For Immediate Release
March 2, 2007

School Breakfast Provides a ‘World of Taste’
Illinois observes National School Breakfast week, March 5-9

Springfield, Ill. – The Illinois State Board of Education is joining with schools and nutrition experts throughout Illinois in celebrating National School Breakfast week, March 5 – 9. “A World of Breakfasts!” is this year’s theme for the nationwide celebration of the importance of starting each day with a nutritious breakfast.

“We know for a fact that a good breakfast is an important start for a child’s successful day of learning. Studies show that children who eat a good breakfast do better in school,” said Christopher Koch, Interim State Superintendent. “Kids who don’t eat a good breakfast become tired in school, especially in late morning, and have shorter attention spans.”

Launched in 1989 by the School Nutrition Association, National School Breakfast week raises awareness about the importance of breakfast for all students at school and draws attention to the link between eating a good breakfast and cognitive growth.

According to the School Nutrition Association, more than 75,000 schools and childcare institutions nationwide serve nearly 9 million breakfasts each day. In Illinois alone, more than 2,900 Illinois schools serve nearly 260,000 breakfasts daily.

Other Illinois breakfast facts:

• Over 44 million breakfasts were erved in Illinois during the 2005-2006 school year
• 62 percent of Illinois public schools participate in the federal breakfast program
  Illinois saw a 13.5 percent increase in the number of schools participating in the School Breakfast Program from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006 – 2,973 schools up from 2,419.
• 13.4 percent increase in student participation, up to 257,627 students in 2005-2006.
• Illinois mandates that all public schools with 40 percent or more of Free and Reduced Price eligible students must operate a school breakfast program.
• 69.1 percent of schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program also participate in the School Breakfast Program.

The School Breakfast Program is a federal program that provides a nutritious meal to students at school. It provides at least one-fourth of the nutrients needed by a growing child and less than 30 percent of their calories from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat, meeting the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Participation in the federal program is open to all public schools or non-profit private schools of high school grade or under as well as residential child care institutions.

A complete listing of all Illinois schools and child care institutions that participate in the School Breakfast Program can found be online at: http://www.isbe.net/news/2007/breakfast_week.pdf

More information about becoming a sponsor of a School Breakfast Program can be found online at: http://www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/breakfast.htm; or by calling 1-800-545-7892. Questions can also be e-mailed to cnp@isbe.net.