Children who eat breakfast at the start of their school day have higher math and reading scores, have broader vocabularies, and perform better on standardized tests. They focus better, behave better, and are more cooperative and get along better with classmates. Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be absent and less likely to see the school nurse and be overweight.
Breakfast regulations include:
• All Whole Grain Rich Items
• Calorie Restrictions – Daily Amount Based on Average for 5-Day Week
• Three Food Components – Fruits/Vegetables, Grains, & Milk
• Fruits/Vegetables – 1/2 cup must be offered daily to all age groups
• Grains – 1 oz. equivalent of grains must be offered daily to all age groups
• Milk – 1 cup of fat free (unflavored or flavored) or low fat must be offered daily to all age groups
• Meat/Meat Alternate – currently no requirement to offer meat/meat alternate. Schools may offer a meat/meat alternate in place of part of grains component after the minimum daily grain requirement is offered. A serving of 1 oz. of meat/meat alternate may credit as 1 oz. of grains.