Breakfast powers kids to reach their full potential, but millions of kids in need don’t get the fuel to start their day.
That’s where – together – you and No Kid Hungry come in.
We work with schools and community groups nationwide to get more kids a nutritious breakfast each day. In some cases, schools simply need the funds to get their program up and running, so we help them buy refrigerators, meal carts and the like.
But we also provide schools with hands-on guidance to start serving breakfast after the bell, as part of the regular school day. And, we ensure teachers have the support they need to put it into action in a way that expands teaching time – something that can be a surprise for teachers new to breakfast in the classroom.
Just ask Colleen Dues, a kindergarten teacher of 14 years at Lincoln Elementary School in Great Falls, Montana.
“My initial thought was, ‘How am I going to teach when I’ve got a room full of kids eating?’” she explained.
Still, she noticed there was a problem when her students didn’t get the breakfast they needed.
“Kids were coming in tired, not as energetic,” she said, which made teaching more difficult.
With your support, No Kid Hungry helped Lincoln Elementary start serving breakfast in the classroom to all students. Now, cafeteria staff deliver cooler bags to classrooms each morning, and that’s where – in her class – Dues’ five- and six-year-olds take over.
She’s trained them to line up, grab their milk, fruit and other food from the coolers, eat at their tables and clean up afterwards.
“I teach them we’re one big giant team and we all need to work as a team to get our job done,” she said. “I wipe down the tables afterwards. Other than that, they're pretty independent.”
And while the kids enjoy and take care of the food, they don’t stop learning, so there’s no time lost.
“Today when the kids were eating, we listened to a story,” she said. “They had to listen for characters and setting and conflict, so there is learning involved.”
In fact, as Dues and teachers across the country have told us, the breakfast gives their kids the fuel they need to be their best in class and beyond.
“When they’ve been fed, they’re just more alert and eager to participate and work,” she shared. “You can almost see them perk up from having that breakfast.”
You can help kids in classrooms across the country get a healthy breakfast each day. Sign our open letter to America’s kids or donate today.
You can be the difference between a child succeeding or falling behind. But don’t take our work for it; just ask Dues.
“I can't teach kids if they don’t have food because their brains aren’t ready to work hard,” she said. “Breakfast gives them the nutrition that they need to be more successful academically, behaviorally, socially, everything in school.”
Learn more at PoweredByBreakfast.org.
