Byrd, Jay, and Rupley Implement New Additional Breakfast Program in 17-18 SY
Did you know that approximately 8 to 12 percent of all school-aged children skip breakfast, and by the time kids enter adolescence, as many as 20 to 30 percent of them do?* Research indicates that children who eat breakfast are more likely to perform better in school, have more energy, are more physically fit, and establish better lifelong eating habits.
To help give at-risk children more opportunities to have their morning meal, the State of Illinois established Public Act 99-0850, to be implemented by July 1, 2017. This law requires every public school that meets qualification criteria to operate a “Breakfast After the Bell” (BATB) Program, where breakfast is provided to children after the instructional day has officially begun, which means after the first bell. The Act does not prohibit schools from also providing breakfast before the instructional day begins.
Per the state requirement, in the 17-18 school year, three CCSD59 elementary schools – Byrd, John Jay, and Rupley- will implement a BATB program. At these three schools, a grab‘n’go breakfast will be available to students, which will be eaten in the classroom after the official start of the school day. It is the same menu as the before-school breakfast; the only difference is that most of the items will be assembled in a “to go” bag. It is intended as a meal for kids who missed breakfast at home or did not participate in the breakfast offered before school.
At CCSD59’s qualifying schools, after the first bell and the Pledge of Allegiance and announcements, students who want to participate in the “Breakfast After the Bell” meal will go to the multi-purpose room, pick up their to-go bag, and return to the classroom to consume the meal. It costs the same as the before-school meal, depending on the qualification status of each student.
“Childhood hunger is a real and serious problem,” said Jan Fisher, school nutrition coordinator at CCSD59. “Across the nation, breakfast participation is significantly less than lunch participation. Our goal is to get all of our kids nourished to start their day!”