Here at No Kid Hungry, we know that principals are not only feeding our children’s minds, but also their bellies. We want to thank them for all their hard work to ensure that our nation’s kids are growing up happy, healthy and strong.
That’s why this October, we’re joining in celebrating the important work of principals across the country during National Principal Month, hosted by National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Federation of School Administrators.
Across the nation, principals are taking the lead in helping nutrition directors change the way breakfast is served. By making breakfast a part of the school day, instead serving it before the school day starts, schools are connecting breakfast with more kids who need it. This helps kids start the day mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to learn.
These simple changes eliminate a whole host of the barriers that make it hard for kids to get the food they need, including not being able to get to school before the bell rings, overcrowded and chaotic cafeterias, and the stigma sometimes associated with breakfast being only for the “poor kids.”
Principals are champions for children, and they are leading the way to end childhood hunger for children in their schools across the country. That's why we're marking National Principal Month by spotlighting the amazing principals who make sure our kids - all our kids - get the fuel they need to succeed.
“There is nothing we can do inside the four walls of our school until these children’s basic needs are met," said Pam Davis, the principal of an elementary school in Virginia. "The brain will purge everything. On Mondays we can’t hold the kids back from the breakfast program because they are so hungry. The meals at school provide stability and comfort; they reduce anxiety and stress, and help our children get ready to learn. You get them here. You love them up. You feed them. We make them whole people.”
Want to get involved? Reach out to your child’s principal and voice your support for a breakfast served after the start of the school day and making a healthy meal or snack available at the end of the school day.
And, on behalf of all of us, thank that principal for their service.
