FROM PLANNING TO PLATE Preparing for National
School Breakfast Week with Protein-Rich Breakfasts B reakfast plays a key role in getting students ready to start their school day. By prioritizing breakfast for students, they are more likely to have an improved mood, increased alertness, and lower hunger for up to four hours. 1 Students who start their day with a consistent, healthy breakfast are more likely to have higher standardized test scores, fewer emotional, behavioral, and educational problems, fewer trips to the nurse, higher attendance and higher graduation rates. 1,2,3,4 National School Breakfast Week (NSBW), March 2-6, 2026, offers an opportunity to highlight the value of a school breakfast program and how it supports student learning. As NSBW approaches, school nutrition professionals can prepare by following a few key practices for a solid, sustainable breakfast program. 1. United States Department of Agriculture. 2022. Make Breakfast First Class. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sbp/make-breakfast-first-class 2. Food Research and Action Center. Benefits of School Breakfast. 2024. https://frac.org/programs/school-breakfast-program/benefits-school-breakfast 3. Hartline-Grafton, Heather. What recent research reveals about hunger & health. 2024. https://frac.org/blog/recent-research-reveals-hunger-health 4. No Kid Hungry by Share Our Strength. Evaluating the impact of breakfast after the bell on chronic absenteeism. 2019. https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/resource/ study-chronic-absenteeism-and-breakfast-after-bell
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