Orange County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services (OCPS FNS) is celebrating the importance of eating a healthy breakfast through National School Breakfast Week March 6-10, a national campaign hosted by the School Nutrition Association (SNA).
During this year’s celebration, students in all grades are eligible to win prizes by eating delicious, breakfasts offered by the school’s cafeteria. The menu includes items such as egg and cheese scramble pizza, colby egg and cheese omelet with croissant, and other student favorites like chicken and sausage biscuits along with milk and fresh fruit including oranges, bananas, and apples.
“Having breakfast at school is very important to many of our students,” said Lora Gilbert, registered dietitian and senior Director for the OCPS Food and Nutrition Program. “Research shows that three out of every four students do not eat breakfast at home, and they need fuel so their brain can function.”
OCPS FNS proudly serves over 54,000 breakfasts daily to students throughout the district using various models from the traditional cafeteria line to golf carts that drive to students on campus in the morning and breakfast carts located near the bus loops.
Sixty-eight percent of OCPS students qualify for free or reduced priced meals. The Florida Impact, a hunger advocacy nonprofit organization, reports that one in four children struggle with hunger.
“Students who eat breakfast are proven to do better on tests and improve their memory not only do they do better in school, but they stay in school and have fewer behavior problems and visits to the nurses,” Gilbert said. “Our FNS program does all it can to make sure all students are offered breakfast.”
Some schools even offer a Grab N’ Go menu that students can take to their classrooms to start their day. The Grab N’ Go breakfast is a simple menu which consists of easy to eat items such as cereal bar, cheese stick, yogurt, whole grain graham cracker, fruit and milk.
For more information, contact Gilbert at 407-317-3963 or lora.gilbert@ocps.net, or visit www.ocpsmealapp.com.
