD ONE

I don't who came up with this idea... but it's a damn GOOD ONE!

Officials in Moreno Valley USD hope all students will take advantage of the free breakfast program that starts Tuesday at all 37 school sites in the Moreno Valley Unified District.

“A well-nourished child is one ready to learn,” said Carla Lyder, the district’s assistant director of nutrition services. “Our goal is to provide good food as part of the equation to support education. ”Ideally, she wants every one of the district’s 36,000 students to try the daily, no-cost breakfasts, which include waffles, pancakes, sausages, muffins, fruit, French toast, bagels and low-sugar cereals.

Research has linked school breakfast programs with higher test scores and grades, improved attendance and fewer referrals to school nurses. In California, evidence is mostly anecdotal. Some districts have begun to document the changes in student performances that follow school breakfasts.

About 56 percent of California students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, but less than one-third of those eligible take part in school breakfasts.

Missed meals mean missed money for cash-strapped districts. Statewide, they would have received an additional $350 million in federal meal reimbursements if school breakfast participation were as high as lunch participation. For districts hobbled by budget cuts, the reimbursements are critical.

In Moreno Valley Unified, breakfast participation is only one-third of that for the lunch program, which draws 22,000 to 25,000 students a day.

The social stigma, difficulty getting to school early and dependence on a parent’s work schedule are deterrents to school breakfasts, Lyder said. What’s more, each school’s breakfast times are different, some starting at 6:15, others at 8:20.

The district projects the free meal will increase breakfast participation a minimum of 10 to 15 percent. The nutrition department will order food week to week and buy more as numbers rise, Lyder said.The district won’t touch its reserves or general fund, but will re-invest money from the low-cost eligibility program to pay for the universal breakfast, according to Lyder. A computer program is in place to daily track breakfast eaters at each site, she said.


Ms. Lyder is right. It not only won't cost the district any extra, but may add to  it's shakey revenue stream. Not only, but it will partially change the socio-economic range of the district which in this case may raise test scores overall. NOT TO MENTION its the right thing to do. IMAGINE!

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