Day Ten - Breakfast at Morgan Elementary School

School breakfast is being offered at Morgan Elementary School this year based on the premise that "children are coming to school hungry - hungry kids don't learn."  The Morgan County School District Board of Education voted this summer to try school breakfast at MES for the 2011-2012 school year.

I was there at the Board of Education meeting that night.  Since the implementation of school breakfast at MES, I have learned that:

• All MES school children who ride the bus to school are being picked up this year 10 minutes early which enables any children who want to have breakfast to have approximately 15 minutes to eat breakfast at school.
• All the children are gathered into the school gym which is partially partitioned off for children who want to eat breakfast served on the other side.
• Those children who are not having school breakfast wait and socialize while the children who want have breakfast.  The school principal uses this opportunity to mix and mingle with the MES kids.
• Some children who already had breakfast at home are eating breakfast again at school.  Their parents were not aware of this until they were charged the breakfast fee on their children's lunch account.

Mountain Greeen Elementary School will most likely be offered the chance to implement a school breakfast program next year.  I recommend that we:

1. Research how many MGES children come to school hungry.  How big / little of a problem is it?Research why some MGES children come to school hungry.  For example:  Not enough time to eat breakfast?  Don't like to eat breakfast?  Just "picked at" their breakfast?  Ate breakfast but "always hungry"?  Too tired to eat breakfast?  Parents don't eat breakfast so kids don't eat breakfast?  Parents don't care?  No food available to serve for breakfast?
2. Research other community resources available that may be available to assist with this concern
3. Educate our community as to the pros and cons for each side of coin of implementing a local school breakfast program
4. Last, find out how many residents in our MGES community support or do not support a school  breakfast program at MGES.  (Incidentally, Morgan Elementary School's breakfast program is being implemented on a one year trial basis.  These same steps can be utilized to determine whether or not it should be continued.)

What do you think?
Blog-in next time for Day Eleven!