SCHOOL BREAKFAST - California (2024)

No Kid Hungry Starts With Breakfast!

There are numerous reasons to start a School Breakfast Program. Many children do not have the opportunity to eat breakfast on a regular basis because of working parents, long bus rides, or the inability of families to provide enough food. These children are hungry when they reach school. They will continue to be hungry until lunch time, or they may eat less nutritious food to stave off tummy aches.

Eating breakfast has a real, powerful effect on kids. Studies have shown that kids who eat breakfast are more focused, score significantly higher on tests, miss less days of school, and increase fewer discipline problems. School breakfast provides the consistent nutrition kids need to learn, grow and reach their full potential. No kid should start the day with an empty stomach!

Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) programs are alternative breakfast models like Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) and Second Chance Breakfast. These programs met meet the basic needs of students, it provides ownership and leadership skills, educators have use their morning breakfasts together to use social and emotional learning check-ins, and more. Nearly 14 million kids across the country benefited from school breakfast last school year alone.

SCHOOL BREAKFAST - California (1)

SCHOOL BREAKFAST - California (2)

Happy National School Breakfast Week!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and critical in ensuring kids have the nutrition they need to learn and grow. This March, we’re celebrating #NSBW24 by highlighting how school breakfast changes lives and the school nutrition professionals at the heart of it.

Our Center for Best Practices highlighted the voices of current and former school nutrition directors and the keys to their successes with BAB models.

In this 13-minute video, Warren Ryan, Assistant Director for San Bernardino City Unified School District, shares his experience implementing BAB in his district.

Highlights

Why? Reasons to implement BAB:

  • Participation. How breakfast in the classroom in elementary schools and second chance breakfast at their high schools have helped increase participation.

  • Success. How to begin by building support for this model, starting small, and remaining flexible and persistent.

  • Problem solving. How to anticipate challenges and focus on solutions.

  • Partnerships. Ultimately, remember that we are in this together; this partnership can help everyone if we stay flexible and open to feedback!

Recognition. Celebrate accomplishments large and small; recognizing accomplishments and those staff who make it happen goes a long way.

In this 14-minute video, No Kid Hungry national consultant Donna Martin, a retired director of Burke County, Georgia’s school nutrition program, will share her knowledge about menu planning and some great menu ideas for Breakfast After the Bell school meal delivery programs.

Highlights

  • Basics of menu planning

  • USDA meal pattern 101, including food components: grains, milk/dairy, and fruit requirements

  • How to create menus that meet calorie ranges for all grades for easier district or school-wide planning

  • Sample menu ideas and offer vs serve details, food combination ideas

  • Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go, and Last Chance breakfast

  • Culturally inclusive menu ideas and sample menu items

  • Smoothies and coffee bar examples and how to make them reimbursable

In this 13-minute video about equipment needs for BAB programs, No Kid Hungry national consultant Marla Caplon, recently retired from Montgomery County Public Schools, will share her ideas about how to make equipment needs decisions and things to consider, such as your campus setup and delivery methods.

Highlights

  • Examples of various types of equipment you can spend your budget on for BAB programs

  • How to use what you already have to serve meals in areas other than the cafeteria

  • Price ranges and examples of the delivery equipment and other items you may not have considered needing before, including hand sanitizer, POS devices, and extra garbage bins

  • Tips and tricks on how to make BAB successful at your campuses

This 15-minute video about training and promoting your BAB program features No Kid Hungry national consultant Walter Campbell, who retired after 17 years where he was the executive director of nutrition services for Charleston County School District. He will share his expertise on how to train your campus community and promote your BAB program.

Highlights

  • Key questions to ask when planning your BAB program

  • Delivery models for BAB and what you need to know about implementing each (Second Chance, Grab and Go, Breakfast In the Classroom)

  • Funding and Grants for these programs

  • How to engage important stakeholders, including principals, teachers and students, custodians, staff, parents, and community members

  • Creating Peer-to-Peer Networks

  • A detailed timeline, meetings, and nutrition education for staff and students

  • Don’t forget the heart of our work – the students

In this 13-minute video, Nutrition Director Frances Montoya, from Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in California, will share her expertise about launching and sustaining your BAB program.

Highlights

  • Pre-Launch – things to consider include meeting with stakeholders to plan and develop your strategy together and marketing on social media, with student groups, in the community, and among school staff.

  • Launch – think about ways to make it fun, including adding music, extra staff, inviting administrators to participate, taking pictures, having staff walk-throughs, posting to social media, and #createahashtag for your event!

  • Feedback – make sure to check in with everyone, create and maintain open communication loops, have parent and student surveys, and take time to reflect on your program and the comments received.

  • Outreach & Marketing – these strategies are shared throughout the presentation.

What is the School Breakfast Program?

How Does School Breakfast Benefits Kids?

What are the Barriers to Kids Eating Brekfast?

What is Breakfast After the Bell (BAB)?

BAB Myths & Misconceptions Busted!

Stories of Districts with BAB Programs

No Kid Hungry is committed to ensuring that program sponsors, community organizations, and advocates have the resources and tools they need to ensure all kids have the food they need to thrive. We’ve highlighted several current resources above, including resources specifically for Californiaschools and families.

To access our full national resource library and to register for webinars on various topics around child nutrition, visit ourCenter for Best Practices website.

For technical assistance and support, contact us.

Last Reviewed: March 11, 2024

SCHOOL BREAKFAST - California (2024)

FAQs

Is school breakfast free in California? ›

California EC Section 49501.5 requires public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools serving students in grades transitional kindergarten through grade 12 (TK–12) to provide two meals free of charge (breakfast and lunch) during each school day to students requesting a meal, regardless of ...

Will school lunches be free in 2024 in California? ›

Four states — California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont — passed policies to make school meals available to all students at no charge, regardless of household income. Nevada used pandemic relief funds to extend Healthy School Meals for All through the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years.

What is a reimbursable meal for breakfast? ›

juice/fruit and a combination of the bread/grain and meat components. Example 1 of a Reimbursable Breakfast: Whole Grain Pancakes, ½ cup fruit, and a carton of milk. Example 2 of a Reimbursable Breakfast: Cereal (1oz container), 1 piece of toast or 1 package of graham crackers, 1 carton of milk, and ½ cup of fruit.

Why should breakfast be free for students? ›

Teenagers experiencing hunger are more likely to be suspended from school, and to have difficulty getting along with other children and establishing friendships. Students who participate in school breakfast exhibit decreased behavioral and psychological problems and have lower rates of absence and tardiness.

Are school meals free in the US? ›

In the United States, school meals are provided either at no cost or at a government-subsidized price, to students from low-income families.

Who qualifies for free or reduced lunch in California? ›

All students can participate in school nutrition programs; however, students with family incomes under 130 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for free meals, and those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty line are eligible for low-cost (or “reduced-price”) meals.

What is the free lunch budget in California? ›

Together, the School Meals for All coalition advocated for the following policies that Governor Newsom signed into law through the 2021–22 California budget. This landmark investment provides $650 million annually (beginning in the 2022–2023 school year) to nourish our children and support academic success.

What is the California education code for lunch breaks? ›

The duty-free lunch period for teachers and other certificated employees required by Education Code Section 44813 shall be not less than 30 minutes. It shall be allowed as near noon as is reasonably possible.

Are school lunches actually healthy? ›

On average, school meals are healthier than the food American children consume from any other source including at home, but we're at a critical time to further strengthen their nutrition,” says senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition at the Friedman School at Tufts University.

What does a school breakfast contain? ›

According to the USDA guidelines, school breakfast must include: 1. A full cup of fruit and/or vegetables – either fresh, frozen, dried or canned. Juice may be offered, but no more than ½ cup serving towards the full serving. The remaining serving must be either fresh, frozen, dried or canned; 2.

What is a non deductible breakfast? ›

The Producer can deduct actual time up to one hour spent at meals. Non-Deductible Breakfast (NDB) For the purpose of synchronizing performer and crew meal-time, the performer may be given a non-deductible meal of 15 minutes free from all activity within two hours of the performer's call time.

What is the breakfast lunch and dinner rule? ›

Aim to eat breakfast within thirty minutes of waking up. Lunch: Thumb Rules. 12.45 pm is the ideal time to have lunch. It is of paramount importance to keep a gap of almost 4 hours between our first meal – breakfast and lunch. To the max, under all situations, lunch should not be delayed beyond 4.00 pm.

What is the School Breakfast Program in California? ›

The School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federal- and state-funded program that enables schools to serve nutritious morning meals to all students. The program provides 25% of a child's daily dietary needs and fills an important nutrition gap for California's growing number of low-income children.

Why is it bad for students to skip breakfast? ›

A healthy breakfast is an important part of the diets of children and adolescents. Healthy breakfasts are typically high in nutrients like calcium and fibre, and going without breakfast can become a missed opportunity for the necessary energy and nutrients for growth and healthy development(1).

Should students eat breakfast every day? ›

As a result of being able to concentrate better, an obvious outcome would be to get better grades on your courses. Research has shown that students who eat breakfast perform significantly better on tests and academic duties in general.

How much is spent on school lunches in California? ›

(1,2) In California, school districts spend more than $1.5 billion dollars a year to provide 540 million school lunches to over four million students, most of whom are low-income and students of color.

Is school lunch free in Orange County? ›

All students enrolled at OCPS schools receive breakfast and lunch at no charge. Extra meals and smart snacks are available but additional charges apply. *Snacks and Supper items are based on individual school qualifications. Please check your child's school for participation details.

Is a healthy school lunch that is $0.75 more than the current lunch has a higher economic cost? ›

The correct answer is “Cost”. A healthy lunch that is $0.75 more than the current lunch has a higher economic cost. The economic cost has the advantage of an opportunity cost.

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