In a recent report issued by the Utah Breakfast Expansion Team (part of Utahans Against Hunger), Carbon School District was highly ranked in the numbers of its students that are eating breakfast at school, compared to other districts in the state.
In fact, the three county area of Carbon, Emery and Wayne School Districts made up the majority of the top five in the state with Wayne placing first, Emery second and Carbon fifth. The three and four spots are held down by Rich and Juab School District’s respectively.
But while Carbon ranks high out of the 41 districts in the state there is still a lot to accomplish when it comes to making sure all students are fed and ready to learn each morning in the schools. Numerous studies over the years have proved that a student who has eaten breakfast has a better chance of being a better student, that they stay healthier and that they perform better in all aspects of education than those they don’t.
Overall in the state, during the 2014-15 school year only 34.3 percent of students who fell into a low income category were served breakfast at school. It has been determined that a successful breakfast program must reach at least 70 percent of those students. In Utah 15 percent of the states children live in poverty, but the proportion of students that actually experience food insecurity is over 20 percent. The problem of food insecurity is compounded by the fact that many households purchase largely foods that are high in calories because they are less expensive. High rates of eating salty and high sugar diets lead to weight challenges and other health problems as well. These types of households also usually have lower rates of consumption of fruits and vegetables, a key to good nutrition. Most experts agree that hunger and those that eat the wrong things have a greater risk for chronic conditions such as asthma, anemia and pneumonia, along with behavioral and emotional problems. These types of diets also lead to complex health problems later in life as well.
The benefits of a school breakfast program in the form of what is taking place in Carbon District have been proven. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that participation in such programs results in higher academic grades and standardized test scores, reduced absenteeism, and overall improved cognitive performance.
Even for students who do not face food insecurity, school breakfast programs are very beneficial. Often busy family lifestyles preclude students from eating right in the morning and the program offers an alternative that can lead to better nutrition.
Breakfast programs are different from district to district vary. Some districts charge families for the program based on need, while others that charge nothing to any student who wishes to eat. There are also numerous ways in which breakfast can be administered. In some cases students can eat in the school cafeteria before classes begin, in other cases breakfast is served during school time, either as a cafeteria event or even in the classroom. In some instances schools use a “grab n’ go” program in which students can take breakfast off a cart or from the cafeteria to the classroom or somewhere else on the campus to eat.
In Carbon District the program has been tried in all its different forms. At Bruin Point Elementary the school day has been set up to start 10 minutes earlier so the entire studentbody can eat in the cafeteria before course work begins. That school has some advantage that allows them to do this. The studentbody is small enough that everyone can fit in the cafeteria at once and in addition the school is on an independent bus schedule because the buses are housed on campus and serve only that school.
At other schools in the district breakfast is served before school, although in one case until this year one school was using a breakfast in the classroom model. However, the “grab n’ go” breakfasts are available to schools, even individual classrooms, depending on what the administration and the faculty members at schools want to do.
Probably one of the most important factors about the program in Carbon District is that there is no cost to any student who eats breakfast at school, whether they are on free, reduced or full pay lunch programs. Still many students do not take advantage of the opportunity despite that, probably because they and their parents are not aware of how it is administered.
The district is reimbursed from the state based on the number of students that eat breakfast. According to Patti Rigby, the Director of School Food Services at Carbon District the total reimbursement for the program in the 2015-16 year was $186,856. Up until November of the 2016-17 school year the district has received $62,056. Because of the overall poverty level in Carbon County, the district is considered a “severe need” district, one where both lunch and breakfast are supplemented with extra funds to be sure students get good nutrition. The reimbursement is determined by the application of numbers from the lunch program. For the 2016-17 school year the district gets $2.04 for every breakfast it serves based on free lunch applications, $1.74 per reduced lunch served and $0.29 per every paid lunch served.
Each school has some students with differing needs from the mainstream population. The Child Nutrition Program caters to individual school needs and/or individual classroom needs to serve the most students within the parameters of the regulations.
“We welcome ideas and suggestions from parents and guardians on how to best serve the needs of their children,” said Rigby. “Our breakfasts include whole grains, protein, fruit, juice and milk choices each school day. Breakfast is the perfect time for kids to meet up with friends, share a meal and be ready to have a great day.”
Parents who are interested in the program and who want more information can contact Rigby at 435-613-3142 or through email at prigby@carbonschools.org.