In-class breakfast program is helping kids fuel up for school

NBC
Published: November 17, 2008

Your mother probably told you eat a good breakfast.

Now the New York City school system is on the case.

The first order of business in one 4th grade classroom, take off your coats and get your breakfast.
At PS68 in the Bronx, instead of arriving early for a free breakfast in the cafeteria, children can eat with their peers in their classroom at the start of the school day.
The principal here says in the past kids often missed the early breakfast at school because they were too late or didn’t want to leave the playground. 

The in-class breakfast takes away those pressures.

More kids eat breakfast, setting the stage for the rest of the day.

“A hungry child will not perform well in school. That’s a given,“ said Principal Cheryl Coles.

Another interesting effect of the breakfast program, the school says fewer kids are tardy and absent, because they like eating breakfast with their friends.

“This is a special event that occurs every morning that they don’t want to miss,“ Coles said.

The kids clearly have their menu favorites, on this day the bagels stuffed with cream cheese ranked high.
According to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, one in five New York City children live in what are called food insecure households, meaning there may not be enough food to go around.

The in class breakfast program is an attempt to make sure more children get the fuel their little bodies need.
The in-class breakfasts are part of a pilot program, currently in 48 schools but the city says it’s looking to expand to another 300 schools.