A healthy breakfast fuels children’s focus, behavior, and academic success, and building the habit starts at home and school.
Yvonne Johnson
President, National PTA
Proper nutrition is imperative to the health, development, and academic achievement of children. Students cannot learn without adequate nutrition, and eating a healthy breakfast is an important way to start each school day.
Research shows that when children eat fresh, healthy meals, they stay more focused, have fewer absences and better grades and standardized test scores, and show improved behavior in the classroom.
Building healthy habits at home
Morning routines can be hectic, but it’s a fact that kids who eat breakfast learn better. It’s never too late to establish new habits in your family to promote and maintain healthy lifestyles, including ensuring your kids and everyone in your family eats a healthy breakfast each day.
If you’re having difficulty getting your kids to eat breakfast, try making healthy breakfast food choices together. The more involved kids are in planning and preparing healthy meals, the more likely they are to eat them.
Additionally, set an example. Our children watch and mimic our moves. If you make a commitment to eating a healthy breakfast every day, there’s a good chance your children will follow.
Just trying to get out the door to make it to school on time? Have grab-and-go items readily available to eat in the car on the way to school.
Many schools also offer breakfast for students before the bell rings, and more schools are adopting breakfast-after-the-bell models, where breakfast is served in classrooms, from grab-and-go carts in the hallway on the way to class, or during a morning break.
How parents can make a difference
Parents play an important role in collaborating with teachers, school leaders, school nutrition teams, and community partners to improve student nutrition and school meals. Parents can be the driving force behind everything from supporting and expanding school breakfast and healthy school meals and snacks to building school gardens and helping craft healthy school celebration policies.
For many students participating in school breakfast and lunch programs, these meals provide up to 50% of their daily nutrient needs. For far too many children, school meals are a necessity and are often the most nutritious meals they receive.
Parents also play an important role in advocating with policymakers to ensure all students have access to school breakfast and lunch programs, offering the healthiest, most nutritious foods possible.
Eating a healthy breakfast is an essential ingredient for children’s academic, social, emotional, and physical growth. Establishing healthy habits and mindsets in our children and working collaboratively to create an environment that promotes healthy behaviors — at home and at school — will make a difference for the well-being and long-term success of all children.
