Beginning this August, every elementary student will be offered a free breakfast to start their day off right.
The Juneau School District originally piloted the national School Breakfast Program at Glacier Valley Elementary School in fall of 2014. Every school day, around 80 of about 390 kindergarten through fifth grade students eat a free breakfast.
Principal Lucy Potter said the program meets the basic needs of students, helping them do better in school.
“They’re starting the day with a full tummy, which allows them to focus more on school than food. If kids are hungry, it’s hard for them to learn, it’s hard for them to concentrate on school,” she said.
The district started the program at Glacier Valley partly because a large percentage of its student body is eligible for free or reduced priced meals through federal funding. Federal reimbursements sustained it financially, said the district’s food service supervisor Adrianne Schwartz.
For the 2015/2016 school year, the district expanded the free breakfast program to Riverbend Elementary School and Yaakoosge Daakahidi Alternative High School.
Now, with the help of a $13,104 grant from the Juneau Community Foundation and a $5,000 grant from United Way of Southeast Alaska, the district will be able to expand the program to Gastineau Elementary School, Harborview Elementary School, Juneau Community Charter School, Mendenhall River Community School, Montessori Borealis and Auke Bay Elementary School.
Some elementary schools have already been offering free morning meals to students through volunteer organizations.
“With this funding, we have the ability to offer free breakfasts to all of those schools,” Schwartz said.
Students will be able to choose between a hot or cold breakfast.
“We have a variety of items from yogurt parfaits and cold cereal to scrambled eggs and breakfast burritos. Every day there are a variety of fruits and two types of milk offered,” Schwartz said. Students at Auke Bay will be able to access free grab-and-go breakfasts.
Schwartz said free breakfast will be an option for every single elementary student.
“Regardless of if they’re eligible or not for free or reduced meals, any student can come in in the morning and if they want a breakfast, they’ll be able to get one and they won’t be charged,” she said.
Schwartz, who’s worked in the district for 11 years, is excited to expand the program to reach more students. She said the need is definitely there.
“There are quite a few students who, for whatever reason in the morning, aren’t able to eat a healthy breakfast before they arrive,” she said.
“Also, it takes away any stigma when breakfast is offered free for everybody. Sometimes students are sensitive to eligibility status [for free or reduced priced meals] and I think it makes them more comfortable when breakfast is offered free to the entire school population,” Schwartz added.
The expanded breakfast program is for one year. Schwartz said the district will work with outside community groups to keep it going and, ideally, expand it to all schools in the district.
• Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.
