At Mt. Diablo Unified School District, the goal is to have every day of learning start off with a healthy breakfast. A district with a population of 36,000, Mt. Diablo serves nearly 1,600 after-school snacks, 13,000 lunches and 3,500 breakfasts per day.

Trying to increase the number of breakfasts served is this year’s mission for Mt. Diablo Unified. Marion MacArthur, Food Service Supervisor for the District has challenged all schools to increase their breakfast participation. Marion and the entire Food Service Department know that children learn better in school if they have eaten breakfast. Kathleen Corrigan, Food Service Director, joined Marion to kick off the school year by presenting a training to school principals and other District administrators that explained the research linking breakfast to learning. A brainstorming session at the end of the training led to a variety of ways all school employees can encourage students to eat breakfast. The ideas have really taken off.

The breakfast menu is highlighted on the school district web site: www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/foodservice

Rio Vista Elementary School Principal, Jim Curtis, believes so strongly in the importance of breakfast that he hosts a quarterly community breakfast where parents are invited to come to school and eat breakfast with their students. Jim has also arranged for a free cup of coffee during the cold mornings for parents who bring in their students to breakfast!

Several elementary schools have implemented a “Second Chance Breakfast”—serving breakfast at morning recess time. These bagged breakfasts include cupped fruit like apricots, peaches, a granola bar, milk, and cheese stick. Marion reports children eagerly come for a second chance to eat breakfast often saying: “Thank you, I’m hungry because I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.” Teachers also report less disruptive behavior when the children eat breakfast.

At Mt. Diablo Unified School District, breakfast is a way to jump-start the day!