A press conference celebrated the school’s Breakfast in the Classroom program, which has seen breakfast participation in the school jump from 23 percent in the 2013-14 school year, to now over 80 percent.

“If Penn Wood Middle School can do that, then every school district, every school building can do that” said Donna Cooper, executive director of Public citizens for Children and Youth.

Using this model has reached more students by putting breakfast — consisting of juice, milk, fruit and a granola bar — in homerooms from 8 to 8:10 a.m. every day right before their first period class. This serves about 600 of the over 700 students at the school.

Last year, students were asked to come in as early as 7:30 a.m. to have breakfast, which ended at 7:50.

“We know that kids need to start the day with a healthy meal,” said Cooper. “This is not a new idea, it’s an old fashion idea. Modern times require that we address this in a new way.”

Acting Principal Devin Layton said students have been “loving” it, especially for those on the move to get to school from one of the six boroughs it serves.

“This allows them to have breakfast and not have to worry about rushing first thing in the morning … and it’s not disrupting the educational process,” said Layton.

Layton added that the school nurse has reported less students coming in complaining of hunger or stomach pains.

The district’s Evans Elementary School uses the same model for grades kindergarten through second grades. Most of the other schools serve breakfast in their cafeterias before the school day starts.

Worked into the district’s contract with food service provider Aramark, there is no additional cost for the service.

It was not known what other districts in the county implement a similar program.

While Penn Wood received local recognition for their breakfast program, the state as a whole could be doing better.

A study released on the same day by the Food Resource and Action Center lists Pennsylvania as 40th in the nation with only 85.6 percent of schools involved in a breakfast program and the National School Lunch Program. Delaware and New Jersey ranked 11 and 49, respectively, in the nation.

The same study ranks the commonwealth 38th with the number of free and reduced price student participation in school breakfast and NSLP.

The study’s most up-to-date information used data from the 2013-14 school year.

“Breakfast is not rocket science, it’s not the hardest thing to do,” said Kathy Fisher, manager of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. “It makes a big difference in what your main goal is which is educating kids. Pennsylvania just needs to step up its game and make a difference for kids.”

A new federal option called the Community Eligibility Provision, available for the first time this year, is hoping to improve the state’s low ranking. The CEP is to strengthen financial support for high poverty school districts, of which William Penn may be eligible. Twenty-six public, charter and parochial schools have adopted the option.

Cooper said no matter what option is available — grab-and-go, cafeteria, or classroom — students shouldn’t have to focus on hunger, they should be focusing on learning.

“We need a 21st-century solution, and that’s what Penn Wood Middle School did,” said Cooper.

DelcoTimes – February 10, 2015 – 在线阅读文章